President Donald Trump has garnered bipartisan support during both terms for his use of pardon powers to remedy perceived injustices.
And while some of those cases have involved famous entertainers, one infamous celebrity’s recent request was admittedly a long shot.
As the Daily Wire reported, R&B singer R. Kelly recently submitted a request and the White House issued a public reply:
The Chicago Tribune first reported this week that the request was made and that Kelly was seeking a reduced sentence rather than a full pardon. The disgraced R&B singer was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking in 2021, then convicted of producing child pornography in a separate 2022 federal trial in Chicago.
ADVERTISEMENTA White House rep confirmed the request was made but did not indicate if or when it would be approved.
“This appears to be a random submission through the public portal which anyone can submit an application through,” the spokesperson said in a statement, as reported by Rolling Stone. “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 White House has a thorough review process for all clemency requests, with the President being the ultimate decider.”
The development sparked some social media discussion:
he should be asking the dems to help they are the ones who lost over 400 thousand minors and not one of them ever said our tried to find them weird my opinion
— RAYMOND (@RBgolffien) July 16, 2026
This actually made me stop scrolling 👏
— Muhammad Muhammad Musa (@bbakojimuha) July 15, 2026
30 years for what he did and he thinks clemency is the move
— Sofia (@s_jewe825) July 17, 2026
TMZ added these details:
A splinter group within R. Kelly’s camp says they’re now officially in charge of the imprisoned singer’s bid for clemency, but Kelly’s attorney of record tells TMZ the claims are totally “unsubstantiated.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe infighting between the Kelly factions kicked off Tuesday after Kelly filed a petition to commute his 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct convictions.
In one corner, you have Kelly’s Chicago-based attorney of record, Beau Brindley, and, in the other, you have Atlanta-based attorney Lela Schmidt.
Schmidt tells TMZ, “I have formally submitted a passionate clemency petition graciously asking President Trump for mercy on Mr. Kelly’s behalf.”
Schmidt has been working with Keith Calbert, Kelly’s power of attorney. In a letter sent to TMZ, Calbert claims Brindley’s statements to the press that he’s representing Kelly in his clemency bid are total BS.
On Wednesday, Brindley told TMZ that he has been working with Kelly for a long time on his clemency bid and intends to pursue clemency on behalf of Kelly with “every other avenue of justice.”
Here’s some additional coverage:
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