Time’s Up Has Launched Boycott Against R. Kelly Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Women of color who are a part of Time’s Up, the anti-sexual harassment initiative, have started a boycott against R. Kelly and his music on Monday, due to recent allegations of sexual abuse against him.

Time’s Up released a statement on their social media sites stating, “We demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse made by women of color and their families for over two decades now. And we declare with great vigilance and a united voice to anyone who wants to silence us: Their time is up.”

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A representative of R. Kelly told Buzzfeed that these allegations are false. “R. Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement. We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals — and in this case, it is unjust and off-target.”

“We fully support the rights of women to be empowered to make their own choices,” the rep

added. “Time’s Up has neglected to speak with any of the women who welcome R. Kelly’s support, and it has rushed to judgment without the facts.”

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The campaign has been using the hashtag #MuteRKelly, in order to boycott him. It originally started last year but gained popularity from celebrities on Monday, including Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, John Legend and Questlove.

Time’s Up is also boycotting companies that produce or sell his music, such as RCA Records, Ticketmaster, Spotify and Apple Music.