Who is Jaya Kelly? Is She Transgender?

Jaya Kelly is best known as the middle child of rapper R. Kelly and Andrea Lee. He became famous thanks to his famous parents. His father is an American singer and songwriter.

But did you know that Jaya was a woman at the time of his birth? Later, in 2014, he discovered he was a transgender man and changed his name to Jaya after realizing his sexuality. How did his family react when he came out? Did his family accept his decision?

In addition, what is his relationship with his father, who was recently convicted of sexual assault? Find all the answers to your questions in this article! Scroll below to find out more about his sexuality, love life, and more!

Jaya Kelly Early Life and Family

Jaya Kelly was born in 2000, he is now 22 years old. He was born to star parents R. Kelly and his mother Andrea Lee. He is African-American and his nationality is American.

Jiao was raised by his parents along with his two siblings Joanne Kelly and Robert Junior Kelly.

As far as his family is concerned, he was born into a wealthy family. His father, R. Kelly, who is notorious for various legal problems, was popular at the time as a singer and songwriter. He has also won some prestigious awards, such as the Grammy three times. He was one of the best-selling music artists in the world in the 1990s.

His mother, Andrea Kelly or Drea Lee, is also a former backing vocalist. Before her marriage, she worked as a backup dancer in her ex-husband’s show. Later, she starred in many television shows and films.

Jaya Came Out as Transgender at the Age of 14

Jaya was very young when she realized that she didn’t like to do things like normal girls. He was biologically born a female, but when he was about 6 or 7 years old, he realized that he was attracted to girls. On his Ask.FM profile, Jaah once replied to a follower that he never liked dressing like a woman and hadn’t had female organs since he was very young.

Finally, he decided to have an operation and transform himself into the man he wanted to be. He told DailyMail,

“I believe I am a boy and want surgery, and the medication to help me (be) who I was supposed to be”

Yah’s coming out as a transgender man was a shock to the world. However, after the surgery, Jaja finally started to carry himself.

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What was his family’s reaction to him doing surgery?

Although American society is conservative towards the LGBTQ+ community, Jaja did not have to face many obstacles until he came out about his sexuality. His family and friends are very supportive of his decision. In addition, Jaah was always supportive of his mother and she was always a proud mum. He said,

‘My mom was like, “Baby, you know I love you if you were bi, gay, lesbian, you name it and I would still love you so much”,

He revealed that his mother was proud of him. Then Jaya thanked her mom and said,

 “Thank you mom for accepting the fact that I’m a transgender”.’

He is also very happy that all his friends and siblings accept him as a man. His sister calls him the beauty and a little brother, which makes him feel great.

Jaya’s father was Abusive Towards His Mother

Drea Kelly, Jaya’s mother, revealed in an interview with ABC News that Kelly, who always hid behind a popular face, had a more threatening personality. Drea’s mother was a choreographer, dancer, and happy mother of R. Kelley’s children in front of the media. However, Drea claims to have been emotionally, physically, and mentally abused off-camera. Over the years, she has kept her scars hidden from the outside world.

According to Drea, Mr. Kelley was a very aggressive and controlling person and used to beat Drea. He tied her hands and feet with rope and abused her. Drea endured all this and still maintained a normal life in front of the camera. She also revealed that she had been too scared to disclose her situation because Mr. Kelly was very “powerful” at the time.

The duo, who met almost 24 years ago in their hometown of Chicago, seemed like the perfect couple. But under the sweetness of their relationship, Drea suffered so much that she almost committed suicide. Finally, in 2006, she filed for divorce.

In addition, Drea now works as a domestic violence advocate and motivational speaker and helps other victims of abuse to come out and fight for themselves.

Jaya’s Father Robert Kelly is Still Spending His Life In Prison

Jonah’s father is notorious for multiple sexual assault allegations and civil lawsuits. He faced numerous accusations in the 1990s. His first civil suit was filed in 1996 for having sexual relations with a 15-year-old high school girl at the age of 24. Many other cases followed, such as allegations of illicit marriage (1994), disclosure and indictment of child abuse material (2002), and child molestation (2009).

After all the accusations, his fans and the music industry boycotted him. His music was removed from Apple’s music offerings. Many other celebrities supported the “Boycott R Kelly” and “Entertain R Kelly” movements. Despite being boycotted by the music industry, his legal problems did not end there.

On 11 July 2019, Robert was arrested for alleged sexual offenses and obstruction of justice. He was then re-arrested on the second day and charged with 18 counts, including sexual offenses and obstruction of justice for child sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, production of child pornography, forced labor, extortion, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice.

A US District Judge subsequently ordered that Robert Kelly be held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Centre pending sentencing. He was first sentenced to 10 years in prison. Later, on 29 June 2022, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for 30 years. He is still incarcerated in state prison.

How is Jaya Kelly’s Relationship with His Parents?

As we all know, Jaya excelled thanks to her famous parents. However, he does not have as close a relationship with his father as he does with his mother. Although Robert was not a good husband, he was not a bad father. He did his best to maintain a good relationship with his children. But when his children found out about their father’s criminal activities, their relationship broke down.

As for his mother, Drea, she seems to be very close to her children. She has brought up her children and they are currently living together. She has said in several interviews that her children are her world and that they mean everything to her. This means that Jaya is very close to her mother.

Jaya Kelly and Her Siblings were Bullied Because of Their Father

Jaya and her siblings found that their friends often bullied them because of their father. Their friends called them the children of a criminal. Although it was difficult for them because of their father, they found that it no longer bothered them.

Moreover, when asked how they felt about their father, Jaah and his siblings did not answer well.

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What is Jaya Kelly Currently Doing?

Jaja is currently living with his mother and is focused on his music career. Although he is not close to his father, Jaah is somehow following in his father’s footsteps as he loves to sing and rap. He has opened up about his career goal and wants to become a music artist.

Is Jaah Dating anyone as of 2022?

Jaah is very private about his personal life and has not revealed anything about his love affair yet. He is also not very active on his social media platforms.

He has mentioned in the past that he is interested in a girl. However, there are no rumors that he is seeing a girl. The 22-year-old star child seems to be focused on his career and does not have a girlfriend yet.

What is Jaya Kelly’s Net Worth?

Born into a family of celebrities, Jaya Kelly has a pretty glamorous life. We don’t have any exact figures for Jaya Kelly’s net worth because he is just starting out in his career. However, he owns some shares in his parents’ property.

As for the net worth of his parents, his mother, Drew Kelly, has a net worth of around $5 million. Her main source of income is her work as a choreographer and dancer. She also earns well as a motivational speaker and this is how she has been able to take care of her three children. Similarly, Jaya’s father had a net worth of approximately $10 million.

Quick Facts About Jaya Kelly