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R. Kelly needs to keep his mouth shut and disappear.
Youre defending your reputation, your career, possibly your freedom.
Youre going to fight on every level you’re free to.
Evan Nierman, founder of the firmRed Banyan, agrees.
People under attack are fighting back: If youre going to hit me, Im going to hit harder.
Its already proving to be ineffective.
With #MeToo and #TimesUp, theres a lot of sympathy and empathy toward victims of assault.
Attacking them and victimizing them twice shouldnt be anybodys go-to crisis-PR strategy.
Two months ago, I received a call from a publicist whose name I cant say.
She asked if I would help coach him and I said definitively, No.
This was two months before the dream hampton documentary.
They feel very attacked.
They knew this was coming.
If Kelly has any sense, hed be neither seen nor heard, according to the professionals.
No partying, no social media, no smear campaigns.
ofLEVICKsays, Dont take each alleged victim give a shot to pick apart their allegations.
That puts a spotlight on you and makes you look even more unsympathetic.
You wait for a period of time.
And dont give information any lawyer would advise you against.
Theres no need to volunteer information that you know even hints at your guilt or innocence.
For lawyers with clients like Kelly, the main concern isnt repairing someones image.
At the same token, you have to pay attention to the court of public opinion.
Its a challenge for any lawyer in a high-profile case.
You have to remember that you are dealing with evidence, not opinion.
With Twitter and Facebook, its a different world.
Clients have to stop trying to push against the press onslaught because theyre going to lose.
Their voice is not going to be loud enough to adequately defend against that.
Get past it, quiet down, then batten down the hatches and figure out a defense.
Think about [Brett Kavanaugh accuser] Christine Blasey Ford.
Shes getting death threats, shes had to move three times.
This is the same exact thing, says Danny Deraney, founder ofDeraney Public Relations.
Guess whos going to be indicted in that?
As a publicist, I would advise him not to do that but I think hes so beyond listening.
And why would R. Kelly start heeding this kind of advice now?
For roughly three decades, its been well known that he has a predilection forunderage women.
He flaunted his relationship with Aaliyah and many other young women and his record sales havent suffered.
Theyre giving him passes because he did I Believe I Can Fly.
That song is played at kindergarten graduations, weddings, barbecues.
Radio stations and streaming services like Spotify and Apple still play his music.
I would be surprised if he remains signed to any label except his own, says Levick.
Then the money runs out and all of a sudden they get a conscience.
Bragman, with decades of dealing with celebrity crises, sums it up perfectly.
You never know how these things are going to end until the end, he says.
I promise you, its not going to be fun.
