Joycelyn Savage's family slams R. Kelly's bid for presidential pardon, claiming the R&B singer still has a hold over their daughter

R. Kelly's legal team is trying to seek a presidential pardon, as per reports by USA Today. In an emergency motion filed on June 10, 2025, the team had already urged for Kelly's early release. Meanwhile, one of Kelly's alleged victims, Joycelyn Savage's family, shared their reaction to this bid while talking to TMZ on June 18, 2025..

According to Joycelyn's parents, she might still be under Kelly's control. Gerald Griggs, attorney for the Savage family, told the outlet that they had not heard from Joycelyn since 2019 after a brief phone call. In the conversation with TMZ, the family claimed that they had never directly heard from Joycelyn since then.

However, they have communicated with individuals who claimed to be representing Joycelyn Savage. According to TMZ, Joycelyn had been R. Kelly's fiancée, but she was often considered a victim. The family claimed that Kelly was rightfully serving the 30-year sentence.

In the conversation, the Savage family also urged Joycelyn to reach out to them directly if she was seeing it. Beau Brindley, Kelly's defense lawyer, told TMZ that they were not concerned about Savage currently and were more focused on what was going on with the singer. Brindley has previously told the outlet that they were hopeful that the president would pardon the singer.

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Why is Joycelyn Savage a significant figure in the R. Kelly case?

Joycelyn Savage had been R. Kelly's one of the two live-in partners and a strong defender at one point. In March 2019, Savage sat for an interview with Gayle King and defended the singer. The interview also involved the other live-in girlfriend and Kelly's defender, Azriel Clary.

While Savage and Clary's parents then believed that the girls were "brainwashed," both of them denied the allegations. Savage even told King that her parents were only after the money. According to NPR, Joycelyn Savage confirmed that she was in a relationship with R. Kelly out of her own desire.

Savage was only 19 when Kelly reportedly met her at a concert. In November 2019, Savage seemed to have changed her stance. In a series of posts attributed to her that were published on Patreon, she reportedly called herself a victim, according to NPR. The accusations apparently were similar to the abuse allegations made against Kelly by other accusers.

However, the allegations were denied by Kelly's legal team at the time.

"It is unfortunate that Jocelyn [sic] 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," Kelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, told the outlet.

The posts on Patreon, however, were later taken down. According to an article by In Touch Weekly, published in 2022, Jocelyn and Kelly were still together and also apparently welcomed their first child.

Talking about Joycelyn and Kelly's growing intimacy, her parents told Megyn Kelly in 2018 that the two were communicating without their knowledge. The parents, Timothy and Jonjelyn Savage, reportedly met the singer for the first time through a mutual friend back in 2015. According to the Savage family, their daughter dropped out of school only to be with R. Kelly.

The reaction from the Savage family about the bid for presidential pardon arrived a few days after the Chocolate Factory singer apparently overdosed due to medication inside the prison. According to his lawyers, Kelly was given the medicines by the prison staff.

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As of now, R. Kelly is serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted of racketeering and s*x trafficking.