Fact Check: Did R Kelly perform a concert in prison? Viral images debunked

Viral photos of musician and convicted felon R Kelly have been making the rounds on social media, implying that he held a concert in prison. However, the images have been found to be AI-generated, thus debunking the false claims.

The photos surfaced online on April 25, 2023, and appeared to be from a sold-out concert Kelly was allegedly performing inside the prison in North Carolina’s Butner Federal Correction Complex.

While there is no credible evidence to support Kelly’s alleged concert in prison, the images have sparked intense debate and fueled a plethora of opinions. In reality, the musician is currently serving a 30-year sentence for several criminal offenses.

However, many seemed to have initially believed that these AI-generated photos were real. Kelly can be seen wearing a flashy orange leather jacket while holding the mic and appearing to sing. In another photo, several hundred inmates in orange prison uniforms can be seen gathering at a location, presumably to attend the concert.

In a third picture, Kelly purported to be praying in a prison-orange-colored hoodie. Another picture showed the singer walking to his show flanked by five other men in orange attire.

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Netizens react to viral claims of R Kelly's prison concert

As soon as R Kelly's AI-generated images of him performing at a concert in prison went viral, the internet started wondering how he was even allowed to do that. Though they quickly found out that the photos were not real and the concert claims were also false, Twitter users were stunned at how real the fake images looked.

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Charges against R. Kelly explored as he is moved to FMC Butner

The R&B singer was jailed in June 2022 on charges of s** racketeering and trafficking after a trial that took place in New York. He was convicted several months later in a second federal trial in Chicago on charges of child pornography and child s** crimes.

In February 2023, an extra year was added to R Kelly’s 30-year sentence after his latest s**ual abuse conviction. Federal prosecutors said that the singer’s crimes were made worse by filming those s**ual acts, with some footage becoming available online. They said in a memo:

"Because Kelly is Kelly, more people have watched child pornography. The effects of Kelly's conduct are wide-ranging, incalculable and irreversible."

The memo also argued that R Kelly’s desire to abuse children was insatiable and that a lengthy sentence was necessary to protect the American community from further harm.

Jennifer Bonjean, R Kelly’s defense attorney, had previously asked the judge to allow the singer to serve his latest sentence simultaneously with the previous one, reasoning that a consecutive sentence would be equal to a second life sentence. Bonjean also accused prosecutors of using exaggerated narratives to aggravate the R&B singer’s perceptions.

During the trial in Chicago, the victim testified in court that Kelly had s**ually abused her hundreds of times before she became of legal age. Three video footage of the abuse were presented to the jurors as evidence during the trial. Four other victims also accused the singer of abusing them when they were children.

On April 19, 2023, the 56-year-old Grammy-winning singer was transferred from Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center to the Butner Federal Correctional Complex. North Carolina’s FMC Butner has housed several criminals who are labeled as the most notorious ones in America, including Joe Exotic, John Hinckley Jr., Bernie Madoff, and the “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

The reasons behind R Kelly’s transfer were not disclosed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. However, a statement from Jennifer Bonjean indicated that the singer needed medical treatment.

Jennifer Bonjean said R Kelly was suffering from health issues that were caused by medical negligence at Chicago's MCC. Bonjean added that they were hopeful with FMC Butner ensuring that Kelly's medical needs are met. The R&B singer is expected to be eligible to be released from prison by the time he is in his mid-80s.