On June 11th, The U.S. Sun published a shocking report about Jelly Roll’s “emotional” performance at CMA Fest 2024.
The article included video clips of Jelly Roll on stage at Nissan Stadium, and you can see Jelly Roll crying as he makes a stunning personal confession.
‘Jelly Roll Really Had 50,000 Of Us Crying’
But Jelly Roll wasn’t the only one breaking down in tears. Fans posted TikTok videos, one of which included the caption, “Jelly Roll really had 50,000 of us crying” at CMA Fest this year.
It never gets old listening to Jelly Roll’s inspirational life story, and this year, he appeared to be reliving his painful past with thousands of devoted festival goers.
Jelly Roll got top billing as the headliner at CMA Fest on Saturday, June 8th. As he introduced his heartbreaking hit song, “Son of a Sinner,” Jelly Roll silenced the crowd and got all choked up from remembering where he’d once been.
Jelly Roll Said ‘… I Was In And Out Of Jail’
He said, “I was in that juvenile facility. I was in and out of jail.” Jelly Roll also confessed to being “in and out” of a dependence on life-threatening substances throughout his teens and early 20s.
Jelly Roll seemed to be in complete disbelief when he compared his sad past to where he is now. The Sun reported that Jelly Roll “took his hat off, looked up and around at the audience… and started crying.”
Jelly Roll told the crowd, “Tonight, I am headlining CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee.” The Sun wrote that Jelly Roll was “clearly overwhelmed with emotion,” and he even “covered his face” with his hat “while he sobbed.”
It’s not new for Jelly Roll to get emotional on stage. He’s admitted that he “cries almost every night” during his performances, and while that sounds depressing, it’s actually a celebration for Jelly Roll.
@officialjellyroll Im sorry to be all crying and stuff but this has been the wildest week of my life
♬ original sound – Jelly Roll
Jelly Roll Encourages People To Make Positive Life Changes
The Sun described a “kinship” that Jelly Roll has developed with “young offenders” like he was and also people who are recovering from their dependence on substances.
While Jelly Roll encourages people like him to make their own positive life changes, he’s also revealed what’s so “sad” about it.
He said, “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,” even though these major problems are so “common” in this world.
Marshall Radio wrote about Jelly Roll “using his time and money for GOOD.” Their article also mentioned Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. Jelly Roll certainly had that detention center on his mind during his headlining show at Nissan Stadium.
Jelly Roll Shared Heartfelt, Emotional Message To Offenders
From the time he was 13 years old, Jelly Roll spent years in and out of the Davidson County Juvenile facility. Shockingly, the juvenile is barely a two-minute walk from Nissan Stadium, and that short distance between two different parts of his life hit Jelly Roll hard.
On June 8th, he told the crowd that he knew the young offenders in Davidson County Detention Center could hear his concert from inside, and Jelly Roll delivered an emotional message to them.
Jelly Roll’s voice broke as he said into his microphone, “I’m here to tell you that whatever you want to do in your life, you can do it.” He added, “I dedicate this song to all the people that live between right and wrong,” then Jelly Roll delivered a stunning performance of “Son of a Sinner.”
Jelly Roll ‘In Favor Of Passing Anti-Fentanyl Legislation’
Jelly Roll told the Guardian that he was first convicted and sent to juvenile detention after being “caught” with soft substances at age 13. Only two years later, Jelly Roll was on the streets selling far more dangerous substances, and he shockingly admitted to the Guardian that he’d “tried them all.”
On January 12, 2024, The U.S. Sun reported on how far Jelly Roll has come from his teenage years in juvenile detention. The article even referred to him as “Judicial Jelly,” and the reason why might shock you.
The day before, Jelly Roll was in Washington, D.C., and he testified in front of a Senate Committee “in favor of passing anti-fentanyl legislation.”
A Senate Committee on “Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs” held a hearing on a bill called “Stopping the Flow of Fentanyl: Public Awareness and Legislative Solutions,” and Jelly Roll had a lot to say.
