Lady Gaga Apologized For Working With R. Kelly And Said Her Thinking Was ‘Twisted’ Back Then

Ever since the airing of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary series, the backlash against the controversial singer is about as strong as it’s ever been. A variety of artists, like John Legend and Questlove, have spoken out against Kelly, and Kelly is now the focus of an active criminal investigation in Georgia. Now Lady Gaga has decided to make a statement about Kelly, sharing a post in Twitter in which she apologizes for working with him on her 2013 single “Do What U Want (With My Body).”

“I stand behind these women 1000%, believe them, know they are suffering and in pain, and feel strongly that their voices should be heard and taken seriously.” she wrote. “I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner.”

Gaga also writes that the song was created as a result of her not having yet “processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life,” and that her thinking at the time was “explicitly twisted.” At the end of the post, Gaga vows to never work with Kelly again, and to remove “Do What U Want” from streaming services.

Find Gaga’s full post below.

“I stand behind these women 1000%, believe them, know they are suffering and in pain, and feel strongly that their voices should be heard and taken seriously. What I am hearing about the allegations against R Kelly is absolutely horrifying and indefensible. As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made both the song and video at a dark time in my life, by intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative because I was angry and still hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life. The song is called ‘Do What U Want (With My Body),’ I think it’s clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time. If I could go back and have a talk with my younger self I’d tell her to go through the therapy I have since then, so that I could understand the confused post-traumatic state I was in — or if therapy was not available to me or anyone in my situation — to seek help, and speak as openly and honestly as possible about what we’ve been through. I can’t go back, but I can go forward and continue to support women, men, and people of all sexual identities, and of all races, who are victims of sexual assault. I have demonstrated my stance on this issue and others many times throughout my career. I share this not to make excuses for myself, but to explain. Til it happens to you, you don’t know how it feels. But I do know how I feel now. I intend to remove this song off of iTunes and other streaming platforms and will not be working with him again. I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner. I love you.”