The Shadiest Things That Have Come Out About Jelly Roll

This article includes mentions of drugs, sexual abuse and assault.

Fans of Jelly Roll know all about the tragic details of his sketchy past, so it comes as no surprise that he has some shady stories surrounding him. The "Son of a Sinner" singer had been jailed several times and was addicted to substances. "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 told Billboard. "My mother has struggled with addiction her whole 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 being freed from prison at the age of 24, Jelly Roll turned his life around and began writing songs about his troubled life. His hard work earned him two Grammy nods and a Country Music Association win for best new artist. Still, Jelly Roll can't escape being surrounded by some shade here and there, whether he's feuded with other artists or has admitted to still using drugs, the country singer's life is anything but squeaky clean.

The following includes discussion of drug use.

Jelly Roll has been candid about his troubled past, which included drug use — and his present as well. In an interview with Taste of Country, he fessed up to using weed to help him stay sober 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. The country singer then shared, "I think a world without weed, Jelly Roll's drinking codeine and popping Xanax and snorting cocaine again, but a world with weed, I'll be alright." He acknowledged that some of his friends are completely sober from any substances but that his journey is a bit different. "That's just not how my sobriety worked out," Jelly Roll declared.

The "Save Me" singer also had to learn how to imbibe without going too hard. "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 went on to say, "There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, I thought we only drank to do cocaine."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Sometimes fans get overzealous and throw items at singers on stage, but it's not all fun and games when someone gets hurt. As reported by People, after celebs such as Bebe Rexha and Kelsea Ballerini got injured from things chucked at them, Adele jokingly warned the crowd in Las Vegas, "People are throwing s*** on stage. Have you seen that? I f***ing dare you — I dare you throw something at me." However, Jelly Roll thinks stars are making much ado about nothing. "Dude, I can't believe people are throwing such a fuss about getting stuff thrown at them. I've been getting s*** thrown at me my whole career," he shared with Taste of Country.

Sure enough, a TikTok user caught a fan throwing a necklace to Jelly Roll while he was talking to the crowd during a concert in Minnesota. He casually picked it up, put it on this mic stand, and told the audience, "All these other artists are b****ing about people throwing s*** at them. Somebody throw me a joint." Lo and behold, a concertgoer tossed Jelly Roll a doobie, to whom he said, "You're a f***ing hero, is what you are!"

The following contains mention of sexual abuse and assault.

Few celebrities will turn down a meeting with a fellow artist but Jelly Roll turned down an opportunity to say hi to Sean "Diddy" Combs. During an appearance on "Cancelled with Tana Mongeau," the two-time Grammy nominee revealed that he and Diddy were on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on the same day. "This is the first time in my career, ever, where they said, 'Do you want to meet such-and-such?' And I said, 'Yeah," and I started walking that way," he stated. Jelly Roll then changed his mind and headed back to his car. "When we were walking, I was just like, 'I don't know.' Very seldom does things rub me in a way where I was like, 'I don't even know if that's a picture I want,'" he told the podcast hosts, Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofield.

It turned out that Jelly Roll's instincts were right. After the October 30, 2023 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, Diddy was accused of sexual assault and abuse by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura the following November, NBC reported. The "Bad Boy for Life" rapper and Ventura privately settled but there have since been more allegations against Diddy that resulted in his two homes being raided by Homeland Security.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Years before he became the affable, jovial country music star, Jelly Roll was a tough cookie and almost brawled with Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. During a talk with Audacy, Carney recalled, "I met Jelly Roll 13 years ago before he was famous and he's just like right out of prison probably, it was 2010. I was with this friend of ours, Harmony Korine, we were in Nashville at this Hip Hop show." Jelly Roll was there as well but Carney had no idea who he was at the time. As he and Korine started cracking jokes, the "Almost Home" singer thought they were laughing at him so he asked Carney if he wanted to rumble. "I was like, 'Nope, I'm good dude. Nice to meet you though," Carney recounted. He added, "He seems a lot different, he was very angry then. He was a rapper then."

Jelly Roll admitted on "The Daily Show" that he beefed with Carney and stated, "I was fresh out of jail, and I was battling those ... I still had those habits with me. I was just a very, very insecure human." Jelly Roll went on to say, "I was so entitled and so angry and everything was about me. And I thought they were joking and laughing at us because I was used to being in that kind of a situation." He told the Black Keys that he loved them and promised he wouldn't try to fight them ever again.

Fans of Jelly Roll know that he is a big fan of hip-hop, and the singer-rapper 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 replied, "This is not a good look for you Travis. Your [sic] a legend, don't tweet on ambien any more please sir. Friendly reminder that 'Devil Went to Georgia' was not 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 went down memory lane with the Recording Academy when he shared the moment he began to love hip-hop. During the '90s, his siblings gifted him the single "Rump Shaker" by Wreckz-N-Effect. For a year, he would go around rapping the lyrics to the song, driving his family crazy. "I mean, 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.