John Legend Reveals Why He Spoke Out Against R. Kelly

Before Surviving R. Kelly aired earlier this month, John Legend was already a huge supporter of the #MuteRKelly movement. By being featured in the documentary, he became one of the biggest and earliest celebrity voices willing to speak out against the documented predator.

During an interview with Andy Cohen, alongside his wife Chrissy Teigen, Legend revealed why he decided to be featured in the documentary, when so many of his peers turned down the offer. Watch the full clip above. 

“I’m friends with the director, her name is dream hampton. She’s awesome,” he told Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “We worked together on ending mass incarceration. I respect her work a lot, and she asked me to do it.”

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Hampton worked on Legend’s 2015 Free America initiative, which organized a push toward ending the injustice of mass imprisonment in the U.S.

Legend shared no tough words for his peers who declined to star in the documentary, but felt inclined to use his voice to speak out for young women of color. “Another reason I wanted to do it: I have friends that were a part of the #MuteRKelly movement. They were literally marching on the streets and they work with rape victims in Chicago,” he said. “They work with a lot of black girls in Chicago who are often overlooked…I knew that as a celebrity I could lend my voice to these young people who have been hurt.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Chrissy and John fielded questions about Kanye’s Twitter rants and Kim’s ride-or-die support of her husband. 

“I just shake my head like a lot of people who love Kanye and his music. He owns it and says what he’s going to say, and it’s on him,” Legend responded, adding that he’s not accountable for what Kanye tweets—very true.

“Coming from a wife’s perspective…All you want to do is protect the person you love,” Teigen added. “As much as you love somebody, they’re going to F-up sometimes and they’re gonna say weird things.”

Watch that clip above.