Iyanla Vanzant Tells R. Kelly She Ignored His Pain

Spiritual adviser Iyanla Vanzant addressed imprisoned singer R. Kelly directly on The Jason Lee Show this week, asking him to forgive her and other community elders for what she described as their failure to support him. "Forgive me as an elder in our community not being available to support you," Vanzant said. "Forgive me for ignoring your pain. Forgive me for abandoning you."

Vanzant expanded her mea culpa beyond herself. "Our entire community abandoned him," she said. "As an elder, I'm going to own it. We did. We abandoned him." Her remarks centered on the people who surrounded Kelly throughout his career and profited from it. She questioned why those who may have known about his personal struggles did not attempt to help before his situation deteriorated.

Vanzant specifically raised Kelly's reported difficulty with reading. "How many people made how much money on him and nobody had enough compassion for their brother to sit him down two, three times a week to teach him how to read?" she asked. She repeatedly requested forgiveness while reflecting on how his struggles were handled by those closest to him.

Vanzant's apology did not address the criminal case against Kelly. He is serving an effective 31-year federal prison sentence following convictions in separate cases involving the sexual exploitation of women and underage girls. Her comments did not challenge those convictions or suggest he should be released.

The remarks also left intact the accounts of survivors. Many spoke publicly for years about allegations of abuse against Kelly. Black women and advocates who raised those concerns faced criticism and backlash while pushing for their accounts to be taken seriously.

Kelly's career produced substantial earnings for people in his circle, a point Vanzant returned to repeatedly. She framed the issue as a question of access: those who had proximity to him and knew of his struggles could have offered basic educational support and guidance.

Vanzant has not addressed how Kelly's reading difficulties were handled by any specific individuals. Her comments on The Jason Lee Show focused on the collective responsibility of community elders and those who were close to him.

Kelly's federal sentence covers convictions in separate cases involving the sexual exploitation of women and underage girls. Survivors and advocates who spoke about alleged abuse for years continue to be part of the record surrounding his career.