R.kelly has officially asked President Donald Trump to commute his 30-year federal prison sentence.
According to new court filings, the singer is seeking a commutation, not a full pardon, which would reduce or end his prison time while leaving his convictions in place. Kelly’s request for commutation was revealed in court records made public this week by the office of the pardon attorney, which reviews filings for executive clemency for the White House.

Kelly’s lawyer, Beau Brindley, has been publicly lobbying Trump for more than a year. The request for commutation, made public in court documents, is listed as currently “pending” and is not a request for a full pardon.

In 2025 Brindley filed an emergency motion seeking Kelly’s immediate release from federal custody to home detention, claiming that the singer’s life was in danger, alleging three prison officials had orchestrated a plot for a terminally ill inmate to kill the singer in exchange for an early release.

Brindley wrote in a statement at the time that “the only thing that can protect Mr Kelly behind the prison walls now is the fact that now the world is watching. And we will call on the courts and President Trump to help put an end to the corruption that now threatens Mr Kelly’s life