R. Kelly and his fiancée Joycelyn Savage are reportedly the newest parents in town. According to hiphopdx, the two welcomed their first kid together, a baby girl named Ava Lee Kelly, conceived through IVF.
Joycelyn Savage shared the news via social media. She posted the first photo of the newborn on Saturday (December 17) and captioned it, “Ava Lee Kelly 12.08.22.”
In a second picture posted (December 18), Joycelyn included a sweet message to her baby girl.
“My baby girl Ava when you were born, my whole world shined so bright. I knew that it was no longer about me anymore it was about us. Though the world is cold, I promise to always protect you. I am so happy to be your mother & you bring me so much joy. 12.08.22.”
Neither R. Kelly nor his representatives have issued any statement regarding Ava Lee Kelly’s birth. There is also no update on the status of Joycelyn Savage and R. Kelly’s relationship while he’s still behind bars.
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Joycelyn Savage, who is one of R. Kelly’s alleged sex crime victims, released a memoir entitled Love and Joy of Robert, in which she revealed she was expecting the disgraced R&B star’s child. However, earlier this year, in a statement to TMZ, R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, refuted claims, saying:
“There is no truth to reports that Joy is releasing a tell-all memoir and she is certainly not pregnant with R. Kelly’s child. People are just insane. Carry on.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Ms. Savage responded to Jennifer’s comments, explaining that R. Kelly’s attorney had no idea she was undergoing IVF before the singer’s incarceration for sex crimes.
“Robert and I were doing IVF because at the time I was told I couldn’t have a baby,” she said.
“When he got sent to prison, we paused on it, and I had them freeze my eggs until I was ready. Once his lawyer did find out, she wanted me to have an abortion because she didn’t feel that now was the time for me to have a child following the 30-year sentence.”
Joycelyn continued:
“Me and Robert wanted to have a child for a long time. He is very happy about it, but his lawyer isn’t. Once I told her I was keeping my baby, she didn’t want me to announce it, but I wanted to share the news. I’ve always been there for him, even before this new lawyer came into the picture.”
In July, Ms. Savage also submitted a letter to the courts stating she was engaged to R. Kelly. In the letter, Joycelyn stated “I’m Robert Kelly’s fiancée,” and that she is “not the victim that the government portrayed me to be.” Joycelyn would also state that the incarcerated star was “amazing” to her.