One Of R. Kelly’s Girlfriends Has Reunited With Her Estranged Family

When Surviving R. Kelly first aired on Netflix, the world was introduced to the harrowing personal stories of women who alleged that the R&B singer had subjected them to violent sexual abuse. We also heard from many of the women’s families, who stepped up to share their pain, among them being the family of Azriel Clary.

Clary, along with fellow aspiring singer Joycelyn Savage, was one of the few women involved with Kelly that had not distanced themselves from him after the docu-series aired. In fact, she and Savage doubled down on their defence of Kelly post-Surviving R. Kelly, even agreeing to a sit-down interview with Gayle King in 2019 to discuss the nature of their relationship with him.

In the bizarre conversation, Clary fiercely insisted that her parents were making up the abuse, even claiming that they had forced her upon Kelly in the first place in order to pursue fame. She also declared that she had no interest in reconnecting with her parents or other members of her family.

Almost a year later, with Kelly behind bars and facing a barrage of very serious criminal charges, Clary has decided to reconnect with her family. Yesterday, the 22-year-old took to Instagram to share a photoset featuring a fun shoot with her parents and siblings.

"Surprise," Clary captioned the pictures. "Let the healing process begin."

She also expressed gratitude to her followers for their unwavering support. "I even thank everyone who follows me," said Clary. "Because you all believed in me when I could not believe for myself."

Fans of the 22-year-old were thrilled to see that she had reconnected with her parents, who had never stopped pleading with Clary to return home. "Praying for your healing and freedom," said one commenter, punctuating their support with prayer hands emojis. "Your family will always be your home."

The heartwarming reunion comes just days after Clary reportedly moved out of the Trump Tower condo that she shared with Savage in Chicago. An intense argument between the roommates led to a physical altercation that played out while Clary was streaming on Instagram live. Savage was taken into police custody and subsequently charged with misdemeanour domestic battery after allegedly punching Clary in the face.

During the fight, Clary revealed that she and Savage had been persuaded to lie for Kelly on multiple occasions, including the now infamous interview with King. "Rob has been lying to all of y'all, and that is the sad part about it," she said on Instagram live. "He had people like me lying for him."

Clary said on her social media platforms that she would be sharing the details of her story on her time. It's possible that her version of events, combined with the testimonies of the women who have spoken up against Kelly, could play an instrumental part in the legal prosecution against him.