New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio danced to R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" at South Carolina church
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spent the weekend in South Carolina, where he visited a local church on Sunday. A reporter captured video of de Blasio appearing to flap his arms like wings as the choir performed "I Believe I Can Fly," the embattled singer R. Kelly's biggest hit. The mayor is now under fire for participating in the song, though some point out he may not have known it was by R. Kelly.
NY1 News reporter Courtney Gross, who covered de Blasio's trip, shot the video. "I wonder if [Mayor de Blasio] realizes who sings this song," she tweeted.
Whether or not de Blasio knew he was dancing to R. Kelly, the video lit up Twitter with some users defending him and others saying he — and the church — should have known better. The #MuteRKelly movement has urged streaming services and fans to stop playing R. Kelly's music in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations against him. The decades-old accusations were re-ignited by a six-part documentary on Lifetime as well as last week's explosive interview by CBS News' Gayle King.
Kelly, the two women who live with him and one of those women's parents — who say their daughter has been brainwashed by the singer — all sat down with King to speak about Kelly's relationships with women. Kelly was charged last month with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four other young women, including three who were allegedly underage. He denies the charges.
De Blasio spent the weekend in South Carolina to make an appeal to Democrats in the early primary state as he weighs a possible 2020 presidential bid. He and his wife, Chirlane McCray, were scheduled to met with a group of Democrats and participate in a roundtable discussion in Columbia Saturday, then attend church services Sunday in Orangeburg.
Gross, who followed de Blasio throughout his trip, reports that he said he'll decide "sooner rather than later" whether to run for president.
