Surviving R. Kelly: The Final Chapter - Where is Dominique Gardner now?

One of rapper R. Kelly's victims was a woman named Dominique Gardner, who dated the singer for nine years, as unveiled in the Surviving R. Kelly documentary.

Gardner is currently living with her baby girl, Kyla, and the child's father. She announced her daughter's birth in January 2020 and even shared videos of the baby shower.

The last image she posted on Instagram was a selfie of her in her car in June 2021. She is apparently the owner of Dope Konect, a clothing company that sells apparel for men, women, and children.

Let's take a closer look at Dominique Gardner's life when she was with R. Kelly.

Disclaimer: This article contains details of violence and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

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Dominique Gardner revealed that R. Kelly made her dress in a masculine manner

Dominique Gardner and the singer were introduced to each other by another victim named Jerhonda Pace. Kelly allowed Pace to invite another person to their group, and this person was none other than Gardner. She was 17 years old when she met Kelly for the first time.

What looked like a harmless friendship blossomed into a relationship for years. Six years into being together, Kelly asked Garner to move with him to Atlanta. Garner's mother, Michelle Kramer, who had opposed their relationship from the start, was heartbroken by this. She said:

"After that, I never saw my daughter again.”

Gardner moved to Atlanta and realized the true horrors of the singer. Even though she and Jerhonda Pace lived in the same house, they never got to see each other. Kelly had strict rules for the girls living in his home, and punishment was due upon violation. He would control how she ate, dressed, and acted and forbade her from talking to any other man.

She revealed in an interview:

"He wanted that control over me, and I wouldn’t give him that power. So, he figured, like, If I don’t give her food, she’ll come around. Nope. I’d rather die than come around and give you my soul.”

She claimed that she was punished the most because no other girl was as rebellious as her. The singer would pull her hair out in chunks if she didn’t follow an order and lock her in rooms for days without food or water. He even made her wear men's clothes and play baseball like "one of the homies."

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Dominique Gardner's mother rescued her from R. Kelly

Gardner's mother, Michelle Kramer, who had zero contact for three years, spotted her daughter on TMZ, looking skinny and wearing male clothing. She tracked her daughter to a Los Angeles hotel room and convinced her to leave Kelly's cult-like group.

Dominique left Kelly to return home, but she was not the same anymore. Michelle Kramer said:

"Before Dominique met R. Kelly, she was this bubbly teenager. But after R. Kelly, she was dark. She was like a loner; she didn’t want to be bothered with nobody."

Three days after she was rescued, Gardner returned to the singer's place even after her mother begged her not to go. Gardner finally gave in and left when he denied her permission to attend her brother's graduation.

Dominique recalled:

"I would probably still be there if he would have let me go to my little brother’s graduation. I’d still be there, but when he told me no… I’m, like ‘What is wrong with you?"

She soon took a cab and returned home for good.

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The final episode of Surviving R. Kelly Part III: The Final Chapter will air on Tuesday, January 3, at 8 pm ET on Lifetime.