Once known publicly only as the 14-year-old girl seen in the infamous 2001 sex tape involving R. Kelly, Reshona Landfair is now sharing her story on her own terms as an adult, determined to reclaim her identity and help others heal.
During her February 11th interview with NBC 5 Chicago, Landfair explained that one of the main purposes of her memoir was to release the emotional “toxins” of her past pain and finally tell her story. She discussed how the tape and the years of abuse affected her life, including the mockery she endured and the emotional toll behind it. She also shared that becoming a mother motivated her to grow emotionally so she can better love and support her young son, anticipating the day she will eventually explain her past to him.
Landfair said that after the book’s release, she spoke with most of her family members, many of whom were supportive and happy she chose to speak out. Some relatives, she noted, have even apologized.
According to Landfair, she told TMZ that first met Kelly in 1996 when she was a pre-teen. Like many in her community, she described being starstruck before becoming entangled in what she says were years of grooming followed by sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. When the videotape later surfaced publicly, even circulating widely online and through platforms such as Napster, she said she felt isolated and stripped of her identity, known only in legal proceedings as “Jane Doe.”
In an interview with All Things Considered, host Juana Summers asked Landfair how she felt after the tape became public.
“It was everything that I hear about prison,” Landfair said. “It was very traumatizing. It was very hurtful and lonely.”
The video was also shown to juries in two separate child-pornography trials involving Kelly, first in 2008, which ended in acquittal, and again in 2022, when he was later convicted on federal charges in a separate case.
Landfair, now 41, recounts her experiences in her memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly’s Abuse, detailing her turbulent adolescence and her eventual escape from what she describes as a long cycle of exploitation. She said publicly revealing herself as the “Jane Doe” from the tape was necessary to reclaim control over her narrative.
She explained that years of media coverage and public jokes about the tape made it difficult to move forward, keeping her tied to a painful chapter of her life. Landfair said she was often blamed for Kelly’s actions despite being only 14 years old at the time while he was an adult nearly two decades older. She credits therapy, honesty, and accountability with helping her heal and focus on the future.
In her NBC 5 Chicago interview, Landfair emphasized how she doesn’t want to be seen as a victim frozen in time, but as a mother and a woman of faith.
“I want to be known as a mother, a human being, a great friend, and a woman of God,” she said, adding that she no longer wants to live under the shadow of the tape.
Landfair explained that writing the memoir forced her to confront trauma she had buried for years. She said journaling helped her gradually face painful memories and accept her healing process. For a long time, she admitted, it was difficult to endure whispers and public scrutiny, but she realized there would never be a “perfect time” to tell her story.
She said the book is about forgiving herself and showing herself grace, adding that readers who still have questions or doubts can find clarity by reading her full account rather than judging her based on her past.
Landfair also hopes the memoir encourages open conversations about abuse, especially in communities where such issues are often kept private. She said becoming a mother to her five-year-old son pushed her to fully confront her past and transform her pain into purpose through a mentoring initiative for survivors in similar situations, which she plans to call Project Refine. She also wants her son to understand that who his mother was is not who she is today.
Reshona Landfair is the niece of Sparkle, a former protégé of R. Kelly who later became a key public figure during investigations into his abuse allegations; Photo Credit: Discogs, The New York Times, Getty Images
When asked about her relationship with her aunt, singer Sparkle, who previously spoke publicly during the Kelly investigations, Landfair said they are not close but maintain a peaceful coexistence. She added that she still loves her aunt and hopes she will read the book to better understand her perspective.
Landfair emphasized that accountability ultimately belongs to Kelly, whom she says groomed her at a young age. Reflecting on what could have been done differently, she said family members could have asked more questions and paid closer attention. She also encouraged parents to maintain the same protective standards for their children regardless of a person’s celebrity status or influence.
She said she no longer lives in anger or hurt after spending years processing the trauma. Landfair shared that her mother has expressed remorse after reading the memoir, while her father, now deceased, never had the chance to see her healing journey.
Emotionally reflecting on him, she said she believes he would be proud of who she has become today.
Landfair also expressed relief that Kelly is now serving prison time for sexual abuse and exploitation of minors, saying it helped bring a sense of accountability and closure as she continues focusing on healing and rebuilding her life.
She said she is no longer hiding and added that her message to Kelly is for him to seek help, noting the many lives affected.
Reshona Landfair says she refuses to let her past define the rest of her life.
R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for sexual abuse and the exploitation of minors, and is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Medium I in North Carolina.
