According to reports published on Friday, some of those closest to R. Kelly have reportedly started to jump ship, including his entertainment attorney Linda Mensch and his assistant Diana Copeland. Copeland told the BBC she had reportedly ended her employment with the singer on Sunday, April 1. “I no longer represent R. Kelly,†Mensch told Rolling Stone when it sought confirmation of the news. Meanwhile, Rolling Stone also reports Trevian Kutti has resigned as Kelly’s publicist. As Kutti told them in a statement, “[E]ffective April 16, 2018, I no longer represent Mr. Robert Kelly.â€
While it’s extremely hard to believe that the departure of Kelly’s inner circle is unrelated to the many sexual abuse and misconduct claims being made against him (as the BBC notes, Copeland has been the singer’s executive assistant for over a decade), at least one person is claiming the timing of her resignation is unrelated to the steady stream of allegations. As Mensch explained to Rolling Stone in her statement, “My resignation was unrelated to any allegations related to Mr. Kelly’s social life.†Earlier this week, a woman filed new charges against the singer for unlawful restraint and sexual misconduct, which she claims took place while R. Kelly was grooming her for his “sex cult.â€