Surviving R. kelly, a six-part documentary series that premiered Jan. 3, on the Lifetime channel, detailed allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse of over 50 alleged victims. The documentary sparked outrage, yet some still defend and support R. kelly. Those in defense of R. kelly are wrong.

Defenders say to separate the art from the artist. This is impossible. When one supports the art , it fills the pocket of the artist. Music streaming numbers for R. kelly actually increased following the premiere of the series which is a slap in the face to those who shared their painful experiences seeking justice. Instead R. kelly was rewarded with even more wealth.

Another argument made by defenders is that these claims don’t have concrete evidence and many ignore the claims. R. kelly was in trouble with the law before. He had multiple child pornography charges against him in 2002. This side of R. kelly isn’t new, anyone paying attention has known for years about this behavior. Allegations date back to the ‘90s. A lot of the women that have come forward now, were teenagers at the time.

R. kelly should not be the main focus of all the media buzz. His actions and the pain he has caused these women should be the main focus. Good or bad, publicity is publicity and that is the case here. His name outshines his victims, but those who can see past that can make a change. Fortunately, the allegations have prompted police to launch investigations to seek justice for these women.

Those who still support R. kelly are ignoring what he has done for the past 20 years or do not care. Whichever the reason may be, they are in the wrong.