Mary J. Blige, Jay Z, Lady Gaga, John Legend, and Dave Chappelle are among the names reportedly approached by ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ producer, Dream Hampton, to contribute some form of commentary to the 3-part docuseries, airing exclusively on Lifetime.
While Legend reports he accepted the invite without hesitation, his counterparts all declined. Among the names making headlines most for the refusal is The Roots star Questlove (born Ahmir Thompson). Taking to Twitter, Thompson revealed his reason for opting out of the documentary – a move that garnered a swift clap back from its producer, Dream Hampton.
More inside:
“My reason for declining the R Kelly docu that I support 10000000 percent is I didn’t wanna be in the ‘good times’ portion of the doc, like stanning for his ‘genius.’ I was asked to talk about his genius. I do not nor have I EVER stanned for him,” said Quest.
Quest quickly deleted the tweet when Hampton not only quoted it, but responded by explaining:
“I didn’t ask you about his ‘genius,’” she replied. “I never thought he was a genius. I asked you to come on camera and say the same thing you said on Twitter. I told you I need Black male allies.”
While there may have been some confusion about what was expected of Quest, it’s apparent that EGOT-winner John Legend didn’t share that misunderstanding.
“To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all,” he tweeted. “I believe these women and don’t give a fuck about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”
Legend continued:
“We should all thank my friend @dreamhampton for her very necessary work to create #SurvivingRKelly. These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice.”