TRAILER: THE EXPLOSIVE STORY CONTINUES DEBUTS AS A THREE-NIGHT EVENT BEGINNING JANUARY 2 ON LIFETIME
New Survivors Come Forward and Commentary from Investigative Journalist and Author Jim DeRogatis, Music Industry Insiders Damon Dash, Mathew Knowles and Jimmy Maynes, #MeToo Founder Tarana Burke, Comedian and Host W. Kamau Bell, Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, Radio Personality Angela Yee, Cultural Critic Jamilah Lemieux, and State's Attorney for Cook County Kimberly M. Foxx, Women's Rights Attorney Gloria Allred And Many Others As Part of the Network's Stop Violence Against Women Initiative, Lifetime's Deepens Partnership with RAINN as Survivors Join Organization's Speakers Bureau Made Up of More Than 3,500 Survivors of Sexual Violence Who Volunteer to Share Their Stories To Provide an Invaluable Resource of Knowledge and Strength
Los Angeles, CA -- The story continues... following the groundbreaking Emmy nominated and Critic's Choice Award and MTV Award winning explosive documentary series seen by over 26.8 million people and sparking world-wide conversation, Lifetime unravels more to the saga with Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning airing across three nights, beginning January 2 at 9pm ET/PT. Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning will feature interviews from a variety of perspectives including with new survivors, supporters, psychologists and cultural and legal experts, and more insights into the ever-growing saga of the R&B singer, who is currently facing federal and state charges. The three-night event uncovers new stories with revealing details and explores why the voices of the girls that spoke up decades ago are only now being heard.
The full story will be available beginning on Thursday, January 2 at 3pm, with a six-hour marathon of Part I, airing in its entirety, leading into the two-hour premiere of Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning from 9pm - 11pm ET/PT. Night two continues with two new hours of content, on January 3, from 9pm - 11pm ET/PT, and will conclude on Saturday, January 4 at 8pm ET/PT - 9:30pm ET/PT, followed by the debut of the documentary film, Hopelessly In Love: Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Andre Rison at 9:30pm ET/PT.
In the days following the debut of Surviving R. Kelly on Lifetime this past January, vital conversations erupted throughout the world. Calls to sexual assault hotlines increased by 35%, and #MuteRKelly activists were further galvanized to protest for R. Kelly's record label to drop him. Public outcry ensured the survivors would not be ignored and more women came forward with allegations of abuse. Seven weeks after the debut of the docuseries, the Cook County attorney's office indicted the R&B singer on 10 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault involving alleged four victims and spanning over a decade, ultimately leading to Kelly's arrest. Then in July 2019, R. Kelly was arrested on charges including child pornography and kidnapping, facing a total of 18 federal charges.
Produced by Kreativ Inc, Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning is executive produced by Joel Karsberg and Jesse Daniels of Kreativ Inc.; dream hampton; Tamra Simmons; Maria Pepin; and Brie Miranda Bryant who executive produces for Lifetime. Sudi Khosropur is co-executive producer. Surviving R. Kelly falls under Lifetime's commitment to provide a platform to give women a voice where they have previously been unheard to bring awareness to the alleged abuses and harassment of women.
As part of Lifetime's Stop Violence Against Women campaign, Lifetime deepens their relationship with RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization and leading authority on sexual violence and will run a new PSA, available for viewing here during the airing of Surviving R. Kelly: Part II: The Reckoning. Furthermore, several survivors will join RAINN's Speaker Bureau, made up of more than 3500 survivors of sexual abuse who volunteer to share their stories to provide an invaluable resources of knowledge and strength. Following the airing of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary RAINN saw a 20% increase from the previous week in people reaching out to the National Assault Hotline for help.
Under the Stop Violence Against Women campaign, Lifetime continues the partnerships with advocacy groups and influential thought leaders and will re-air the PSA featuring survivors of sexual abuse. The PSA, available for viewing here, features 'me too.' founder, sexual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke; survivor, actress and activist Alyssa Milano who amplified the #MeToo movement and Burke's work with her pivotal tweet; survivor, R. Kelly survivor and women's advocate Kitti Jones; and survivor and founder of the millennial driven advocacy group Rise, Amanda Nguyen who was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for creating the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights to ensure survivor rights are not dependent on geography.
Lifetime is honored to partner with the leading organizations RAINN, Girls for Gender Equity, 'me too.', Color of Change, Black Women's Blueprint, A Long Walk Home, It's On Us, National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rise, Biden Foundation Crime Victims Treatment Center, No More, NJ Safe & Sound and The Joyful Heart Foundation. This diverse and impactful partner coalition helps to spread awareness, empower women, provide healing tools and support for women and survivors in need of assistance. More resources and information available at mylifetime.com/StopViolenceAgainstWomen.