R. Kelly Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison As The Internet Largely Celebrates And Memes Conviction

Former R&B star R. Kelly, convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges last fall, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on this afternoon, concluding the singer's lengthy fall from grace. Kelly, now 55, will be 85 years old if and when he completes his sentence.

At the sentencing, some of Kelly's accusers spoke about their experiences with the abuser. "You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel," one anonymous accuser said.

The news was met online with a mix of "good riddance" and surprise that Kelly got 10 more years than Ghislaine Maxwell, who was also recently sentenced for her role in perpetrating the sex ring of Jeffrey Epstein.

Allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct have dogged Kelly since his rise to fame in the '90s when he was first accused of abusing young women. In 2008, he was also acquitted of child pornography charges.

In 2017, he was then accused of running a "sex cult." The wave of allegations reached a climax with the release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly in 2018, which documented the push from his victims to out Kelly as an abuser.

Finally, in 2019, Kelly was arrested on 13 counts related to sexual misconduct, including "enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice, in addition to the child pornography charges" and "one count of racketeering and four counts of violating the Mann Act." Kelly was named as the head of an enterprise that "included his managers, bodyguards, drivers and members of his entourage," which aimed to enlist women and girls for illegal sexual activity.

While some reacted more seriously to the conviction, there were also many who shared elated reactions and memes to the news.