R. Kelly’s ex-girlfriends testified against him in his 2008 child pornography trial. Lisa Van Allen went on to appear in the documentary series, ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ the same year. Then, in 2009, she made a shocking allegation. She claimed that R. Kelly confided in her about having a simultaneous sexual relationship with Aaliyah and her mother, Diane Haughton.
Van Allen met R. Kelly in 1998. She was 17 years old then. She revealed the singer had told her privately that he had got Aaliyah pregnant when she was just 15 years old. The pair, he allegedly told her, had married in secret using falsified documents to lie about Aaliyah’s age. According to Van Allen, Kelly went on to tell her they had made a pact to tell no one about their baby or their marriage.
R. Kelly Allegedly Slept With Aaliyah and Her Mother
If true, what was even more disturbing is that Kelly told Van Allen he was sleeping with Aaliyah’s mother, Diane, too. She testified how he’d described staying at Aaliyah’s family home in Detroit. He’d sneak downstairs at night to have sex with Diane on the living room couch as Aaliyah lay sleeping upstairs.
Van Allen testified how being told about Kelly and Diane was some sort of oh wow moment. Later, once Kelly’s marriage was annulled, both Kelly and Aaliyah denied it. However, the damage was done.
Aaliyah died early, in a plane crash in 2001. She was only 22 and had never publicly discussed her relationship with R. Kelly. Her mother, Diane Haughton hasn’t acknowledged the allegation, either. She and the entire Haughton family have chosen to stay silent on all things R. Kelly-related to protect Aaliyah’s legacy.
R. Kelly Betrayed Aaliyah
If Van Allen’s account of things is true, the singer not only abused Aaliyah but also betrayed her. Such a deep breach of trust back then would be a shock on its own. These days, much more is known about predatory behavior.
Hindsight revealed how Kelly had always had issues with respecting women. When he found himself in court facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges in 2021, Van Allen testified he recorded them in a threesome with an underage girl.
Did R. Kelly and His Team Consider Killing Lisa?
Van Allen went on to describe the chilling events that happened later, after she had stolen the tape and found it missing. She had been given a polygraph test by Kelly’s former manager, and, of course, failed it. As she recounted to the court, he told her ‘he must have marked her from the beginning’. She actually meant they had considered killing her over the tape.
At the time, Kelly and his people had a lot at stake. Although unverified, Van Allen’s testimony added detail to just how far Kelly and his circle were prepared to go to cover up their abuse of children. Even if the allegation about Diane is unfounded, Kelly’s 2021 conviction confirms Van Allen’s incredible bravery when standing up for justice to provide her testimony. Her appearance in ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ exposed some dark truths about the singer but also helped his victims find peace.
