R. Kelly's Daughter Joann Kelly to Share a "Heartbreaking Secret" in Upcoming Documentary

R. Kelly's estranged daughter has been carrying a heartbreaking childhood secret.

In a new documentary, Joann Kelly, who also goes by the name Buku Abi, shares details about her experience growing up with the R&B singer, who is serving a more than 30-year prison sentence for sex crimes against underage girls.

"He was my everything for a long time," Joann, who was not named as one of the victims during Kelly's 2021 trial, says in the TVEI Network's R. Kelly's Karma: A Daughter's Journey, as seen in a trailer released Sept. 29. "I didn't even want to believe it happened."

The 26-year-old continued, "I didn't know that even if he was a bad person, that he would do something to me. I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life."

According to TVEI, in the documentary, Kelly's daughter "bravely reveals a heartbreaking secret that shattered her childhood."

Joann, who appeared to be pregnant while filming the documentary, vowed to be open about her experiences with her son and keep him away from the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer.

"If my son asks questions I'm going to be as truthful as possible," she said, "but I would not be taking my son to a prison to meet his grandfather."

Kelly will be 78 when he eligible for release from prison in 2045. In April, a federal appeals court upheld his convictions on child pornography and enticement charges, more than 18 months after the conclusion of his trial in Chicago, WTTW reported.

Joann's mother, Kelly’s ex-wife Drea Kelly, also appears in the documentary. "Just because you’re not a good husband, doesn't mean you can’t be a good father. And the fact that he didn’t even try," the 50-year-old said in the trailer. "What he did to me, he did to me. But you didn’t have to do it to my damn kids."

In 2019, Joann spoke out about her father after the release of the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicled allegations of abuse and pedophilia that others made about the singer.

The project preceded an investigation against Kelly that helped lead to his 2022 conviction of racketeering and sex trafficking, and a year later, convictions for felony sexual exploitation of a child, enticement of a female, and possession of material containing child pornography.

"The same monster you all confronting me about is my father," Joann wrote on her Instagram Story at the time. "I am well aware of who and what he is.  I grew up in that house. My choice to not speak on him and what he does is for my peace of mind. My emotional state. And for MY healing. I have to do & move in a manner that is best for me."

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