R. Kelly's YouTube channels permanently removed post his sex trafficking conviction

Singer R. Kelly's YouTube channels have been pulled down after the R&B artist was deemed guilty of sex trafficking by a federal jury in September. As per Variety, the platform will not allow him to create any new channels in the future after the accusations of 'racketeering' and 'eight charges of an anti-sex trafficking law' against him were found true. He will be facing 10 years to life in prison and is set to be sentenced on May 4, 2022. 

Citing the violation of its terms of service, YouTube has banned two of his channels, namely RKellyT, which had 3.5 million subscribers as well as RKellyVevo with around 1.6 million subscribers. Any attempt to view the content on either of the channels comes with a pop-up stating, “This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.”. However, the singer's music catalogue will continue to be offered on the platform. 

R. Kelly's YouTube channels removed permanently 

YouTube stated that the channels have been pulled down in accordance with its 'creator responsibility guidelines', which prohibit 'inappropriate' behaviour, including actions that intend to cause 'malicious harm to others' as well as participating in fraudulent behaviour, violence, or cruelty among others. In a report released by Bloomberg, Nicole Alston, YouTube's VP of legal wrote in a memo about the 'Egregious actions' committed by the singer that warrant penalties 'beyond standard enforcement measures' owing to their potential to cause 'widespread harm'. Apart from his Youtube channels, his official handles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have also been removed. 

More about R.Kelly's sex trafficking conviction

Kelly's conviction came on September 27, when the New York federal court charged him guilty of leading a coercive scheme to lure women and girls for sex. He was also found to have trafficked women across different US states and produced child pornography.  In 2008, he was, however, acquitted of a child pornography case in Illinois, where he continued to face legal charges. The accusations against him gained momentum following the #MeToo movement and he was then put under scrutiny for a 2019 documentary titled Surviving R. Kelly’ that showcased interviews with many of the accusers. 

(IMAGE: AP)