Azriel Clary, 21, and Joycelyn Savage, 23, told Gayle King of “CBS This Morning” that they were “absolutely” in love with Kelly, 52, who was charged last month in Chicago with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were minors at the time.
Beyond his criminal case, Kelly also has been accused of harboring a so-called sex cult, in which he abused women and controlled every aspect of their lives
The interview with Clary and Savage, who have stood by Kelly in court, seemed unlikely to settle questions about what exactly goes on in the singer’s home. While the women’s parents say they are brainwashed, Clary and Savage said they were happy as Kelly’s girlfriends.
The interview followed the airing on Wednesday of a heated conversation between Kelly and King of CBS, in which the singer denied all of the accusations against him. “I have been assassinated,” said Kelly, who was sometimes shouting, swearing and in tears. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
King said that Kelly had agreed not to be present for the interview with Clary and Savage, but that he entered the room behind them after it began. King said Kelly would “cough very loudly,” and that the women were “certainly aware that he was there.”
Kelly, who had been out on bond since last week, was sent back to jail Wednesday night for his failure to pay his ex-wife more than $160,000 in child support. The Detroit Police Department also said Wednesday that it was investigating allegations that Kelly had sex with a 13-year-old girl there in 2001.
Clary said she met Kelly at one of his concerts when she was 17. She denied having sex with Kelly while underage, but said her parents had encouraged her “to take photos with him, sexual videos with him” in case “they ever have to blackmail him.”
Savage, who met Kelly when she was 19, backed up Clary’s version of events.
Both women’s parents have said their daughters were aspiring singers seeking Kelly’s guidance. Clary and Savage denied that they wanted to pursue music careers.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.