Many Michigan residents shake their heads when they hear of celebrities in debt and unable to meet their personal obligations. R&B superstar R. Kelly is the latest celebrity to face financial difficulties, despite the fact that he has sold more than 40 million albums. His latest issue — failure to pay child support — could actually land him in jail.
Last year, Kelly fell behind in his payments and had about $100,000 in owed child support. He finally paid that debt, but is now behind again. He has failed to pay the $20,833 monthly payment for his three children with his ex-wife.
Kelly failed to show up for a November court hearing and could face anywhere from 1 – 6 months in jail if he’s a no-show for the March hearing. But Kelly has been lying low for the past several months and nobody can reach him. He owes money to not only his ex-wife, but also to his lawyers and people who worked on his latest album.
Many of us make poor financial choices, but we have to live with them. Simply running away from our problems only makes them worse, especially when child support is concerned. Jail time is only used as a last resort as penalty for failure to pay child support, so Kelly could be in some serious trouble.
When a parent is unable to meet his or her child support obligations due to unemployment or a reduction in income, it is important to communicate this to the courts. An agreement modification can be temporarily enforced until the parent gets back on his or her feet financially.
Source: News One, “R. Kelly Facing Jail Time For Back Child Support?” Ruth Manuel-Logan, Feb. 20, 2014