Say what?: Read comments from other Essence.com readers!

“I think that Andrea Kelly is very strong powerful and beautiful Black woman. Continue to strive for your marriage and kids. Stay strong. Do your thing girl.”—ls/charleston sc

“This is another very sad example of a wife in denial. I am a grown woman who has seen the tape. It was R. Kelly and it was disturbing. To ignore the tape is shameful on her part. Her failure to address her husband’s “issues” and her acquiesence to the situation is absolutely contrary to all of her efforts to uplift other women through dance. Jesus, take the wheel. I am praying for Mrs. Kelly.”—Sal

“It’s was a great article. Andrea Kelly is strong family women and no one knows about her relationship with the king of R&B but her. Hang in there. God Bless you & your family and I hope you stay married. It’s easier to get a divorce than fight for a marriage. Sometimes the media make a hot mess of things.”—BJE ATLANTA

“The entire R. Kelly ‘scandal’ is overrated. Yes, the allegations are deplorable. However, what are we as a society doing about teaching boys and girls to be respectable members of society? What about the racism and discrimination that is contiually plaguing our society? What about the parents, teachers, ministers, & etc who contribute to the delinquency of minors?”—Annoyed

“To Andrea and Robert Kelly, I applaud you for your strong minds, bodies, and souls. I believe you believe in God and only He can judge you. It amazes me how people can put themselves on pedestals 10 feet high and act as if they do no wrong (not saying Andrea or Robert did). For those that actualy saw the tape, God bless you too, because you need more help than those in the tape. I never believed it was him nor was I one of those eager to see the videotape, it’s sick to even watch something described as such.”—Mercedes

“It seems Mrs. Kelly has waited a little long to assert herself professionally. She has wasted a lot of time with Kelly.—April

“First, thank you Essence. I am glad that my favorite magazine was able to be the first to interview Mrs. Kelly. Second, I am glad to see how such a strong woman is facing an ugly world. She really shows a strong woman standing behind her man, and keeping their personal life between them. She showed a side of women that many do not see. Strong women being strong mothers!”—Voni Lacey

“I truly wish more women would handle themselves as Mrs.Kelly has. She kept herself out of the spotlight to protect her children. I admire her strength and devotion to her husband despite the problems. She loves her man and is dealing with him in a maturemanner because of it. My hats off to this beautiful women of wisdom and integrity.”—Wanda Graves

“I respect Andrea’s focus. It’s on the well being of her children. We all have done/said things that we can look back on and question. The circumstances she has endured has made her who she is today, take those trials as a blessing and not regret. You sometimes have to go through things in order to find out WHO you really are. Be Blessed Andrea!”—Cheatham from Texas

“Despite what she has gone or is going through she is a woman of class. Could we, having gone through all that, be as graceful? I think not. I tip my hat to her.” —Breezmom

“It is beautiful to see the inner strength through her words. We all in some way face adversity and she has handled it (publicly) with God’s unwavering grace. Simply, she knows who she is, what her priorities are, and mostly she is not defined by who her husband is, nor is she defined by his choices. It is, however, sad to read that most of the comments on this article have still, after reading this article, judged her by her husband’s alleged actions. I commend her for not losing herself and staying grounded amidst the negativity.” —Heiress Of Zion

“She is in denial. At first, I’m like okay, she is taking it well and not listening to what the world is saying about her husband; and she has been living her own life. But when she said the only time she broke down was when a magazine said she turned on her husband, I was like, oh, she crazy. Why would she get so upset about something like that? And she said what if her children grow up to read that. Shouldn’t she be more worried about them hearing about their father’s sex allegations, being married to a 15 year old.”—LaTrese

“Thank you so much Andrea for such an uplifting and strong article. There are so many wives like yourself and I am one of them. Although my husband is not a celebrity, he is still in the spotlight in some people’s eyes. I feel the same way as Andrea, but I know my husband inside and out and the love we have for one another is surreal – maybe even magical. I will continue to be a good wife and mother and will never jeopardize myself respect for others. I commend you, Andrea.” —Melissa

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