R. Kelly’s Net Worth Reflects His Decades of Legal Battles: How Much Money the Disgraced Singer Has

In the red. R. Kelly has found himself in legal battles for more than three decades and his shockingly low net worth reflects that. Keep reading to find out how much money the disgraced singer has amid his latest prison sentence. 

What Is R. Kelly’s Net Worth?

The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s bank accounts are seemingly overdraft as he has an estimated net worth of negative $2 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. 

How Did R. Kelly Make Money?

Aside from being a successful music artist in the 1990s with hits such as “Ignition” and “Bump n’ Grind,” Kelly wrote a number of hit songs for other singers and groups from Michael Jackson and Britney Spears to B2K and Destiny’s Child. MJ’s 1995 hit "You Are Not Alone" even landed Kelly a Grammy nomination.

Did R. Kelly Pay His Taxes?

In 2012, the IRS filed federal liens against the Illinois native after he failed to pay nearly $5 million in taxes between 2005 and 2010. 

"R. Kelly is in the process of working everything out with the government and is confident that all his obligations will be satisfied,” Kelly’s rep told TMZ at the time. 

Kelly admitted to being “broke” in his July 2018 song “I Admit.” 

“Now the truth in this message, is I'm a broke ass legend / The only reason I stay on tour, is 'cause I gotta pay my rent,” the lyrics to the 19-minute song read. He went on to sing about needing to borrow $2 million from his record label in order to “put food on the table.”

“I was told I had to sell my cars, I was told I couldn't get a loan / Said I owed 20 million to the IRS and they were coming to get my home.”

How Long Will R. Kelly Be in Prison?

In July 2019, Lifetime released a docuseries called Surviving R. Kelly, which gave an inside look into his dark life with ex-girlfriend Azriel Clary alleging to have been repeatedly abused by Kelly. 

“He beat me all over. Which felt like hours. And I was [hit] all the way from my neck down,” she said, adding, “He makes everyone do very degrading stuff.”

Kelly was arrested that month after law enforcement conducted investigations into new criminal cases. 

A Brooklyn federal court convicted Kelly of nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in September 2021, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The following year in Chicago, Kelly was found guilty of three child pornography charges and three charges of enticing a minor. In February 2023, Kelly was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 19 of which will be served concurrent to his previous 30-year sentence, In Touch confirmed. 

Kelly will serve a total of 31 years behind bars.