Drea Kelly has addressed why she kept her ex-husband R. Kelly’s last name, despite their divorce and his current incarceration on serious charges. In a recent conversation with Carlos King, she explained that people often question her decision, drawing comparisons to Tina Turner’s choice to keep her name after her split from Ike Turner. While Tina’s decision is widely understood due to her work, many people wonder if Drea’s choice is equally justified.
“You don’t even know what I do!” Drea responded, pushing back against the idea that she hasn’t “brought anything to the table” like Tina did. She emphasized that as a principal dancer and choreographer for R. Kelly, she was also a creative director, styling his videos and appearing alongside him in major performances. “I brought a whole womb. I birthed children,” Drea added, expressing her frustration at women criticizing her without understanding her contributions. “The only difference between me and Tina Turner is she sang on the stage with Ike, I danced on one with Robert.”
When asked how she feels about people telling her to drop the name, Drea replied, “I don’t give a f**k what you feel. I earned this name in blood, sweat, and tears.” She explained that she keeps the name not just for herself but for her children. “If my kids gotta go through it as Kelly, their mama going through it as Kelly,” she said.
Drea also pointed out the advantages of keeping the Kelly name, including opportunities to advocate for domestic violence awareness. “The last name Kelly gets me on CNN… If my name wasn’t Kelly, you wouldn’t even care,” she said, noting that others going through similar struggles don’t get the same attention. She was married to R. Kelly from 1996 to 2009. He claimed their marriage ended because she chose her career over being a housewife. Drea has consistently said abuse was the reason for their split.
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