Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
Patreon has disabled a fundraising page set up on Monday by a user purporting to be Joycelyn Savage, a companion of R. Kelly who until recently had stood by the singer as he was arrested and charged in multiple states with various sex crimes. A series of posts on the Patreon page accused Kelly of abuse, manipulation, and other crimes.
The platform shared a statement with Pitchfork on its decision to remove the fundraiser: “After multiple unsuccessful attempts to verify the identity of the account holder, we closed the Patreon page allegedly associated with Joycelyn Savage due to potential impersonation. All patrons who signed up for the membership page were refunded and the creator did not receive any funds.”
In the since-removed Patreon post, the user listed a number of disturbing claims against Kelly. The posts claimed that Savage was forced to get a number of abortions between 2016 and 2018, was physically abused if she didn't call Kelly "master" or "daddy," and was constantly surveilled by Kelly or members of his team.
An Instagram account supposedly belonging to Savage, which announced the Patreon page, has not addressed the fundraiser's removal. However, the Instagram profile's description reads: "Taking my story to @youtube."
