To the world, Jelly Roll is known for his big, over-the-top personality and raw, vulnerable lyrics. But to his kids, Bailee Ann and Noah Buddy, he’s just Dad.

Over the last few years, as the country singer has peeled back layers of his past for fans, he has revealed how fatherhood radically changed his life.

Jelly Roll — real name Jason DeFord — found out he was going to be a dad in 2008. At the time he was serving out a prison sentence for a drug deal when he got the news that a baby girl, Bailee, had been born.

Who Is Jelly Roll’s Daughter, Bailee Ann?

Jelly Roll’s oldest child, Bailee Ann DeFord, was born on May 22, 2008. The now-star received the news from a prison guard, and it was at that moment the “Save Me” singer realized he needed to do something different with his life.

Bailee’s mother is Felicia Beckwith. Like Jelly Roll, Beckwith has a troubled past with drug use and has spent some time in prison. Although she became sober a few years ago, she has since relapsed into her addiction.

It’s because of Beckwith’s history that the singer and his wife Bunnie Xo worked to gain full custody of Bailee. Jelly Roll and Bunnie have exclusively cared for Bailee since 2017.

Bailee has worked through the trauma of her childhood through music — she even wrote a verse of Jelly Roll’s song “Tears Could Talk.” The track is a part of his 2020 A Beautiful Disaster album, and he included Bailee in the music video, as well.

Several years after Bailee entered the world, Jelly Roll became a dad to a little boy, Noah.

Who Is Jelly Roll’s Son, Noah Buddy?

Noah Buddy DeFord arrived on Aug. 23, 2016. Jelly Roll doesn’t speak much about his son out of respect for Noah’s mother’s privacy. Aside from a few social media posts — like one announcing Noah’s birth and another with his little man at the Ryman Auditorium — the “Need a Favor” singer has kept his little guy out of the spotlight.

Jelly Roll tells Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul that while he is the full-time parent of Bailee, he shares Noah with his mother, Melisa, which makes things different.

“With Bailey, I’m the full-time parent, I’m the judge, the jury and the executioner, when it comes to decisions with her,” he explains. “I try not to get in the way of what she (Melisa) is building over there, and I never want to step on her toes, with what she’s doing with him, that I want to just respect that boundary.”

With Melisa’s permission, Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie shared a video on social media with Noah in 2023. Fans were able to get to see Noah’s sweet personality and learn about his love for Pokemon, soccer and the color red.