Getting R. Kelly on the telephone from jail put podcasters April Smith and Patricia Dillard in a critical dilemma … one the place they risked backlash from the general public, and even their very own households.

As we reported, April and Patricia made the choice to put up their interview with the convicted felon, which they did for his or her “Inmate Tea with A&P” podcast — and through their chat Patricia, particularly, was feeling it when Kelly began singing.

The duo informed us scoring the Kelly interview occurred completely by chance … they had been interviewing a unique inmate who talked about Kelly was in the identical jail, and he managed to get him on the road.

April and Patricia say they had been snug going ahead with the interview as a result of they did not talk about his case in any respect — he is beneath a gag rule whereas he appeals his conviction on a number of expenses, together with pressure labor, sexual exploitation of minor, and Mann Act violations.

As Patricia put it, “We’re simply 2 people who’re capable of separate the artwork from the artist.”

They are saying they’ve had combined responses to the podcast, which they anticipated, contemplating many individuals have thought-about Kelly totally canceled since his conviction — however nonetheless, they informed us … “When R. Kelly calls, you reply.”

By the best way, the podcasters level out, engaged on jail reform is why they launched their podcast, and usually they converse to non-famous inmates … primarily about jail circumstances, and never particulars of their convictions.