Faith Rodgers Is One Of The Strongest Voices Speaking Out Against R. Kelly & It’s Come At A Huge Price

Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning dug deeper into the sex abuse scandal of disgraced singer R. Kelly. The original docu-series exposed the alleged decades-long abuse that numerous young girls and women endured at the hands of Kelly. The second docu-series grapples with the fallout and the impact coming forward has had on survivors, including  Faith Rodgers. 

Rodgers has become an integral voice in speaking out against Kelly. She claims to have been in a relationship with the singer for a less than a year when she was 19. In May 2018, Rodgers sued the singer claiming that he “mentally, sexually and verbally” abused her, and failed to disclose a sexually-transmitted disease, Variety reported.

Before Rodgers’ appearance on the first part of the docu-series, her lawyer Gloria Allred said Kelly launched a “campaign of intimidation and retaliation” against Rodgers and sent a threatening letter, with nude photos of her. 

Unfortunately, the alleged letter from Kelly was only the beginning of the hate mail Rodgers would receive, with more coming after the docu-series aired. The stress of being shown leaked sexual videos of herself and Kelly following one screening, caused Rodgers to have a seizure. 

"It took a lot out of me that night, emotionally, physically and spiritually,” Rodgers recalls. 

 Kelly has denied all allegations against him his lawyer, Steve Greenberg, has called the docu-series “factually unsupported propaganda” on Twitter and criticized Lifetime for allowing survivors to “profit from these specious allegations.” However, survivors, including Rodgers, state that nothing good has come from speaking out against Kelly and stating that some days she “felt like nothing.” 

Rodgers says that since she appeared in the first series, she’s gained 30 pounds from stress eating, while her father, Charles Rodgers notes how depressed she is. Depression is common for survivors of sexual assault according to Joyful Heart Foundation.  

“She’s been in therapy,” Charles says. “She never was moody. Now she’s moody.”

Despite the emotional and physical toll it’s taken on her, though, Rodgers says she’ll continue to speak out and is now involved with the federal case against Kelly she said on CBS This Morning.  

"It hasn't just been me," Rodgers said. "It's a track record, so even if it's not justice for me, for the next person, that's good enough."