R. Kelly's Life Behind Bars is Deteriorating Rapidly

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Once at the top of the charts, R. Kelly has hit rock bottom in both his career and his life. The Grammy-winning R&B artist famed for chart-topping hits like “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition” is currently doing time for a number of shocking crimes. In 2017, Kelly was accused of holding six women against their will in an abusive “cult” in two different states. Parents of three of the young women alleged that the controversial star restricted them from leaving his houses, subjected them to horrific abuse, and kept them from contacting their families.

From there, more accusations and trials mounted, and in 2022, Kelly was convicted of two federal charges of sex trafficking and child pornography. The disgraced singer is currently serving a 30-year sentence at the Butner Correctional Facility in North Carolina, with his release scheduled for December 2045. Although the facility may not be the harshest — white-collar criminals like Bernie Madoff have done time there — it’s not a five-star resort, either. Kelly isn’t living in “Goodfellas” style with steaks and wine smuggled into his cell through prison connections. In fact, the singer’s life behind bars isn’t just lonely and restricted; it’s downright dangerous, too. Here’s what Kelly’s endured in the various facilities he’s occupied over the last few years.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

The ‘campus’ prison features limited visitation and luxuries

The outside of Butner Correctional Facility

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Butner Correctional Facility is actually a four-facility complex for male inmates. It’s comprised of one low-security institution, two medium-security buildings, and a medical center used to house and treat prisoners with chronic health and psychiatric issues. Notably, Butner has seen its share of famous criminals; John Hinckley Jr. was held at the medical center, while Joe Exotic, of “Tiger King” fame, spent time in the prison before being transferred to a Texas facility. R. Kelly is currently housed in Butner Medium I, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Though the prison has a reputation for being among the top facilities in medical care and for having a “college campus atmosphere,” it’s still a jail at the end of the day. Inmates are housed in small cells of two or three people, with their schedules and movements strictly controlled. Butner inmates may receive visitors on Thursdays and Fridays, plus every other weekend according to their register number. These guests are closely vetted and must follow a strict dress code (no open-toed shoes, miniskirts, tank tops, or T-shirts with offensive messaging).

One former resident who spent three years in Butner reported in his blog that inmates are forbidden from bringing in anything from the outside world, apart from personal medical equipment and a Bible. Everything else, from clothing to snacks, toothpaste, and earbuds, has to be purchased from the prison commissary using an internal bank account into which loved ones can deposit money. The former prisoner recalled that mealtimes in the cafeteria were only 15 minutes long, since they ate in shifts. “The food quality is very poor and not healthy,” he added.

R. Kelly’s former prison was even more miserable

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If being incarcerated at Butner is no picnic, R. Kelly’s previous prison experiences were downright Dickensian. While facing trial in two states prior to his convictions, the Grammy winner was held in the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in Chicago and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The COVID-19 epidemic was raging during his time in the Chicago prison, so Kelly’s days were spent almost entirely in his tiny cell, since the lounge area where inmates would normally have hung out was closed. Despite his fame, the “Ignition” hitmaker wasn’t protected from harm. In August 2020, a fellow prisoner assaulted him in his cell, beating Kelly for several minutes before correction officers intervened.

The assailant, gang member Jeremiah Farmer, subsequently claimed in a legal finding that the government had “made” him do it (via CBS News). Worse yet, the Brooklyn prison was notorious for being squalid and poorly run. According to BKMAG, the disgraced R&B artist’s lawyers complained that the living conditions there were “inhuman, cruel, and degrading.” During one bitterly cold week in February 2019, the facility’s heat and electricity went out, prompting widespread protests over the violation of the detainees’ civil rights.

When inmates protested through hunger strikes and other means, the guards allegedly subjected them to harsh punishments such as solitary confinement and preventing the cell toilets from flushing. While at MDC awaiting his transfer to federal prison, Kelly was even put under suicide watch. Under those conditions, he was made to wear a special uniform without underwear, and forbidden from using eating utensils or razors. His lawyers filed suit, calling it a form of punishment, and the suicide watch was lifted days later.

Could President Trump pardon R. Kelly?

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R. Kelly’s most harrowing ordeal at the well-regarded Butner federal prison nearly cost him his life. On June 13, 2025, the disgraced star complained of feeling dizzy and shortly after collapsed in his cell. The singer was rushed to Duke University Hospital, where it was discovered that he had overdosed on an unnamed medication he had been taking. According to a report from CNN, the “I Believe I Can Fly” hitmaker’s legal team alleged that prison staff deliberately told him to take an extra dose of the drug in an attempt to harm him. Kelly’s lawyers also claimed that Butner’s staff forced the singer to leave the hospital before he had been officially given the all-clear by doctors.

Based on the scary incident, Kelly’s attorneys are looking either to have his sentence commuted or to be pardoned altogether — and they hope another famous figure will step in to make it happen. “It’s my continued work to seek the intervention of the President of the United States on Robert’s behalf,” attorney Beau Brindley confirmed (Kelly’s full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly). “I believe President Trump is the one person who has the power and the will to stand up to people like this.”

The president certainly does seem to be in a forgiving frame of mind these days — especially when it comes to celebs. In May 2025, Donald Trump issued a shock pardon to Todd and Julie Chrisley, who had been doing time in separate prisons for tax evasion. Purely coincidentally, the “Chrisley Knows Best” stars are big supporters of him. Maybe Kelly should start wearing a MAGA cap?