R. Kelly’s daughter, Buku Abi, was reportedly forced to drop out of college after her father stopped paying for her tuition, TMZ reports.
Buku, whose real name is Joann Lee, reportedly attended an art school in California. It was not until she attempted to sign up for courses for the upcoming semester, that she was rejected due to unpaid fees. According to sources, R. Kelly was supposed to pay Buku’s tuition until she turns 23. Instead, she was allegedly cut off financially in 2018 when Kelly stopped paying for her housing and books without warning.
Kelly’s team denies the accusations. The disgraced singer’s crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, told TMZ that Kelly believed his daughter had already dropped out of college, which is why he stopped making payments. Johnson said his client is only obligated to pay after receiving billing statements from the school.
Buku is reportedly hoping to return to college with the financial support from her dad. The verdict is still out on whether R. Kelly can afford to pay tuition, however. As previously reported, Kelly has paid $62,000 of his back support in order to avoid jail time. He still owes more than $20,000.
Buku has been very vocal about her father in the wake of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries. She has previously suggested Kelly was a “monster.”