Jelly Roll Confessed To Once Being ‘A Part Of The Problem’
Shockingly, Jelly Roll began his speech by admitting he had once been “a part of the problem,” and he even threw shade at himself.
Jelly Roll told the Senate Committee, “I brought my community down. I hurt people.” He even revealed specifics of what he’d done wrong.
In his testimony, Jelly Roll described himself as “the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist” with dangerous substances he knew “absolutely nothing about.”
Jelly Roll knows that there are people out there right now who are making the same mistakes he did. They’re “mixing” dangerous substances and fatally harming “the people we love.”
Jelly Roll Wants To Be Part Of The Solution
But Jelly Roll totally changed his life, and he made a stunning suggestion to the politicians when he said, “I am here now, standing as a man who wants to be a part of the solution.”
Although that sounds positive, Jelly Roll is still experiencing pain on his road to making changes, and he made another heartbreaking confession to the Senate Committee.
Jelly Roll revealed that he’s “attended more funerals than I care to share with y’all.” Later, he added, “I could sit here and cry for days about the caskets I’ve carried of people I love dearly, deeply in my soul.”
Jelly Roll’s Devastating Family Secret
Then Jelly Roll revealed a devastating family secret to the Senate Committee and everyone who’s listened to his testimony worldwide.
He confessed that “addiction is still rampant” in his family life, and Jelly Roll explained how this sad truth affects his daughter, Bailee Ann.
According to American Songwriter, Bailee Ann’s mom is Felicia Beckwith. Felicia gave birth to Bailee Ann when Jelly Roll was an adult in prison, and the shocking news that he had a child finally made Jelly Roll change his life for good.
Bailee Ann is now a teenager, and Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie XO, have taken primary custody of Bailee Ann because Felicia continues to battle with a dependence on substances.
Sadly, Jelly Roll confessed to the Senate Committee that he wakes up every day wondering “if today will be the day that I have to tell my daughter that her mother became a part of the national statistic.”
Jelly Roll Encourages Politicians To Take Action
This sounds unbelievable, but the Sun reported that the future of the Senate Committee’s bill “remains uncertain” despite “growing concerns” over these life-threatening substances. But Jelly Roll isn’t giving up.
He closed his testimony by suggesting we “stand up and do more as fast as we possibly can.” Jelly Roll also encouraged the politicians to do something equally important.
He told them to “not only pass this bill” but also “bring it up where it matters at the kitchen table.”
Jelly Roll’s Music Goal: To ‘Create A Project’ That Feels ‘Hopeful’
Jelly Roll talked about writing songs with purpose and meaning in an interview with American Songwriter.
He always looks to “create a project” that feels “hopeful.” Jelly Roll explained that the “worst feeling a person can have is feeling hopeless or worthless,” and he even has a name for his music.
Jelly Roll calls his music “therapeutic,” and he’s proud that his songs are “real music for real people with real problems.”
Jelly Roll Partnered With Non-Profit Organization
Marshall Radio talked about something else Jelly Roll did for real people close to his heart in Nashville. They also explained how Jelly Roll has “teamed up with a non-profit called ‘Beat for Life’” to help “vulnerable populations across the country.”
Jelly Roll worked with ‘Beat for Life’ to set up a recording studio in Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. During an official ceremony, Jelly Roll made another speech.
He said he would never have dreamed as a teenager in jail about coming back “one day” to “introduce the studio,” and Jelly Roll also joked that he couldn’t believe the Mayor of Nashville was on hand to introduce him.
Jelly Roll explained how that studio would impact the kids inside. He said, “When I was in juvenile, we never got a visitor. We never had a mentor… nobody ever came to see us.”
After his speech, Marshall Radio reported that Jelly Roll “performed for the incarcerated kids,” and then, the kids “got to sit down with songwriters and write their own songs” and “showcase them to the whole room.”
