The former teen known as 'Jane Doe' from R. Kelly's sex tape and child pornography trial, Reshona Landfair, talks about being sexually exploited by Kelly in her new memoir

Reshona Landfair

Reshona Landfair, previously referred to as Jane Doe in R. Kelly's notorious sex tape involving a minor, which was linked to his child pornography trial in 2008, finally shares her experiences with the disgraced music mogul in her new book, "Who's Watching Shorty?"

In interviews with outlets such as Rolling Stone, CBS Mornings, and the The Joy Reid Show, Roshona discusses the timeline of events that led to her meeting and entering into an underage sexual relationship with the Chicago superstar, which was followed by a long, dark, and bizarre courtship.

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Reshona Landfair/Instagram@whoswatchingshorty

Her memoir notes that Landfair met R. Kelly at the age of 12 while she was a standout athlete and a member of the musical group 4 The Cause. She explained that she came from a musically inclined family; her aunt, R&B artist Sparkle, who introduced the family to R. Kelly, was one of his artists, and her father played the guitar for R. Kelly and many popular acts in the Chicago music scene for years.

4 The Cause

"Who's Watching Shorty?" shares hard to read details about her years of being sexually exploited by the singer. In an interview with Joy Reid, Landfair recalled feeling "very ashamed" and "scared" when a sex tape of her and the Pied Piper of R&B was leaked throughout America. Yet, after being coached and groomed by Kelly, she lied to the grand jury and denied that she was the victim in the film, which enabled the star to walk free from his 2008 indictments.

In the book, the 41-year-old explains that when she was subpoenaed by federal authorities again, in connection with Kelly's 2022 trial, she told herself that this time she would be honest. And after seeing other victims, some of whom she knew, sharing their stories on the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries prior to the trial, she decided that confirming her identity as the girl in the tape from the early 2000s for the new trial was the right thing to do.

Reshona and her family

The Chicago native told the Joy Reid Podcast that part of what restricted her healing, was that the world never saw her as a victim. She explained, "The world never treated me or saw me as a victim, so it was very difficult for me to see that for myself. They blamed me for Robert's sexual preferences and fetishes, when this is a person I lost my virginity to. I knew nothing about sex. I grew into his sexual behaviors."

Writing the memoir helped her to truly decompress about her experiences that started when she was a child, and extended into her adulthood. Despite being groomed by the former music mogul to "never admit" the true nature of their relationship, Landfair said she no longer wanted to keep secrets about those dark years.

The new author is working to redirect her life in various ways. To that end, she has established a non-profit mentorship program for young women called Project Refine. Landfair also told Rolling Stone that she is currently employed at a school-based health center, which she enjoys. She also raising a five year old son, and rebuilding relationships with her family. To purchase "Who's Watching Shorty?", click here.

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