A screening of Lifetime’s forthcoming R. Kelly docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, was abruptly evacuated Tuesday evening in New York after a gun threat was called in to the venue. The embattled singer’s ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, told Rolling Stone that she believed R. Kelly himself had something to do with the threat that shut down the screening of the documentary on the singer’s alleged sexual misconduct.
“The first thing that came to my mind — and I can’t speak for anyone else — was that [R. Kelly] had this shut down. I believe it was somebody connected to him. This was an outside inside-job to me; someone on the outside does not want what’s going on on the inside to be completed,” Andrea Kelly told Rolling Stone. “Whoever it came from, they know that this is not a good thing because there’s power in numbers.” Andrea Kelly has been outspoken about the abuse she says she suffered from her ex, which allegedly entailed being hogtied by the singer.
According to Andrea Kelly, the house lights came on 20 minutes into the screening and the theater was evacuated. A rep from Lifetime told The Hollywood Reporter that the call was anonymous but it was placed in Chicago. No arrests have been made.
The event was attended by #MeToo founder Tarana Burke and several other R. Kelly accusers, including Lisa Van Allen, Asante McGee, Lizzette Martinez, Kitti Jones, and Jerhonda Pace.
“As a precaution, the network elected to evacuate the building,” a rep for NeueHouse Madison Square said in a statement to Pitchfork. “Despite non-credible threats called in during tonight’s screening, we followed appropriate safety protocols in collaboration with the NYPD and elected to postpone the event. We stand by the creative women bringing these heroic stories to light.”
Spin reached out to R. Kelly’s reps for comment and we’ll update if they respond.
Surviving R. Kelly premieres on Lifetime on January 3 and will air over the course of three nights.
