Lifetime has released the trailer for Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter, a two-night event that will see several survivors detail their experiences during the singer and convicted sex trafficker’s trial earlier this year, and the fear and intimidation they faced around their public testimonies.
Set to debut in two parts starting Jan. 2 followed by a second night Jan. 3, part three of the docuseries will also explore the fallout of the former R&B superstar’s three decades of crimes as he faces multiple federal and state trials.
The three-and-a-half-minute trailer touches on the experiences of the doc’s more than 60 voices and testimonials discussing Kelly’s inner circle and their potential role in covering up his crimes; the deadly threats his various survivors faced while still being abused by the artist and then when trying to come forward; how survivors’ parents responded to the fear and abuse Kelly doled out; an exploration of distributing case facts, including the naming of Aaliyah in court; and the public protests that sprung up — in support of and against R. Kelly — during his trial.
“This is something unprecedented in the history of popular music with, I believe, hundreds of victims,” says one expert featured in the trailer, of Kelly’s victimization across decades. “I now know 69.”
At another point, the case testimony is described as “horrifying,” with another individual featured in the doc describing evidence as “the most horrific audio or video that I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Several others detail being held at gunpoint, being verbally threatened and experiencing arson at the hands of Kelly before a voice at the trailer’s end asks, “How did he get away with this for 30 years?”
As part of the first night of The Final Chapter, the aftermath of the infamous gun threat at the premiere screening of the documentary will be covered, along with Azriel Clary, including Clary being instructed to lie in the infamous R. Kelly interview with Gayle King, as well as details of her abuse, on the witness stand.
Her family will also detail the intimidation tactics launched at the family by R. Kelly supporters, with legal experts and journalists weighing in on the racketeering charges Kelly faces. The second night will center on Jane Doe #1 and the revelation of the John Does who took the stand, alongside the emergence of new survivors, with survivors sharing victim impact statements as they hear the final verdict against Kelly.
Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter is executive produced by Joel Karsberg of Kreativ Inc., a creative working pod with Bunim Murray Productions, Tamra Simmons, Jesse Daniels, and Maria Pepin and Brie Miranda Bryant from Lifetime.
The Final Chapter will air Jan. 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
