Jelly Roll Connects with Disabled Fan in Heartwarming Moment
In the middle of a packed schedule and after taping an episode for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jelly Roll took a moment to meet a disabled fan. It wasn’t a grand, orchestrated gesture, just a genuine…
In the middle of a packed schedule and after taping an episode for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jelly Roll took a moment to meet a disabled fan. It wasn’t a grand, orchestrated gesture, just a genuine pause to connect. And for the fan and his mother, that’s exactly what matters most.
Jelly Roll on Making the Time to Meet a Fan: More Than Just a Meet-and-Greet
In an impromptu meeting with the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, mother and son can be seen genuinely happy interacting with the Tennessee native. However, it seems that the “Son of a Sinner” singer is also moved by the interaction.
In a video shared by TMZ, Jelly Roll can be heard saying in the clip, “You don’t know how much this means to me. You don’t know how much I need this. I’m glad I got to come say hi.”
Mother and son, who have seen the genre-blending artist nine times in concert, will see him again on his show Friday, May 8, at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Upon hearing it, Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, promised, “We’ll take care of y’all at the Greek. Get her information, and we’ll roll out the red carpet for you all Friday. We’ll bring you all backstage and meet everybody, okay? We’ll party Friday.”
DeFord said of the interaction, “Making my soul smile, man… it almost brings a tear to my eye, but I can't cry. He's so happy it makes me happy. Just the joy, I don’t know, it’s awesome. I’m glad I came over here.”
“Trying to Use His Entire Life to do Good”
Despite heartwarming moments like this with fans, Jelly Roll recently received backlash from his Grammy Awards acceptance speech, where he explicitly talked about his faith. Some even called him a “performative Christian.” There were criticisms as well when Jelly Roll was asked a political question, which he avoided answering.
Aside from his wife, Bunnie Xo, who publicly defended him, his collaborator Brandon Lake also stood up for him and said in a previous interview, “Jelly Roll isn’t perfect, just like I’m not perfect. But Jelly Roll is trying to use his entire life to advance the kingdom, to do good, to love people. And I know he’s doing that, like, he’s loved by this community…not just because of the songs he’s written, but because of the things that he’s done.”
