‘Jane Doe’ R. Kelly victim speaks out and shares her story in new memoir

CHICAGO — The woman once known publicly as Jane Doe, the 14-year-old R. Kelly victim at the center of the 2001 tape, is speaking openly about her experience and the years that followed. In an interview with CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan, Reshona Landfair described the long path from silence to self‑definition and the work it took to reclaim her life.

14-year-old R. Kelly victim : A survivor steps forward

Landfair, now 41, told CBS that living under the name Jane Doe offered legal protection but left her disconnected from her own story. Speaking publicly, she said, feels “liberating” and allows her to live as her “true self.”

Her new memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly’s Abuse, marks the first time she lays out the full arc of her experience — from childhood dreams to years of manipulation, trauma, and eventual testimony.

Early grooming and a trusted introduction

Landfair grew up in Chicago’s music community and performed as a child rapper. Her aunt, R&B singer Sparkle, introduced her to Kelly in the 1990s. In the memoir, Landfair writes that Sparkle encouraged her to ask Kelly to be her godfather during a studio visit. That moment, she told CBS, shifted their relationship from casual encounters to something more personal.

Kelly agreed to the godfather role. Soon after, when Landfair was around 13, the singer began grooming her and touching her inappropriately. Sparkle later suspected something was wrong and contacted social services, but investigators found no clear signs of abuse.

The tape that changed everything

Weeks before turning 17, Landfair learned the tape Kelly filmed when she was 14 had spread nationwide. The revelation left her “empty” and “hollow,” she told CBS. Authorities arrested Kelly on child‑pornography charges in 2002, yet a jury cleared him in 2008.

Landfair later acknowledged lying to a grand jury when she denied being the girl in the tape. It was a decision she now calls one of her deepest regrets.

A turning point after ‘Surviving R. Kelly’

The 2019 Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” marked a shift. Watching other women describe similar experiences forced Landfair to confront the broader harm. She told CBS she felt responsible for the years Kelly continued to abuse others, believing at the time that her own experience was isolated.

Federal prosecutors charged Kelly months after the docuseries aired. He was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in New York in 2021, then convicted again in Chicago in 2022 on child‑pornography and related charges. Landfair testified in the Chicago trial, identifying herself as the minor in the tape.

Kelly is serving a combined 31-year sentence.

Reshona Landfair: Family conflict and long-term trauma

Landfair described a complicated dynamic between Kelly and her parents after the tape leaked. According to her account, Kelly told her parents he was in love with their daughter. Landfair said she was “brainwashed,” and that Kelly used emotional manipulation — including threats of self-harm — to keep her family from turning against him.

The public ridicule that followed the tape’s circulation deepened her trauma. Landfair told CBS that jokes, online harassment, and years of cultural references made speaking out feel dangerous.

Sparkle responds

In a statement to CBS News, Sparkle said she is relieved Landfair is finally able to speak freely. She rejected any suggestion that she enabled harm, saying her actions at the time, including contacting authorities, were attempts to protect her niece. Sparkle said she hopes Landfair continues her healing and finds accountability from those who failed her.

A memoir aimed at survivors

Landfair’s memoir speaks directly to survivors and to the younger version of herself who carried years of shame. She writes about embracing a new chapter and allowing herself grace after decades of silence.

The 41-year-old is now a mother to a 5‑year‑old son and the founder of Project Refine, an organization she is building to mentor girls and women. She told CBS she hopes to turn her pain into purpose.

“I’ve come a long way,” she said. “I’m proud of myself. I’m here today.”