Country star Jelly Roll found himself in the spotlight for reasons beyond his music, after his comedic barbs about former President Donald Trump stirred controversy during his stint guest-hosting on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week.
During his final appearance on the ABC late-night program Thursday, the 41-year-old singer became emotional as he clarified his political stance, assuring the audience that he does not align himself with any particular party.
‘I lean left sometimes, but like many, I’m fairly centrist. I’m a Christian, a country singer, a farmer, a bow hunter, and I prefer to harvest most of my food with traditional methods,’ he shared, revealing a glimpse into his personal life.
The backlash began earlier in the week when Jelly Roll joked on his debut night as a guest host, suggesting that Trump might lose weight and regain visibility of his ‘private’ if he followed Jelly Roll’s own journey.
‘Before this week, I was presumed to be a MAGA supporter, and now I’m seen as a liberal snowflake,’ he noted, adding with humor, ‘I’m just not used to being a screen for other people’s beliefs, although I used to be big enough to project a movie on!’
Jelly Roll replayed a clip of Fox News commentator Jesse Watters, who accused the three-time Grammy winner of having TDS ( Trump Derangement Syndrome) and being a ‘phony’ who only made jokes about the President for a big Hollywood paycheck.
‘First of all, I didn’t do this for the check. I’m rich, y’all,’ said the Son of a Sinner songwriter, who is worth an estimated $20 million. ‘And listen, I don’t want to throw my buddy under the bus, but Jimmy Kimmel is cheap as hell.’
Jelly Roll Reflects On Grammys Interview
Jelly Roll also reminded viewers that he supported the UFC Freedom 250 event, which took place in June on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC.
‘Just because I watched a fight on TV doesn’t mean I support everything this administration does, just like hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show doesn’t mean I have all of Jimmy Kimmel’s politics,’ the singer insisted.
On a serious note, he went on: ‘This year it wasn’t the hosting gig that I was looking forward to. It was the platform to get some very personal stuff off of my chest.
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‘For the last six months, I’ve watched people decide who I am, what I am, what I believe, what I support and what I don’t support. And I felt that even more this week, just because I told a couple of jokes. And honestly, this goes back further for me, y’all. This goes back to February this year.’
Jelly Roll was speaking about his controversial backstage interview at the 2026 Grammys, in which he declined to comment when asked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other political topics.
‘Looking back, I don’t necessarily regret asking for more time before I spoke,’ he said. ‘I wish more people took more time before they spoke. But I do wish I had found the words to express my heart just a little bit sooner. But I was afraid that anything I was going to say was going to be immediately taken as a political statement. And ironically, by trying so hard not to make a political statement, I became one.’
He said that he ‘had a microphone and I didn’t use it the right way. So I’m going to try and do the right thing right now.
‘Human dignity isn’t Republican nor Democrat. Compassion isn’t left-wing, and mercy isn’t right-wing. Pain and healing knows no partisanship. Hurting hearts are more important than poll numbers. And there are no boundaries or borders for broken families.’
Jelly Roll On Shaking Trump’s Hand
Jelly Roll, whose divorce from Bunnie Xo was finalized in May after ten years of marriage, revealed that his late father, Horace ‘Buddy’ DeFord, who died in 2019 and was a United States Marine Corps veteran, had been a ‘blue Democrat.’
‘This might be a hot take, but out of respect for him, and everybody who has ever served and continues to serve this country, I will always shake the hand of the sitting president of the United States when asked. My father would have been disappointed had I done anything other than that,’ he insisted.
Jelly Roll, who met Trump at the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden in November 2024, continued: ‘I’m proud that I was able to shake the President of the United States’ hand. I’m also proud that I live in a country where I can make jokes about him. Ain’t that what’s great about being an American? The democracy, the freedom of speech.
‘I will shake the hand of any president that occupies that office because a handshake is not an endorsement. A conversation is not allegiance. And a joke is not a political point of view. And in my business, taking a picture with a political figure, or anybody else for that matter, doesn’t mean you agree or disagree with their policies or politics. More often than not, I [expletive] don’t.’