R. Kelly seeks reduced prison term through Trump clemency request
The latest move comes after Kelly's legal team previously cited health concerns and alleged threats to his safety
R. Kelly has reportedly submitted a request asking President Donald Trump to commute his 30-year prison sentence following his 2021 conviction on multiple federal sex crime charges.
According to Rolling Stone, the disgraced singer is not seeking a full presidential pardon but instead wants his prison term reduced through a clemency request currently listed as pending with the White House Office of the Pardon Attorney.
Any supporting documents filed with the request have not been made public.
A White House official told the outlet that the submission appears to have been made through the public clemency portal, stressing that anyone can submit an application and that the request should not be viewed as an indication it is under active consideration.
“This appears to be a random submission through the public portal which anyone can submit an application through,” the official said.
“The submission of a pardon request should not be interpreted to mean anything other than an individual has chosen to submit a request.
The team that reviews clemency requests at the White House is not tracking this request at this time.”
The official added that the White House follows a formal review process for clemency requests, with the president making the final decision.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was convicted in 2021 on charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping and forced labour.
The latest filing follows legal efforts made by his attorney, Beau B. Brindley, in June 2025, when he sought a new trial and requested Kelly’s immediate release on bond, citing serious health concerns and an alleged threat to his life while in prison.
At the time, Brindley claimed Kelly had been denied treatment for dangerous blood clots in his lungs and alleged that an inmate affiliated with a white supremacist group had been recruited by prison officials to harm the singer.
“R. Kelly does not have the time, with his life in danger, to go through the normal channels,” Brindley said during a news conference. “I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him.”
The attorney later alleged Kelly's prison conditions worsened after the emergency motion became public, claiming he was placed in solitary confinement, denied contact with family and access to commissary, and forced to endure poor living conditions.
The emergency filing also included a declaration from inmate Mikeal Glenn Stine, who alleged that prison officials asked him to kill Kelly in exchange for helping him escape custody. Stine later claimed he abandoned the alleged plan after informing Kelly about it.
A federal judge in Chicago has yet to rule on Kelly’s request for a new trial, while his previous request for bond was denied.