Guests who had attended the premiere of Lifetime’s upcoming docuseries ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ were evacuated on Tuesday night in New York after a gun threat was called in at the venue.
The premiere was being held at NeueHouse Madison Square. Special guests including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux and accusers of R.Kelly, including Kitti Jones, Jerhonda Pace, Lisa Van Allen, Asante McGee and Lizzette Martinez among others were all asked to leave the venue following the threat.
“As a precaution, we evacuated,” a Lifetime representative told The Hollywood Reporter. The premiere has been called off and Lifetime will regroup tomorrow do discuss potentially rescheduling. “Tonight’s all about the safety of everyone — we’re not even thinking of what to do next yet,” the representative added.
Lifetime confirmed to THR, that the caller was anonymous, but the call originated from Chicago.
According to Lifetime, the documentary series follows the various sexual assault allegations and criminal charges R.Kelly has faced over the years, and includes interviews with survivors and detailed the ways in which R. Kelly has allegedly been able to manipulate and control young women for years.
