Who would’ve thought that an interview with R. Kelly would entail questions involving his highly known rape allegations? Not R. Kelly, apparently, as earlier today he bristled when asked by HuffPost Live‘s Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani what he thought of people associating his name with “the multiple lawsuits, the multiple allegations, of you having inappropriate relations—sexual relations—with minors.”
He doesn’t storm off straight away — he proceeds to talk over Tehrani, discussing the fact that he’s sold out shows all over the world, how many people love him, etc. It’s a bunch of stuff that glosses over the fact that he is an alleged rapist, essentially trying to justify his continued relevance and brushing-off of the allegations by arguing that he’s still popular, so why does it matter?
Anyway, the interview continues until the 17-minute mark — about nine minutes after the initial question is posed — when R. Kelly tells the Tehrani that she’s beautiful, but the interview is over. Her response? “You don’t have to comment on my appearance, sir.”
Watch the full video below, and read our review of R. Kelly’s latest album here. (Full disclosure: his rape allegations definitely colored our perception of the album.)