It’s time for Iyanla Vanzant to speak her truth.
For six seasons, the life coach, teacher and best-selling author has helped transform the lives of many individuals with her Oprah Winfrey Network series Fix My Life.
And while many participants are ordinary people in need of healing, many celebrities and reality stars have also appeared on her program.
Before season six kicks off this weekend, Iyanla revealed that R. Kelly reached out to appear on the show long before the Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly was ever complete. But according to Iyanla, he wouldn’t be ready for the experience.
“He didn’t meet one of the criteria that we had for guests,” she explained to ABC News’ Candice Williams. “Are they willing? Are they ready? Do they have the capacity to do the work? He didn’t have it, the emotional capacity, he just didn’t have it.”
Iyanla continued, “And I knew, based on what I was looking at—the paces that I would have to take him through—it would have been brutal. He didn’t have the capacity.”
In the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, accusers came forward with allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse against the singer.
R. Kelly and his team have consistently denied any allegations of abuse or misconduct. The singer has also not been convicted of any crimes connected with the allegations.
For Iyanla, she’s also been asked why R. Kelly’s accusers haven’t been on her show. She argues some may not be ready to go through the process.
“Stop texting me telling me to work with the survivors. What’s the fix?” she explained. “There’s no fix other than them doing their healing where they get to the place where they can recapture their worth, their innocence, their dignity to the point where they can forgive. They ain’t there yet.”
As for why so many Americans are intrigued by the case and developing such strong opinions, Iyanla has her own theory.
“We’re all reacting to it from our own personal experience including people who have been sexually violated and never told anybody and never abused anybody,” she shared. “We’re all responding to it from our own broken, wounded place and most of us are angry about it.”
Since Surviving R. Kelly premiered, many celebrities have spoken out against the singer including John Legend, Lady Gaga and Keke Palmer. A petition has also been launched to #MuteRKelly. Companies including Pizza Slime have also created merchandise to benefit the movement.
Iyanla Fix My Life returns this Saturday night at 9 p.m. only on the Oprah Winfrey Network.