Patreon Shuts Down Account Reportedly Run By R. Kelly’s Girlfriend Due To ‘Potential Impersonation’ Concerns

Patreon has removed the account of a woman claiming to be one of R. Kelly’s girlfriends after she was allegedly unable to prove to them who she was.

Over the weekend, a woman claiming to be Joycelyn Savage published numerous posts on Patreon, a website where supporters pay for content, making a variety of claims regarding her life with R. Kelly, including that the 52-year-old singer, who is currently jailed on a variety of sex-related charges, would routinely abuse her and forced her to have two abortions.

Patreon began trying to verify Savage’s identity on Saturday, but closed down the account on Tuesday after they communicated with the owner of the account and that person was unable to provide proof of their identity when asked, the company confirmed to Rolling Stone.

“After multiple unsuccessful attempts to verify the identity of the account holder, we closed the Patreon page allegedly associated with Joycelyn Savage due to potential impersonation,” a Patreon representative told the outlet. “All patrons who signed up for the membership page were refunded and the creator did not receive any funds.”

The owner of an Instagram account attributed to Savage wrote that she and Azriel Clary, another one of Kelly’s girlfriends, would be addressing an unspecified situation, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Me and Azriel will be going live together soon to explain everything that’s going on. I will be doing promotions, inbox me for prices,” that post reportedly read.

As of Wednesday, the biography of that account now reads, “Taking my story to @youtube.”

Prior to the Patreon posts, that same Instagram account announced Savage’s intention to tell her story, writing in one post, “There’s something I need to reveal, something [I] should’ve talked about a long time ago. This is my story!”

In the first of numerous Patreon posts, a woman claiming to be Savage claimed that Kelly, who she said she met at a concert at the age of 17, demanded that she address him either as “Master” or “Daddy,” and would yell at her if she did not, according to The Daily Beast.

In another post, Savage claimed that Kelly once choked her until she lost consciousness when she called him “babe” instead of by the two titles he preferred. She went on to allege that Kelly would often bring home other girls who were “definitely younger” than her; she also called him a “monster,” and alleged that he forced her to have two abortions that were performed at his house instead of at a hospital, according to the outlet.

In response to the claims, Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said to Variety, “It is unfortunate that Joycelyn now seeks to make money by exploiting her long time, loving relationship with Robert.”

“Obviously if she were to tell the truth no one would pay so she has, unfortunately, chosen to regurgitate the stories and lies told by others for her own personal profit,” his statement continued. “We know the real facts, and it was not until the money ran out that she decided anything was wrong. Hopefully people will see it for the obvious profiteering it is.”

Kelly has repeatedly denied the accusations against him and has pleaded not guilty to the numerous charges he faces.

The appearance of the Patreon account seems to have alarmed her family, with Gerald Griggs, the lawyer representing them, telling Rolling Stone on Tuesday that they would like law enforcement to get involved.

“The recent statement from Patreon underscores the family concern for the safety of their daughter Joycelyn,” Griggs said. “Numerous allegations made by the account were alarming and confirmed details from our independent investigation, therefore we also unsuccessfully reached out to the account. With the potential dangers facing Joycelyn and her safety, we are asking for Law Enforcement to get involved in determining where Joycelyn is and whom is really behind the account that detailed potential crimes."