R. Kelly asks Trump to commute his 30-year prison sentence

R. Kelly has submitted a formal request to President Donald Trump for the commutation of his 30-year prison sentence.

The clemency request, which asks for a reduction of his sentence rather than a full pardon, is visible as a matter pending with the White House Office of the Pardon Attorney on the Justice Department website. However, any documents that Kelly may have submitted in support of his request are not available. 

A White House official told Rolling Stone that the request is “a random submission through the public portal [of the Office of the Pardon Attorney] which anyone can submit an application through.” They went on to include that “the submission of a pardon request should not be interpreted to mean anything other than an individual has chosen to submit a request,” and stressed that the White House has a “thorough” review process for all clemency requests, “with the President being the ultimate decider.”

Kelly was convicted in 2021 of federal racketeering, sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and sex trafficking charges, and is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence in federal prison. In 2022, he was also convicted of six counts of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex, and sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison in 2023. Kelly is serving both sentences concurrently, meaning his incarceration will last 31 years. 

In June 2025, Kelly’s lawyer, Beau B. Brindley, filed a motion for a new trial and requested the immediate release of Kelly on bond, citing health concerns and an alleged plot against his life. Brindley said at the time that he planned to appeal directly to President Trump, according to the Chicago Tribune: “R. Kelly does not have the time, with his life in danger, to go through the normal channels,” he said. “I will ask President Trump to help us, because we need him.”

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