Jaah Kelly: Everything About R. Kelly And Andrea Kelly’s Transgender Child

Jaah Kelly is the transgender child of popular singer, songwriter, and record producer, Robert Sylvester Kelly, commonly known as R. Kelly, and choreographer, dancer, and actress Andrea Danyell Kelly. Jaah’s father R. Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwide. He is known for the hit song “I Believe I Can Fly” and “You Are Not Alone” recorded by Michael Jackson. R. Kelly is now a convicted felon, racketeer, and sex offender.

Jaah Kelly: Bio Summary

How Old Is Jaah Kelly?

Jaah Kelly was born in the year 2000 but his full date of birth is unknown. He will be celebrating his 23rd birthday in 2023. He is the second of three children. His siblings are JoAnn Kelly (born in 1998), also known as Buku Abi, and Robert Kelly Jr. (b. 2002). He comes from an African-American heritage and has American citizenship.

Jaah is the grandson of Joanne Kelly, a schoolteacher, and devout Baptist. Joanne passed away from cancer in 1993. Jaah is a product of the marriage between singer-songwriter R. Kelly and his now ex-wife, choreographer, dancer, and actress, Andrea Danyell Kelly (née Lee) known professionally as Drea. Drea used to be the backup dancer for R. Kelly.

ALSO, READ; Robert Kelly Jr: What Happened To R. Kelly And Andrea Kelly’s Son?

They fell in love with each other and eventually got married in Colorado, in 1996. In high school, Jaah played the clarinet and trumpet. He taught himself to play piano by watching YouTube videos. He is a music artist and releases music under the name JaahBaby. He also writes songs. He once said in an interview with, Paper magazine:

“If I am in a really good mood, I can write a song in probably an hour, make the beat in an hour, and then record it in an hour. If I’m in a bad mood, it’s hard to write. I’ll get stuck thinking about too much and won’t have any clue what to say. Sometimes I sit there until I force myself to get clear.”

Jaah Kelly Came Out As Transgender

Jaah Kelly was born biologically as a female but turned himself into a boy. He came out as a trans male at age 14, in a video posted to his then-active Ask.fm account. He made this known following a question posed anonymously. Jaah introduced herself then as Jay Kelly. In an interview with Paper magazine for its Pride issue, he said:

“I believe I am a boy and want surgery and the medication to help me be who I was supposed to be”. Jaah revealed that he was aware he was trans at age 6 or 7 and slowly started to identify with he/him pronouns. His family was very supportive of his decision and addressed him correctly.

ALSO, READ; Who Is Joann Kelly?: Facts About R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly’s Daughter

According to Jaah on Ask.fm, “[My mom] was like, ‘Baby, you know I love you if you were bi, gay, [lesbian], you name it and I would still love you so much.” Jaah also said: “When I posted that video, I was so scared. When I was younger, I always felt like I had to make a choice. I knew that I was a girl who liked other girls. But because of what I was taught, I felt like the only way you could like another girl is if you were a boy.“

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Jaah Kelly recalled falling into a deep depression after coming out as transgender at age 14. It ‘led to a three-week stay in a psychiatric hospital, an experience she declines to describe.’ He was able to survive that experience and sees himself differently. Currently, he doesn’t mind if people refer to him as male, female, genderfluid, or nonbinary.

Also Read: Bruce Kelly: Why is R. Kelly’s Brother in Jail?

“I identify as a lesbian, I know I like girls, but that’s as far as I’ll go to label myself,” Jaah says. “It’s up to you how you see me. Either way, I don’t care. I stand in my truth, and why does my truth need a label?”

Jaah Kelly’s Father Was Abusive Towards His Mother

Jaah Kelly’s parents R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly decided to split and go their separate ways. In September 2005, Andrea decided to file a restraining order against R. Kelly following an assault Andrea went through at the hands of R. Kelly . R. Kelly filed for a divorce in 2006 and it was finalized in January 2009.

R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly were married for 13 years. Both R. Kelly and Andrea reportedly signed an NDA. Andrea was given an undisclosed amount of money for alimony. Andrea later claimed that R. Kelly emotionally and physically abused her throughout their marriage. She accused him of physical, verbal, and mental abuse, including in Surviving R. Kelly (2019), a documentary detailing sexual abuse allegations against R. Kelly.

Andrea spoke about her abusive marriage on the American talk show, The View, in 2018. She revealed that the abuse she suffered from R. Kelly was serious to the extent that she contemplated suicide. According to her, there was a time when R. Kelly assaulted her in the back of his Hummer, and as a result, she suffers from PTSD.

Another time, R. Kelly “hogtied” her in bed, raped her and fell asleep while she was still tied. Andrea said she decided to open up years after her divorce to help other victims of domestic violence. TMZ reported that Andrea Kelly went on “Good Morning Britain”, revealing to hosts Piers Morgan and Susana Reid that her ex-husband R. Kelly abused her ‘verbally, emotionally, physically, sexually’ and even financially, by cutting off child support.

Also Read: Theresa Kelly- Who is R. Kelly’s sister, Where is she now?

Jaah Kelly’s Father, R. Kelly Is Still In Prison

Jaah Kelly’s father, R. Kelly is still an inmate. As of 2023, he is an inmate at Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago. He is a convicted felon, racketeer, and sex offender. Investigations revealed that he used his fame to search underage fans for sex. He was arrested and convicted in a second federal trial in Chicago of enticing minors for sex and producing child sexual imagery. R. Kelly ended up sentenced to serve 31 years imprisonment.