Hulu

Hulu Orders BuzzFeed-Produced Documentary About R. Kelly’s Alleged History Of Sexual Abuse

Hulu is continuing its push into docu-style content about present-day controversies.

After ordering a docuseries inspired by the Fyre Festival debacle, the streamer announced today that it is partnering with BuzzFeed News to develop a feature film about the sexual abuse allegations that have surrounded R&B singer R. Kelly for years. The film will be based on a story by BuzzFeed contributor Jim DeRogatis, who wrote in an exposé last summer that Kelly was holding young women against their will in a “cult” of sorts.

The as-yet-untitled film will feature interviews with key figures in DeRogatis’ coverage, according to The Hollywood Reporter, including survivors and former associates of Kelly. BuzzFeed News is producing the project, with director Lyric Cabral (Terror) at the helm. Laura Poitras (Citizenfour) and Charlotte Cook will serve as executive producers, while DeRogatis will serve as a consulting producer and also provide commentary.

Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories

Subscribe

Allegations of sleeping with underage women have ensared Kelly since the mid-90s, and he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008. That said, outrage has swelled in recent months following DeRogatis’ piece and, more recently, the #MuteRKelly social media campaign — which resulted in Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora removing his music from their curated playlists. On Monday, a Texas woman named Faith Rodgers filed a lawsuit against Kelly accusing him of sexual assault, false imprisonment, and infecting her with herpes.

BuzzFeed, which recently signed with WME, is also readying a docuseries about its journalists called Follow This for Netflix, as well as Oxygen‘s forthcoming Unspeakable Crime: The Killing Of Jessica Chambers, which will mark the publisher’s first series for linear TV.

Share
Published by
Geoff Weiss

Recent Posts

Have you heard? 20 years of Super Simple Songs, AMP in the Club, and Shyamalan’s next twist.

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…

11 hours ago

Schrodinger’s platform: YouTube is TV, and it isn’t

The MacTaggart Lecture, hosted each year at the Edinburgh TV Festival, is one of the…

12 hours ago

As Netflix brings YouTube’s creators aboard, is it losing YouTube’s viewers?

Netflix is spending freely to bring some of YouTube's top channels into its library, prompting…

13 hours ago

Korean exports will become a $30 billion industry on TikTok by 2030. Welcome to “K-culture 4.0.”

If you thought the KPop Demon Hunters bonanza of 2025 represented the peak of Korean culture…

1 day ago

Answer engine optimization adds value to chatbot responses. Its catching on with creator marketers.

Creator agencies are helping brands navigate the nascent field of answer engine optimization (AEO). The latest companies…

1 day ago

YouTube and Amazon partner to let creators sell a “curated catalog of highly requested and trending products”

In his 2026 letter to creators, CEO Neal Mohan said YouTube is "focused on" making…

2 days ago