R. Kelly was freed from Cook County Jail in Chicago on Saturday, where he'd been sent Wednesday after failing to pay $161,663 in child support to his ex-wife.
The 52-year-old singer had previously spent several days in jail after being initially unable to come up with the $100,000 bond for the criminal sexual abuse charges against him. A judge warned he'd be sent back if he couldn't pay the full amount he owed in child support by Wednesday.
"I promise you, we're gonna straighten all this stuff out, that's all I can say right now," Kelly said in a brief statement to reporters outside the jail on Saturday.
R. Kelly walks out of the Cook County Jail Saturday, three days after he was jailed for failing to pay child support.
Cook County sheriff’s spokesperson Sophia Ansari confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Kelly was released Saturday morning after the full payment was made.
Kelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, told BuzzFeed News "the source of the money would like to remain anonymous."
After his Wednesday hearing, Kelly's spokesperson, Darrell Johnson, told reporters that Kelly had expected he was "going to make an arrangement" to pay $50,000 to $60,000, but the judge "wanted the full amount."
"He can't pay," Johnson said. "He can't book shows. He can't do anything. There's a lot going on in Mr. Kelly's life...and he doesn't have the money."
Kelly was charged last month with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were underage during the alleged acts. He is accused of forcing oral penetration with two underage victims, one from 1998 until 2001, and another from 2009 to 2010. He is also charged with forced sexual penetration with another underage victim from 1998 until 1999, and with threatening and forcing himself on another victim by ejaculating on her in 2003.
He has repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming all his victims are lying and orchestrating a smear campaign against him.
In his first TV interview since his arrest, Kelly screamed and sobbed to CBS This Morning’s Gayle King earlier this week.
“Stop it, y’all quit playin’. Quit playin’. I didn’t do this stuff. This is not me,” he said, directly addressing the camera. “I’m fighting for my fucking life.”