Dominique Gardner Breaks Her Silence On Ex-Boyfriend And Alleged Abuser R. Kelly In 'Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning'
Her harrowing story is going to finally be told.
Getty Images The trailer for Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning has just dropped, and viewers got a glimpse of a familiar face: Dominique Gardner.
But who is Dominique Gardner?
Of all the stories told in the original Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, Gardner's was the story that proved to be the most curious. How, really, can one explain why a woman could be subjected to such horrors by a man who, at best, was wildly inappropriate with young girls who were nowhere near the age of consent, and continue to stay with him and even defend him?
Now, however, this woman is breaking her silence and telling everything she knows about her ex-boyfriend and alleged abuser.
Let's look at who Dominique Gardner is, and the details of her relationship with R. Kelly now that she's spilling all his secrets.
1. Who is Dominique Gardner? She reunited with her family for the first time in nearly a decade.
Since the premiere of Surviving R. Kelly, the survivors of his abuse have endured intense public scrutiny. But that scrutiny doesn't even begin to come close to what Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning will detail. In the follow-up to the flashpoint docuseries, viewers will get a front-row seat to everything that has happened since the original Surviving R. Kelly premiered. And one of those things is how his ex-girlfriend, Dominique Gardner, got away from the disgraced R&B singer and reunited with her family for the first time in nine years — and how her family reunion keeps hope alive in the families of other victims. "Imma keep doing whatever it is to get my daughter out," said one father in the trailer for Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, speaking on how Gardner's reunion with her family keeps his hope alive.
2. She will be speaking on her experiences with R. Kelly for the first time on camera.
In the super-trailer for Surviving R. Kelly II: The Reckoning, viewers see Dominique Gardner speaking, on camera, for the first time since the original docuseries came out. In addition to Gardner, people like Angela Yee of Power 105.1 and #MeToo founder Tarana Burke will also be speaking about R. Kelly.
3. Michelle Kramer, Dominique Gardner's mother, rescued her in the first docuseries.
In the original Surviving R. Kelly docu-series, Michelle Kramer, who is Dominique Gardner's mother, was seen tracking her daughter down and pursuing every lead until she, ultimately, succeeded in rescuing her child from R. Kelly's clutches. However, even though we see Gardner on camera in the first docuseries, she didn't speak to either the audience or to the interviewer.
4. Back in March 2019, she said that even though she "fled" R. Kelly, she didn't necessarily want him to go to jail.
Dominique Gardner initially revealed that she met R. Kelly through another "super fan", Jerhonda Pace, who ultimately turned out to be another one of his victims. However, Gardner told Jim DeRogatis — who did extensive research on R. Kelly for The New Yorker, and whose testimony will be featured in the upcoming Surviving R. Kelly II: The Reckoning — that even though she fled R. Kelly's clutches, she didn't necessarily want him to go to jail.
5. Dominique Gardner said it was "hard" to leave R. Kelly.
Dominique Gardner told Jim DeRogatis that it was very difficult to leave R. Kelly. In fact, when she was first rescued from R. Kelly by her mother, she returned to R. Kelly shortly after the docuseries aired. However, she left him for good after he refused to let her go to her brother's graduation.
6. But now, she's ready to tell her story.
Dominique Gardner has some very conflicted feelings about R. Kelly, which is perhaps normal given all she's endured. Now, however, she's ready to tell her story, and will do so when Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning premieres. Still, she told DeRogatis that she's been going to counseling, and seems to be on her way to healing.
We'll definitely be tuning in to listen to her story.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.