Fans of Jelly Roll are no strangers to the shadowy details of his past. The “Son of a Sinner” singer has a history that’s as colorful as it is tumultuous, complete with several stints in jail and a serious battle with substance addiction. “In the beginning, I did a lot of drugs. I drank a lot of codeine, a lot of cough syrup. I took a lot of Xanax, did a lot of cocaine, just really took it overboard,” he revealed to Billboard. His mother also struggled with addiction, making it a familiar demon in his life. “When you grow up in a middle and lower-class community, no one sees the effects of drug abuse like those people,” he added.
Since his release from prison at age 24, Jelly Roll has turned his life around, channeling his troubled experiences into his music. His efforts paid off, earning him two Grammy nominations and a Country Music Association win for Best New Artist. However, despite his success, he hasn’t entirely escaped his past. Whether it’s feuds with other artists or candid admissions about still using drugs, Jelly Roll’s life remains anything but squeaky clean.
Jelly Roll’s Green Solution: How Weed Keeps Him Sober
Jelly Roll has always been open about his troubled past and his ongoing relationship with substances. In an interview with Taste of Country, he admitted to using marijuana to stay away from harder drugs. “I get in trouble for this all the time, but my stance on marijuana will always be the same: I believe marijuana has helped me in so many regards, with my anxiety. This is a hot-button topic, but truly, marijuana has kept me sober,” he stated. He went on to say, “I think a world without weed means Jelly Roll’s drinking codeine, popping Xanax, and snorting cocaine again. But in a world with weed, I’ll be alright.” He acknowledged that while some of his friends are entirely substance-free, his journey has been different. “That’s just not how my sobriety worked out,” he declared.
The “Save Me” singer also had to learn to drink alcohol without going overboard. “I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he told People in 2023. He added, “There was a long time when I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I thought we only drank to do cocaine.”
Jelly Roll’s Take on Fans Throwing Things at Concerts: Lighten Up, Folks!
Celebrities getting hit by objects thrown by overzealous fans has become a trend, with stars like Bebe Rexha and Kelsea Ballerini getting injured. Adele even joked about it during a Las Vegas show, daring the crowd to throw something at her. But Jelly Roll thinks everyone is overreacting. “Dude, I can’t believe people are making such a fuss about getting stuff thrown at them. I’ve been getting things thrown at me my whole career,” he told Taste of Country.
Sure enough, a TikTok user captured a fan throwing a necklace to Jelly Roll during a concert in Minnesota. He casually picked it up, placed it on his mic stand, and remarked to the audience, “All these other artists are complaining about people throwing stuff at them. Somebody throw me a joint.” And, as if on cue, a fan tossed him a doobie, to which he responded, “You’re a hero, is what you are!”
Dodging a Bullet: Jelly Roll’s Instincts About Sean “Diddy” Combs Were Spot On
Few celebrities would turn down a chance to meet a fellow artist, but Jelly Roll did just that with Sean “Diddy” Combs. During an appearance on “Cancelled with Tana Mongeau,” Jelly Roll shared that he and Diddy were on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the same day. “This is the first time in my career where they said, ‘Do you want to meet such-and-such?’ and I started walking that way, then I changed my mind and went back to my car,” he recalled. “Very seldom does something rub me in a way where I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if that’s a picture I want.'”
Jelly Roll’s instincts proved right. After his October 30, 2023, appearance on Kimmel’s show, Diddy was accused of sexual assault and abuse by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, which they settled privately. Since then, more allegations have surfaced, resulting in Homeland Security raiding two of Diddy’s homes.
Throwing Down with the Black Keys: A Near-Brawl with Patrick Carney
Years before becoming a country music star, Jelly Roll almost brawled with Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. Carney recalled on Audacy, “I met Jelly Roll 13 years ago before he was famous. He was probably fresh out of prison. I was with a friend at a Hip Hop show in Nashville, and Jelly Roll thought we were laughing at him.” Jelly Roll asked Carney if he wanted to fight. “I was like, ‘Nope, I’m good dude. Nice to meet you though,'” Carney recounted.
Jelly Roll admitted to his beef with Carney on “The Daily Show,” saying, “I was fresh out of jail and battling those habits. I was very insecure and thought they were laughing at us. I was used to being in that kind of situation.” He has since apologized to the Black Keys and promised not to try to fight them again.
Twitter Tussle: Jelly Roll Calls Out Travis Tritt Over Anti-Rap Tweet
Jelly Roll is a big fan of hip-hop, and he couldn’t stay silent when fellow country star Travis Tritt tweeted, “Always remember that when you mix country with rap, you get crap!” Jelly Roll responded, “This is not a good look for you, Travis. You’re a legend, don’t tweet on Ambien anymore, please, sir. Friendly reminder that ‘Devil Went to Georgia’ was practically a rap song. So was ‘Boy Named Sue’ by Johnny Cash. I could name so many more. Love you, Travis, but this is WRONG.”
Jelly Roll shared with the Recording Academy how his love for hip-hop began in the ’90s when his siblings gifted him the single “Rump Shaker” by Wreckz-N-Effect. For a year, he went around rapping the lyrics, driving his family crazy. “To the point they ended up getting me a bunch of other cassette tapes because they were so sick of hearing that one,” he laughed.
