Drea Kelly isn’t worried about what folks think when it comes to keeping her ex-husband’s last name, even though that ex is the now-incarcerated R. Kelly.
In a recent sit down on “Reality With the King,” Drea, born Andrea Kelly, broke down why she chose to stick with the R&B singer’s surname. As we previously reported, R. Kelly is currently serving a hefty 30 years in a federal joint for sex trafficking, on top of a 20-year sentence for charges related to child pornography and enticement.
Regardless of her ex’s legal troubles, Drea is firm in her choice to keep the last name. The former couple has three kids together—Robert Jr., 22, Jaah, 24, and Joann, 26.
Around the 14-minute mark in the video below, Drea shared that she’s put in work alongside Kelly as his backup dancer and creative director, so she feels she’s earned that name—much like Tina Turner did after her tumultuous relationship with Ike Turner.
“You don’t even know what my profession is, and at the end of the day, what do I bring to the table if I am the table?” Drea told host Carlos King.
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“I brought a whole womb. I birthed children, so for women to even say something like that is sad to me … And because you can’t clock what I do, because you haven’t done your research, you think it’s okay to go on the internet and say, ‘She don’t do nothing, Tina Turner did something.’ The only difference between me and Tina Turner is she sang on the stage with Ike, I danced on one with Robert.”
Drea continued explaining that she’s “earned this name in blood, sweat and tears.”
“It’s my kid’s name. “When all the s*** hit the fan, how would you feel if your name is Brown and your kids’ name is Brown, and your family goes through something? You tell your kids, ‘Oh, you’re a Brown by yourself; I’m out.’ … No. If my kids have to go through it as Kelly, they mama going through it as Kelly.”
Drea emphasized her commitment to reclaiming the “tarnish” off the Kelly name so her kids can “live and celebrate” as Kellys, highlighting her focus on raising awareness about domestic violence and engaging in public speaking.
R. Kelly and Drea were married from ’96 to ’09, and she has spoken out about the abuse she endured during their time together.
