R. Kelly warns CBS's Gayle King to 'be careful' when she says an ex-girlfriend was 'rescued' from him

R. Kelly warned Gayle King to ‘be careful’ as she questioned him about an ex-girlfriend whose mother allegedly ‘rescued’ her from the singer.

CBS’s King was asking him about Dominique Gardner, a 29-year-old who spent nine years in a relationship with the singer before her mother, Michelle, tracked her down to an L.A. hotel nine months ago, and took her home.

Their emotional, long-awaited reunion was one of the key scenes in the Lifetime docu-series, Surviving R. Kelly.

Read more: R Kelly’s girlfriend breaks down in tears as she accuses her parents of lying for money

King confronted Kelly with his ex’s mother’s words: ‘She says she had to rescue her daughter.’

At that, Kelly became agitated, saying: “Rescue? Oh really? Be careful, be careful Gayle. Gayle, be careful.”

King said she was merely repeating what Michelle Kramer had said, but Kelly responded emotionally: “You’re not just saying it. You’re breaking my heart, you’re saying it like you believe it.”

Kelly gave the interview before being put in custody for failing to pay $161,000 in backdated child support to his ex-wife. He will remain there until he pays.

Separately, he is facing felony charges for child sexual abuse and rape against four victims between 1998 and 2010. If convicted of those crimes, he will spend at least 70 years behind bars.

Read more: Gayle King on ‘Witnessing Self-Destruction’ of ‘Very Troubling’ R. Kelly During Interview

King has also interviewed two of Kelly’s live-in girlfriends, Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage. Since its airing, reports have emerged that “R. Kelly was present in the room during the interview and would loudly clear his throat when certain topics were discussed,” according to a tweet from New York Magazine online publication Vulture.

However, Vulture has not yet updated its story with this detail.