R Kelly YouTube channels removed following sex trafficking conviction

Decision does not affect the YouTube Music streaming service

YouTube has permanently suspended R Kelly from its platform following his conviction for sex trafficking.

The singer’s two official accounts – RKellyTV and RKellyVevo – have both been shut down, with YouTube saying they violated the site’s terms of service. More than 5 million people subscribed to the two channels.

Nicole Alston, the vice president of legal at YouTube and Google, confirmed the news to Bloomberg.

“Egregious actions committed by R. Kelly warrant penalties beyond standard enforcement measures due to a potential to cause widespread harm,” she said in a statement.

“Ultimately we are taking this action to protect our users similar to other platforms.”

The decision to suspend the accounts does not affect the YouTube Music streaming service.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have also recently deleted Kelly’s official accounts.

Last week (27 September), Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking but will not be sentenced until May next year.

(Getty Images)

At the time, Jacquelyn M Kasulis, the acting US attorney for New York’s Eastern District said in a statement: “Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification.

“A predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage teenage girls, and young women and men, for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and degradation.”

Kelly’s music is still available to stream on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, though there have been calls for it to be removed.