R. Kelly's daughter says she 'almost tried' to take her own life amid social media backlash

Kylie Mar
·Host & Producer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

On Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta Thursday night, R. Kelly's eldest daughter, Buku Abi, 21, opened up about the struggles she's had to deal with just because of who her father is.

"Having to deal with everything in the media with my father is not easy," said Buku. "People are constantly like, 'How do you feel about the scandals?' I don't give a f*** about the scandals. I have an issue with my father. I had to drop out of school. I've had parents not let their children hang out with me. I spend a lot of days, or nights, crying. But, like, damn. I'm sad, and I have the right to be sad."

Buku, who was born Joann Lee Kelly, has already endured so much emotionally and this year has definitely been a whirlwind for her. Following the release of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary, Buku spoke out in an emotional post on Instagram, in which she called her father a "monster." But since the documentary premiered, Buku got candid about the unsolicited messages she has received on social media.

"Literally the other day I had somebody, like, DM me on Instagram," Buku shared with her mother Drea Kelly. Buku went on saying, "She said that she wished you would've been stronger and I was like, ‘My mom made the strongest move in the world by leaving him.' Like, if I get a negative comment or people come at me, delete. You're blocked. I'm not even reading it."

"I get that all the time," Buku said about the criticism on social media. "And people don't realize, like, how bad–" Buku began to cry, as she added, "Sorry, guys. People don't realize how bad that hurts, because it's, like, I didn't do anything, you know? I didn't ask to be here."

Buku then revealed that the social media backlash she’s received for her father's actions has been so challenging, that she considered taking her own life.

"We're still trying to heal from a lot, like, a lot, a lot, to the point where I almost tried to take my life," confessed Buku. "Like, that is heavy s**t. And then to turn around and be like, 'Oh, you should not feel that way. You're selfish for feeling that way,' it's just, like, y'all are really heartless."

Late Thursday night, news broke that R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago on federal sex trafficking charges. Buku has yet to publicly speak out on the indictment.

"I've already dealt with the negatives just for having a last name. I genuinely don't think that anybody can say anything worse than what has already been said to me throughout my 21 years of life," she said.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on We TV.

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