An anonymous caller claimed that an audience member would fire a gun if the documentary, detailing allegations of sexual assault by the R&B singer, was screened, reports say

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The premiere of a documentary series about the survivors of alleged abuse by the singer R Kelly was cancelled and evacuated after a gun threat. “Anonymous threats” were made to the NeueHouse Madison Square venue in New York City, a representative for the US television network Lifetime told Rolling Stone.

The venue had received two calls from an unidentified male caller, who said that someone in the theatre had a gun and would shoot if the documentary was shown, the magazine was told. A spokesperson for the venue said the threats were “non-credible”. Lifetime said the building was evacuated “as a precaution”. Kelly has not commented on the incident.

Surviving R Kelly is a six-part Lifetime series that focuses on some of the women who have accused the R&B singer of sexual misconduct. Among them is Kitti Jones, who last year accused Kelly of physical abuse, sexual coercion, emotional manipulation and controlling her life, and was due to appear at the New York event.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest From left, Lizzette Martinez, Andrea Kelly, Lisa van Allen, Tarana Burke, Kitti Jones, Jerhonda Pace, Asante McGee and Gretchen Carlson prior to the cancelled screening of Surviving R Kelly. Photograph: Chance Yeh/Getty Images for A+E

Kelly has also been accused of running a “sex cult”, allegedly imprisoning women, controlling their behaviour and forcing them to have sex with one another. Kelly’s ex-wife, Andrea Kelly, has also accused him of domestic abuse. Kelly has always denied the allegations. In a 19-minute song released in July, he said he had been “falsely accused”.

Timeline What are the allegations against R Kelly? Show Hide

Marries underage singer Aaliyah Then 27, Kelly allegedly marries protegée Aaliyah, then 15, in an illegal ceremony in Cook County, Chicago. Lawsuit from Tiffany Hawkins Tiffany Hawkins files lawsuit alleging injuries and emotional damage from a three-year relationship with Kelly, beginning when she was 15 - it is settled out of court. Video emerges appearing to show Kelly engaged in sexual activity with a child A videotape passed to Chicago Sun Times journalist Jim DeRogatis appears to show Kelly urinating on and having sex with an underage girl, which Kelly denies. Lawsuit from Patrice Jones Patrice Jones alleges that Kelly had a sexual relationship with her than began when she was 16, and pressured her into terminating a pregnancy. It is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. Lawsuit from Montina Woods Kelly is sued by dancer Montina Woods for secretly filming a sexual encounter between them. Kelly denies it, and settles out of court. Kelly cleared of 14 counts of child pornography A Chicago jury found that the identity of the girl depicted in the child video was not conclusive, acquitting Kelly of the charges. Divorce from wife Andrea Kelly Kelly is divorced from his wife Andrea. She had previously taken out, then rescinded, a protection order against him. In 2018 she details a history of alleged domestic violence during their marriage, that she says drove her close to suicide. BuzzFeed reports that Kelly is holding women in a sex 'cult' Three former members of Kelly's circle claimed Kelly was holding six women in properties in Chicago and Atlanta, controlling every aspect of their lives. Kelly denied the claims. Woman accuses Kelly of underage sex and physical abuse Jerhonda Pace told Rolling Stone that she lost her virginity to Kelly age 16, and that she ended the relationship after he allegedly slapped, choked and spat on her. Accused of grooming 14-year-old as 'sex pet' In a BBC3 documentary, former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleged that Kelly groomed an underage girl as well as her and other young women. Kelly refused to comment. Accused of 'intentionally' infecting women with STD An unnamed woman told Dallas police that Kelly had given her an STD and attempted to recruit her into his alleged sex "cult" after the pair initiated a sexual relationship when she was 19. Kelly "categorically" denied all allegations. Kelly responds to #MuteRKelly: 'It's too late' Video from a private event depicts Kelly apparently describing attempts to suppress his music as "too late". Kelly releases I Admit Kelly releases I Admit, a 19-minute song protesting his innocence. Surviving R Kelly documentary series airs on US television Numerous women including Andrea Kelly, Jerhonda Pace and Kitti Jones reiterate their allegations in Lifetime docuseries Surviving R Kelly. Prosecutors appeal for any further victims to come forward – three women come forward in the days that follow. Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper remove R Kelly collaborations Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper apologise for working with R Kelly, and remove their collaborations from streaming services.

Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, was due to appear on a panel alongside four of Kelly’s accusers after the screening. She tweeted: “Tonight was a private screening of the @lifetimetv documentary #survivingRkelly where his survivors, parents of survivors, and folks featured in the doc were gathered and a BOMB THREAT was called in and the event shut down.”

Burke ended her tweet with “#muteRkelly”, referencing the campaign that is putting pressure on the singer’s record label, concert promoters and streaming platforms to cut ties with the star.

Kitti Jones told Rolling Stone: “This just speaks to how much power there is in numbers, that someone felt the need to threaten the event. But we won’t be intimidated or silenced and we hope this brings even more attention to the legitimacy of our stories and how important this documentary is to the movement.”