R. Kelly Breaks Down in an Explosive Interview With Gayle King

From Esquire

R. Kelly gave his first interview since being charged with sexual abuse last month. In an explosive segment that will air on Wednesday's CBS This Morning, the singer denies all of the accusations against him and tearfully tells Gayle King, in an emotional outburst, "I'm fighting for my fucking life!"

Kelly turned himself into Chicago police on February 24 after being indicted on charges of sexual abuse. The indictment came in the wake of Lifetime's docu-series, Surviving R. Kelly, which aired on the cable channel in January and included interviews with many women who alleged that Kelly sexually abused them as teenagers. On February 14, lawyer Michael Avenatti released a statement that he was in possession of a video that allegedly depicted Kelly engaging in sexual contact with a girl who identifies herself as being 14 years old.

The interview with King airs on Wednesday, although the segment has been posted onto the CBS This Morning website and on Twitter. In the clip below, Kelly vehemently denies the allegations. When King asks the singer about his alleged sexual history with underaged girls, Kelly dismisses them as rumors: "Whether they're old rumors, new rumors, future rumors, not true," Kelly said.

Another clip from the segment sees Kelly becoming highly emotional when King continues to ask him questions about his accusers, exploding at the CBS host and her camera team when she brings up the allegations that he held women emotionally and physically hostage in his home. "Use your common sense," he yells directly at the camera. "This is not me. I'm fighting for my fucking life."

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