R. Kelly dismissed allegations that he has held women against their will as “stupid” in an interview with CBS This Morning that is set to air at 7 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
The R&B artist behind songs such as I Believe I Can Fly has been charged with sexually abusing four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged incidents took place.
On his behalf, Kelly’s lawyer has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. The singer posted bail and was released from a jail in Chicago on Feb. 25.
WATCH: Feb. 26 — R. Kelly released from jail
In the interview with CBS’ Gayle King, Kelly, whose full name is Robert Kelly, said he’s “fighting for my f***ing life” amid the charges and a long series of allegations he has faced going back to the mid-1990s.
King said to the singer: “Correct me if I’m wrong that you have never held anybody against their will.”
WATCH: Joycelyn Savage, alleged victim of R. Kelly, contacts family for first time in 2 years
Kelly interjected, saying: “I don’t need to. Why would I?”
“How stupid would it be for R. Kelly, with all I’ve been through in my way, way past, to hold somebody — let alone, four, five, six, 50, you said — how stupid would I be to do that?”
READ MORE: R. Kelly released on bail in Chicago
King tried to step in, but Kelly wouldn’t stop talking.
“That’s stupid, guys,” Kelly said.
“Use your common sense. Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want, but just use your common sense.”
“How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I’ve been through, oh, right now, I just think I need to be a monster and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement and don’t let them eat and don’t let them out, unless they need some shoes down the street from their uncle,” Kelly continued.
The singer went on to say: “Quit playing! I didn’t do this stuff. This is not me. I’m fighting for my f***ing life!”
Then the sound cut out as Kelly stood up, looking emotional.
WATCH: Feb. 25 — Lawyer for R.Kelly says if tapes exist in case, turn it over to police
Allegations surrounding Kelly stretch back to at least 1994, when the then-27-year-old married fellow R&B artist Aaliyah, who was 15 years old at the time.
That marriage was subsequently annulled, and the pair wouldn’t confirm that it had actually happened. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001.
In 2008, Kelly was acquitted after initially being indicted on 21 counts of child pornography. That case was based on a video that allegedly showed him engaging in sex with an underage girl.
READ MORE: Timeline — a look at allegations of sexual abuse against singer R. Kelly over the years
Then, in 2017, BuzzFeed reported that Kelly had allegedly coaxed women into relationships that resembled a cult — women ranging in age from 18 to 31 years old, whom he allegedly abused and kept from their families.
Kelly was sued in May 2018 by Faith Rodgers, a woman who alleged that the singer had locked her up to punish her during a relationship that lasted for approximately one year.
She had made these allegations in a police report filed in April 2018; Kelly’s management team denied them.
In January, Lifetime aired Surviving R. Kelly, a documentary series that alleged the artist had sexually abused women and girls.
The documentary contained interviews with subjects who said that he targeted girls at a McDonald’s.
Kelly denied any wrongdoing.
—With files from Katie Scott
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