R. Kelly’s Former Hairdresser Goes Public With Sexual Abuse Allegations

Evan Minsker
Lanita Carter remained anonymous in the charges that led to Kelly’s arrest. “I was sexually abused by him and I live after that,” she told CBS.

Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault and sexual abuse involving minors that some readers may find disturbing.

On February 23, R. Kelly was arrested on charges of criminal sexual abuse. The 10 charges stemmed from cases involving four different women, including a woman who was identified only as L.C. The woman in question, Lanita Carter, has now gone public with her story in an interview with “CBS This Morning”’s Jericka Duncan that aired Thursday morning.

Carter said she was Kelly’s hair braider for two years. “I was sexually abused by him and I live after that,” Carter said. “I try to pick up the pieces every day. It’s hard but I know I’ll get through it. I’m not ashamed of my past any more.” She said she’s been “carrying” her story since 2003.

Carter says she had defended him against earlier accusations before experiencing the assault. “February 18, 2003, I get a phone call to come down and do his hair. When he came into that room and he asked me for that head massage, and I told him I didn’t do massages, I laughed it off, and I didn’t know he was for real. If I could change that day I wouldn’t have been there. He pulled my braid down by him, and he said, ‘Suck it for daddy, suck it for daddy.’ And I said, No.” She describes the alleged attack, saying he pulled her head down, sexually assaulted her, and verbally abused her after somebody knocked on the door.

Carter claims she filed a police report that day and a subsequent DNA test revealed Kelly’s semen on her top. She received two settlements from Kelly, one in which Kelly denied the claims but paid $650,000 for Carter to keep quiet, another in which he agreed to stop performing a 2009 song about having sex with a woman who braids his hair, according to CBS. Carter adds that seeing Kelly’s CBS interview contributed to her decision to come forward.

In previously released documents that detailed the charges, Carter alleged that Kelly exposed himself to her and attempted to force her into oral sex when she was 24. “Robert Kelly then masturbated and ejaculated onto the victim and spit in her face several times,” the bond proffer reads. “The shirt the victim was wearing was submitted to [Illinois State Police] for DNA testing and semen was identified on the shirt. The male DNA identified in the semen sample is a match to Robert Kelly’s DNA profile.”

Following his arrest, Kelly sat down with Gayle King earlier this month—an interview that aired across two episodes of “CBS This Morning” and a Friday night primetime special. In the interview, he angrily denied allegations of sexual abuse. That same week, he was taken into police custody until he paid his child support.

This article was originally published on March 28 at 1:28 a.m. Eastern. It was last updated on March 28 at 8:47 a.m. Eastern.