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Country artist Jelly Roll was visibly moved to tears at the CMA Festival during a heartfelt discussion about his former struggles with drug addiction and repeated incarcerations.
The 39-year-old musician has made significant positive changes in his life following a history of substance abuse and frequent spells in jail on varied charges.
Credit: Tiktok/jonnyonair
Credit: Getty
Credit: Tiktok/jonnyonair
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, couldn’t hold back his tears as he shared his personal story during the Saturday night event.
A TikTok video taken by an audience member captures the artist giving an impassioned introduction to his song “Son of a Sinner”.
“I was in that juvenile facility. I was in and out of jail. I was in and out of drug addiction and tonight I am headlining CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee,” he declared before breaking into tears.
Doffing his hat and scanning the Nissan Stadium crowd, Jelly Roll was clearly overcome by his emotions, using his hat to cover his face as he wept openly.
After regaining composure, he told the crowd, “I’m here to tell you that whatever you want to do in your life you can do it I don’t give a f**k what anybody says to you.”
“I dedicate this song to all the people that live between right and wrong. This song is called Son of a Sinner,” he added.
Jelly Roll’s first encounter with a juvenile facility was at 13 after being caught with marijuana, as revealed in a November 2023 interview with the Guardian.
According to the same interview, he had experimented with most drugs by 15 – including pills, cocaine, acid, mushrooms, and meth.
Following an attempted robbery of marijuana while armed at 16, he received an 18-month sentence for aggravated assault.
For the following decade, Jelly Roll was in and out of prison for offenses like aggravated robbery and cocaine possession with intent to sell.
He reminisced about his incarceration experiences in the interview: “Jail was like a high school reunion for me. You go in there, it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re still here, what’s up dude,’” he shared with the Guardian.
He labeled the revolving doors of the justice system as “rough, man.”
Finally leaving prison at 25, Jelly Roll began cultivating a fanbase for his music, with his YouTube channel garnering a billion views prior to signing a record deal.
Jelly Roll’s Transformation
Just last month, Jelly Roll shared details about his journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
In a recent chat with People, he opened up about his significant weight loss as he prepared for his upcoming arena tour in the United States.
“I’m probably down 70-something pounds,” he explained.
“I’ve been really kicking a**, man. I’m doing two to three miles a day, four to six days a week.
“I’m doing 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna, six minutes in a cold plunge every day. I’m eating healthy right now,” he continued.
Jelly Roll has set his sights on shedding another 100 pounds, motivated by the improvements he has already felt with his current weight loss.
“If I feel this good down this weight, man, I can only imagine what I’m going to feel like by the time I go on tour,” he said with anticipation.
The artist, who is happily married to model and businesswoman Bunnie XO, frequently reflects on his connection with his fans, many of whom are young offenders or recovering addicts like he once was.
He confided that nearly every performance night finds him in tears, often celebrating the recovery milestones of people in the audience.
He said, “It’s sad to say this, but there’s just not a lot of people that write the kind of songs I’m willing to write and talk about the topics I’m willing to talk about, but yet they’re so common.”
Jelly Roll disclosed earlier this year that he has lost 70 pounds since revamping his diet and fitness routine.
He described engaging in walks three miles long four to six days weekly, spending 20 minutes in the sauna, and outlining his plan to lose an additional 100 pounds.