Lifetime is planning a follow-up special to its docuseries Surviving R. Kelly.
The two-hour special, Surviving R. Kelly: The Impact, will examine how the three-part series, which aired in January, affected the conversation about sexual violence and popular culture at large. The series featured more than 50 people speaking about alleged acts of abuse by the R&B singer.
Journalist Soledad O’Brien will host the special, which is set to air May 4. It will include clips from Surviving R. Kelly and interviews with journalists, legal experts and psychologists about Kelly and the accusations against him. It will also include an “in-depth look” at the singer’s tense CBS interview with Gayle King.
Following the airing of Surviving R. Kelly, calls to sexual assault hotlines increased by 35 percent, and the docuseries also galvanized calls for his record label, RCA, to drop the artist from its roster. Following the documentary, Kelly was arrested and indicted on 10 felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse against four people, including three minors, dating back to 1998.
Surviving R. Kelly drew a big audience for Lifetime, averaging 2.1 million viewers for its initial airing and growing on each of the three nights it aired. The cable network says more than 26 million people have seen at least a portion of the documentary.
Deadline first reported on the special.
