The screening was halted after threats were reported.
Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly New York screening evacuated after “several anonymous threats were called in,” CNN reports
An unknown caller reportedly made threats to Theater Management at NeueHouse Madison Square. According to an NYPD spokesperson, the caller said that if the film continued, someone in the theater would start shooting. And as a result, NeueHouse evacuated the building to keep everyone in the screening safe.
“As a precaution, the network chose to evacuate the building. The safety and security of our panel, guests and staff is of paramount importance to Lifetime,” the network said.
Per CNN, the threats were noncredible, a spokesperson for NeueHouse Madison Square said. “We followed appropriate safety protocols in collaboration with the NYPD and elected to postpone the event. We stand by the creative women bringing these heroic stories to light.”
Lifetime’sSurviving R. Kelly documentary is a series focusing on the investigation of R. Kelly and the women who came forward “with new allegations of sexual, mental and physical abuse.”
Those involved with the film feel this recent threat is an attempt to silence them all.
“Calling in a noncredible threat to the NYPD to interrupt our screening is an act of desperation from people who don’t want these truths shared with the world,” Executive Producer and Showrunner Dream Hampton said in an email to CNN.
