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R. Kelly says he can’t pay child support because his ex-wife is ‘destroying my name’

R. Kelly's day began with an explosive and emotional interview on CBS this Morning and its ending in a Cook County jail cell. The singer was already facing aggravated sex abuse charges and now he's in trouble for failing to pay child support – Mar 6, 2019

R. Kelly remains in a Chicago jail as more of his nationally televised interview is set to air.

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The R&B singer was taken into custody Wednesday after telling a judge he could not pay US$161,000 in back child support.

Earlier in the day, CBS This Morning aired an interview in which Kelly pleaded with viewers to believe that he’d never had sex with anyone under 17 and never held anyone against her will.

WATCH BELOW: R. Kelly says he’s being ‘assassinated’ in explosive new interview

READ MORE: R. Kelly’s ‘girlfriends’ say their parents are ‘basically out here trying to get money and scam’

Kelly says he went to his bank for the first time by himself only about three weeks ago and discovered he had $350,000 left.

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He told CBS This Morning in another part of the interview that aired Thursday, that other people stole from his accounts and he was “tired of not knowing where my money was.”

“So many people have been stealin’ my money. People was connected to my account. I went into — I went by myself for the first time to a Bank of America. Didn’t know what I was doing. Didn’t know what the hell was going on,” Kelly said.

He later acknowledged: “A lot of it’s on me.”

Kelly says he told a bank teller to start a new account. He says he was indicted the next day but couldn’t’ access his money because the account needed a few days to clear.

Kelly also asks: “How can I pay child support if my ex-wife is destroying my name and I can’t work?” The Ignition Remix singer shouted and cried about his financial situation and his relationship with his three children.

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“How can I work? How can I get paid? How can I take care of my kids? How?” Kelly shouted.

He continued: “I’m telling y’all. I flew in on a helicopter with a damn puppy, and I proposed to Drea, who I was in love with and told her, ‘Hey, look, I make mistakes, I’m not perfect.’ We got married, OK? We had three beautiful kids.”

He says his wife was lying when she alleged he had abused her. Kelly says he has “zero” relationship with his children, but says he knows they love him.

READ MORE: R. Kelly fans stand by singer, offer to pay bail despite sex-assault charges

A spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Kelly would not be released from jail until he pays $161,000 in back child support.

Kelly’s publicist, Darryll Johnson, said Kelly came to the hearing prepared to pay $50,000 to $60,000, but the judge wanted the whole amount. He said Kelly did not have the whole amount because he has not been able to work.

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“He came here expecting to leave. He didn’t come here to go to jail,” Johnson said.

Addressing the court’s refusal to accept the smaller amount, he said “in the end, nobody wins. The kids still don’t have any money.”

WATCH BELOW: The latest on R. Kelly’s charges

The singer’s next hearing is scheduled for March 13, sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said.

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READ MORE: ‘I’m fighting for my f***ing life’: R. Kelly’s emotional outburst in CBS interview

The interview was his first public defence since being charged with sexually abusing three girls and a woman.

Experts say the TV appearance was risky and could backfire if it gives prosecutors more information to use against him at trial.

WATCH BELOW: The latest on R. Kelly’s accusers

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Kelly was charged last month with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse and has pleaded not guilty. He spent a weekend in jail before someone posted his $100,000 bail. His defence attorney said at the time that Kelly’s finances were “a mess.”

The interview with CBS This Morning was Kelly’s first since he was charged . Kelly called his accusers liars and alleged that people are after him for his money. He told interviewer Gayle King that he never sexually abused women or controlled their lives.

READ MORE: R. Kelly released on bail in Chicago

The 52-year-old singer is accused in Chicago of sexually abusing four females dating back to 1998, including three underage girls.

“All of them are lying,” Kelly said in segments of the interview broadcast Wednesday. “I have been assassinated.”

— With files from the Associated Press

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