R. Kelly’s Young Girlfriends Defend Him, Blast Their Own Parents

R. Kelly's girlfriends Azriel Clary, 21, and Joycelyn Savage, 23, are coming to his defense.

In a sit-down with “CBS This Morning's” Gayle King, the girls claimed their parents just want money from R. Kelly. Azriel saidd, “Okay, so when I first met Robert, my parents told me to lie about my age. So when I met him, he thought that I was 18. On top of that, when I was 17, my parents were actually making me, trying to get me to take photos with him, take sexual videos with him, all kinds of stuff."

“They said, because if they ever have to blackmail him, what they're trying to do now, they can use it against him, which is exactly what they're doing,” she continued. “They started to send threats to both me and him. They said, 'Oh, I'll put all your naked pictures all over the world. I'm going to ruin you, I'm going to ruin him. If he doesn't send $20,000 to this bank account by Monday, oh, I'm gonna put everything out there, and then $10,000 after that.' You're trying to solicit me like I'm some f**king ho. I'm not, I'm your child."

Joycelyn agreed, commenting, “Both our parents are basically out here trying to get money and scam, because they didn't agree on what happened, you know, with music or whatever it could be. And they're just very upset.”

During the intense interview, Clary broke down crying, saying, "I'm crying, because you guys don't know the truth! You guys believe in some fking facade that our parents are saying. This is all fking lies for money, and if you can't see that, you're ignorant and you're stupid as f**k, because you want to be. All because that's the world we live in. Negativity sells, gossip is what sells, rumors are what sell.”

Clary and Savage's parents both deny their allegations. Michael Avenatti, who represents Clary's parents, said in statement, “Azriel's parents never attempted to blackmail anyone and never suggested their daughter take nude photos or sexual videos. And they have never asked R. Kelly for a single penny. These are absolute lies fabricated by R. Kelly and we have evidence to show that these claims are bogus."

In a press conference on Wednesday, Savage's family denied asking Kelly for money, adding, “From day one, the only thing we want to do is hear from our daughter and know she's fine.”

King noted that R. Kelly was in the room when Clary and Savage were being interviewed. She said, “At points in the conversation, he would cough very loudly, so they were aware that he was there… R. Kelly came up to [King's makeup artist] and said, 'Should I stop this interview?'.. He never did, so the girls were aware that he was there.”

The two women confirmed they were in love with Kelly, but would not discuss the sexual aspect of their relationships with him. Clary argued, “Sexually, well, first of all, I'm not here to talk about my personal life, and I would never share with no one what I do in or outside of the bedroom. And as a woman, I'm sure you would not either.”

She emphasized, “There are people all over the world who have multiple girlfriends. It's no different.”

In his interview with King, Kelly affirmed, “We have a relationship; it's real.”

On the same day that Kelly's interview aired, he was arrested for failing to pay child support to ex-wife Andrea Kelly. Cook County Sheriff's Office Spokeswoman Sophia Ansari told AP that Kelly will remain locked up until he pays over $160,000 in back child support.

Last month, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago's Cook County. He pleaded not guilty.