Recently Lifetime aired episodes 1 and 2 of “Surviving R. Kelly” regardless of the legal actions that the R&B legend pushed on them. The docuseries touches on explicit, horrifying sexual misconduct allegations against Kelly leaving fans and viewers disgusted and mortified by the stories told about the singer. Although things may be all bad for R. Kelly with the show, it has helped and inspired survivors to garner up the courage to speak out and seek help.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline has experienced an extreme spike in calls last night during the show’s premiere according to The Daily Beast. A spokesperson from the RAINN organization which provides emotional support, information and resources about abuse, announced that there was a 27% increase in calls compared to the Thursday prior. During the premiere of Surviving R. Kelly, RAINN took to Twitter to help encourage survivors to reach out.
Check out the tweet here:
Even with the raw truths discussed throughout the docuseries, die hard R. Kelly fans stick by their idol. This has been proven by social media debates along with statistics. A spokesperson for Spotify revealed that the streaming platform saw a 16% increase in streams for the Pied Piper's music following the premiere. It’s sad to say but it seems that if you’re a superstar you really can get away with a lot more than the average person.
On the bright side, Surviving R. Kelly has been a huge success for the network. The Thursday premiere of the six-part docuseries netted 1.9 million total viewers, making it the cable network’s best ratings performance in more than two years across all key demographics. This is including the 1.1 million adults in the 18 to 49 category. It was also Lifetime’s highest-rated unscripted program in more than three years. Congratulations Lifetime for sticking to your beliefs!
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