R. Kelly’s literacy has been questioned for years, much more so when the imprisoned singer tried to use it as a legal defense to stop paying alleged victims who appeared in the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”

But his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, recently confirmed that she was the one who taught him how to read during a sit-down with host Osei Kweku on “The Culture Club Uncensored.”

The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer revealed in court documents earlier this yr that he “cannot read or understand words beyond the level of an elementary school student.”

R. Kelly was convicted in New York in 2023 of racketeering and sex trafficking. He was also convicted in Chicago of making child pornography and inspiring a minor to engage in criminal sexual intercourse, and the 57-year-old was sentenced to a total of fifty years in prison.

In an interview, the former “Hollywood Exes” star confirmed that her ex-husband said he was molested by each a man and a woman as a child. Drea believes he was repeating past actions that led to other problems, comparable to reading to their three children: Jay, Joann and Robert Jr.

(22:44)“I think it stems from his childhood when he was molested by a man and a woman,” he says he said. “Dealing with illiteracy and inability to read.”

“I was sitting with him and I remember looking through Dr. Suess’s book and he got out of bed and walked out into the hall,” Drea continued. “He just turned into a little boy right in front of me, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ It’s as if we were simply reading fairy tales to children. What’s going on?'”

She explained that the “I Wish” singer didn’t want his children to know that he couldn’t read.

R Kelly not having the ability to read is killing me now 😭

— ctrl-J ✰ (@thatsjessicaa) May 5, 2024

“He said, ‘Drea, I don’t want to do this in front of them,’ and I said, ‘But why?’ And he said, “I am unable to read them what’s on this book.” I don’t want my children to know that I can’t read. I said, “But Robert, you’ve to understand that they cannot read either.” You are magical here. Make up a story as you go. “I’ll help you make it sound,” and I literally taught him how to read Dr. Seuss books.

Kelly added that she appears like trying to help her ex learn to read has created a “love-hate” relationship with the recording artist.

“But I feel like it was a love-hate relationship because he used it against me at times. He also said, “Oh, you think you’re better than me because you can read.” So I think he always had a love-hate relationship with me.”

The 50-year-old choreographer and her former partner married in 1996, but she filed for divorce in 2006, which was finalized three years later. She confirmed that she was the victim of physical and verbal abuse for years during their marriage, and that the “Bump n’ Grind” artist even fucked her before he fell asleep.

Drea added that she feared for Mr. Kelly’s life and even remembers pondering “I’m going to die” after he “tied her up” of their bedroom on one occasion. She shares more details about her marriage and private life in her upcoming memoir, “Under the Red Carpet.”

On May 7, Ciara posted a photo on social media with the caption: “Motherhood can also be the era of the soft girl.” Now a lot of her fans are calling her “out of touch,” arguing that a “soft life” is just wishful pondering on this economy.

Ciara is a wife and mother of 4 children, three of whom she shares along with her husband, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson signed a $1.2 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Denver Broncos are still paying the rest of his $39 million contract. Many people identified that it is less complicated to be a mother within the “soft girl” era when you will have money to rent help.

“He talks to other wealthy people. Don’t quit your job, ladies,” she laughed one user X.

“Don’t fall for this, ladies. For most of us, there’s nothing soft about motherhood, one other one User X wrote on Twitter.

“It’s a hard life for the remainder of us. He can keep this mess together,” added one other.

Some social media users are warning moms to take Ciara’s caption with a grain of salt and be realistic in regards to the demands and expectations of motherhood.

“Not if you do it without support and a lot of money.” replied one among the X users. “Don’t be fooled by this rich woman.”

“You’re rich, so I’m sure he’s softer than most,” one other noticed by user X.

Demands and expectations of motherhood

The latest data from the AAUW Action Fund I discovered more over 72 percent of moms with children under 18 are working. These numbers include single, widowed or divorced women working barely more often – over 77% are within the labor force.

In one other study by Welch, researchers found that working moms spend a median of 98 hours a week. From some perspective, that is reminiscent of working 2.5 full-time jobs. However, for a lot of moms who need to work, childcare costs hold them back. More than half of ladies who identified themselves as homemakers said they might search for a job in the event that they had access to cheaper child care, survey finds. study by the Center for American Progress.

Family 4 must earn greater than $275,000 live comfortably in most US cities, but the typical income for a family of 4 within the US is about $87,000 or less. That’s why some social media users are calling Ciara’s caption tone-deaf.

It wasn’t just women who had input on Ciara’s tweet, fathers also shared some insights. One man on Twitter said: “A pack of 18 diapers costs $44. Child care costs a minimum of $1,300 per month. The average cost of having a child in the US is $30,000. no insurance… only for those who hesitated.”

There’s little doubt that motherhood is a blessing, but some say Ciara’s comments undermine the challenges facing working families.

“This only applies to very wealthy women who can afford nannies, maids, private chefs and personal assistants. This doesn’t apply to you, bizarre, poor women. But she’s pretty,” one fan wrote on Twitter.