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Someone other than R. Kelly paid a six-figure tab to get the disgraced singer out of jail in Chicago for the second time in as many weeks. Kelly spent the past three nights in the Cook County Jail because he owed more than $160,000 in back child support. But his bill was paid Saturday, paving the way for his release later in the day, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The question that was seemingly everyone on social media was looking to have answered was a simple one: Who paid that kind of money to secure the release of a man who as facing 10 counts of sexual abuse?

Cara Smith, chief policy officer at the sheriff’s office, said a check for the full amount of Kelly’s back child support had been handed over to the Circuit Court Clerk’s office,” the Tribune wrote. “A copy of the bond slip did not show who posted the $161,663 owed by Kelly or the individual’s relationship to him. Smith said the individual wished to remain anonymous.”

Just two weeks ago, a “friend” of Kelly’s named Valencia Love paid the $100,000 bond that the singer was being held on after being arrested for the sex abuse charges. Love said during a subsequent interview after bailing Kelly out that the singer was “not a monster, he’s not.” She continued, “He’s been nothing but a gentleman to me.” She also inferred that Kelly was innocent, saying in part that “There are three sides to every story, his side, there’s [sic] (the alleged victims, and the truth.”

It was unclear this time around if Love, a local business owner whose companies have come under attack since she posted the bond, went ahead and paid Kelly’s bill once again. However, it should be noted that dozens of GoFundMe accounts were started after he was first jailed last month, proving that he still has maintained a loyal fanbase beyond Love. That truth was on display Saturday during his release from jail when a throng of devotees welcomed him and proclaimed his innocence against the sex charges, according to the Associated Press.

“Fans could be heard screaming for R. Kelly as he left, with one woman even asking him to touch her hand and others shouting that he is still the ‘King of R&B,’” the AP reported.

“I promise you we are going to straighten all of this out, that’s all I can say right now,” Kelly told his fans while leaving the jail. “I promise you.”

Even though Kelly had secured his freedom once again, his future, both immediate and longterm, was uncertain. That was especially true as it related to his finances, which have become all but nonexistent, which became clear when he couldn’t afford to pay his own bail last week.

The disgraced singer, who at the top of his career should have been worth more than $100 million, now has a steadily shrinking net worth that was just a small fraction of what it was just weeks ago.

At the time of his arrest last month for the sex charges, most websites that cover celebrities’ wealth had Kelly’s net worth at about $1 million — a far cry from what he had been worth in the 90s and aughts, but still nothing to sneeze at. However, as of Saturday afternoon, the Celebrity Net Worth website had Kelly listed at just $100,000.

SEE ALSO:

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R. Kelly’s Girlfriend Snaps On Gayle King

17 R. Kelly Memes Destroying His Tragic Interview With Gayle King
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