LOS ANGELES: Lady Gaga has vowed to remove a duet she recorded with R&B singer R.Kelly from streaming services and never collaborate with him again.
Her comments, in a lengthy Instagram post late on Wednesday, followed a new television documentary in which multiple women accuse Kelly of sexual misconduct, sometimes with minors.
Kelly, 52, the Chicago singer and record producer best known for hit song “I Believe I Can Fly,” has repeatedly denied accusations in recent years of abuse, including those made in the new documentary.
The Grammy-winning singer was tried and acquitted on child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008.
His attorney has not responded to Reuters requests for comment about the six-hour documentary “Surviving R.Kelly,” broadcast last week on the Lifetime channel.
It features interviews with several women making on camera allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse by Kelly, as well as interviews with some of his former managers and producers.
Reuters is unable to independently verify the accusations.
Gaga said she believed the women and found the documentary “absolutely horrifying.”
“I stand behind these women 1000 percent, believe them, and know they are suffering and in pain, and feel strongly that their voices should be heard and taken seriously,” she said in her Instagram posting.
Gaga in 2013 released a duet with Kelly called “Do What U Want (With My Body.)“
“I intend to remove the song off of iTunes and other streaming platforms and will not be working with him again,” she wrote on Wednesday. “I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner.”
A Chicago prosecutor on Tuesday urged anyone alleging abuse by Kelly to come forward so claims could be investigated.
“There is nothing that can be done to investigate these allegations without the cooperation of both victims and witnesses. We cannot seek justice without you,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told a news conference.
The US entertainment industry has been roiled for more than a year by scores of allegations of sexual misconduct against producers, actors and directors, many of whom have lost their jobs or been forced to step down.
Lady Gaga says won’t work again with singer R. Kelly
Lady Gaga says won’t work again with singer R. Kelly
- The comments followed a new television documentary in which multiple women accuse R. Kelly of sexual misconduct
- Gaga in 2013 released a duet with Kelly called “Do What U Want (With My Body.)“
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
