Jelly Roll said he’s long been disconnected from the world of politics, but plans to speak out “in the most loud and clear way” within the next week.
After winning Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken at the Grammy Awards last night, Jelly Roll stopped by the press room, where a Rolling Stone reporter asked if he wanted to speak out on the state of the country. This was after Billie Eilish called out Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown while accepting Song of the Year, and after Shaboozey dedicated his Grammy win (for “Amen,” a collaboration with Jelly Roll) to the children of immigrants.
And though certainly not as declarative, Jelly Roll did seem to touch on America’s fractured political climate during his own acceptance speech. Speaking of the importance of religion in his life, Jelly Roll said, “I believed that music had the power to change my life and God had the power to change my life. Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party…. Jesus is Jesus. Anybody can have a relationship with him.”
But in response to the question in the press room, he said people shouldn’t “care to hear my opinion,” before making a self-deprecating crack: “You know, I’m a dumb redneck. I haven’t watched enough.”
The country star went on to say he’s largely been checked out of politics, not only in recent years, but for much of his life. Noting his 18-month stint without a phone, and subsequent break from social media, he added, “I hate to be the artist aesthetic, aloof, but I’ve become so disconnected from what’s happening.”
That disconnect, he continued, has long been a feature of his life. “I grew up in a house insane pandemonium,” Jelly Roll said. “I didn’t even know politics were fucking real until I was in my mid-twenties in jail…. When you grow up in a drug addict household, do you think we have common calls about what’s happening in world politics? We’re just trying to find a way to survive, man, you know?”
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Still, Jelly Roll insisted he had “a lot to say” and planned to say it “in the next week.” He continued: “Everybody’s going to hear exactly what I have to say about it in the most loud and clear way I’ve ever spoken in my life. So I look forward to it.”
While Jelly Roll has largely steered clear of politics, he has addressed Congress about the fentanyl crisis in the past, and inadvertently stoked some speculation about his political leanings after the 2024 election, when he was was seen meeting then-president-elect Donald Trump at a UFC match in New York City. Addressing the moment afterwards, Jelly Roll insisted he was “not political,” and was only honored to meet the president-elect.
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“Dude, there’s not a chance in hell that I’m not going to meet the president-elect,” he said. “If I got a call to meet Joe Biden, I would have stopped at any point to meet him. That’s the active president. I don’t care about what he thinks or I think about policies.”
[Reporting by Nancy Dillon]