Reshona Landfair, formerly known as “Jane Doe” in R. Kelly‘s 2022 federal trial, has broken her silence on the infamous tape he recorded of her when she was 14 years old.
RELATED: R. Kelly’s Daughter Speaks On Misconceptions About Her & Her Dad’s Relationship Following Her Accusing Him Of Sexual Assault (WATCH)
Reshona Landfair Breaks Silence On Infamous Tape With R. Kelly, Recorded When She Was 14
On Tuesday, February 3, CBS Mornings released a clip from Landfair’s recent sit-down interview with the outlet. During the conversation, Landfair noted that she felt “liberated” with finally sharing her identity with the world. This milestone arrives amid the release of her memoir, ‘Who’s Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly’s Abuse.’
“I really wanted to live in my true skin and my true self. My true self today is Reshona Landfair,” she told the outlet.
Landfair reportedly spent years hiding her true self after she appeared in a sexual tape with R. Kelly when she was just 14 years old. The tape was leaked and circulated in 2001. Per the outlet, Landfair, who had an interest in music, was introduced to Kelly by her aunt, R&B singer Sparkle. Sparked reportedly instructed her to sit on his lap, rub his head, and ask him to be her “godfather.”
Kelly reportedly agreed, and when Landfair was around the age of 13, he began inappropriately touching her. Per Landfair, her aunt suspected something was off and notified social services. However, they did not follow up on her suspicions.
Then, a few weeks before she turned 17, Kelly reportedly informed her that a tape they’d filmed when she was 14 “was being sold nationwide.” During her sitdown with CBS, she recalled the interaction and her reaction.
Social Media Weighs In
Social media users reacted to Reshona Landfair speaking about the infamous tape with R. Kelly in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @abovethenote wrote, “Listen! Her parents should be underneath the jail along with Kels! There’s no way I would let my 13-year-old daughter out of my sight! If he wanted to do music then the parents should’ve been at Every studio session!💯”
While Instagram user @hairbychantellen added, “Robert is exactly where TF he needs to be! My heart breaks for this woman.”
Instagram user @coreyether wrote, “As a single father of a 7 year girl, I can’t imagine my child being in the streets like that. Especially around grown Men. Her parents failed her, nor did they protect her. Ain’t no way. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻”
More On Reshona Landfair & Her Infamous History & Tape With R. Kelly
According to CBS News, after the tape leaked, R. Kelly told Reshona Landfair’s parents that he was in love with her.
“It was very complicated. My dad wanted to make the right decision, and he was not OK with anything that took place,” Landfair told the outlet. “He utilized me against my parents — making threats of suicide and doing different things out of desperation to convince them to not turn on him.”
Per the outlet, Landfair would take the stand in R. Kelly’s 2008 trial in Chicago. However, she, admittedly, lied to the jury when she claimed she wasn’t the child seen in the explicit video. Furthermore, she called the moment her “biggest regret” and was compelled to take action after the 2019 Lifetime series, ‘Surviving R. Kelly.’
“Somehow, I felt responsible that he was able to hurt so many more people. During the time, I thought maybe these were just sexual fetishes that he had with me. Maybe this was just abuse I was going through. But when I saw that his behavior had gotten so much worse and he was allowed to hurt so many people because I lied – that did not sit well with me as an adult, as a woman,” she said.
Most recently, Sparkle noted her attempted advocacy for her niece, noting that she hopes accountability comes from “those closest to her.”
Meanwhile, R. Kelly’s lawyer released a statement in response to Landfair’s memoir.
“Neither Mr. Kelly nor his legal counsel have been provided with an advance copy of Ms. Landfair’s memoir. It is, therefore, impossible to comment on any specific allegation. Nor does Mr. Kelly wish to engage in any kind of refutation that would, in any way, limit the financial success of Ms. Landfair’s memoir,” they reportedly said.
