Country star Jelly Roll had a blunt response this week for fans threatening to boycott his music over a string of jokes he made about President Trump while guest-hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The Grammy-winning singer, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, took multiple shots at Mr. Trump during his Monday monologue, including cracks about the president’s appearance at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix and his weight.
“Let’s talk about the main event of America this weekend. It was the big IndyCar race hosted by the president,” Jelly Roll said, according to a report by TheWrap. He went on to mock Mr. Trump’s motorcade “lap of honor” around the track and referenced the 14 pounds the president has gained since his previous checkup — a figure disclosed in a White House physician’s report on Mr. Trump’s May 2026 physical — joking that his own 300-pound weight loss meant he’d “lost an entire Donald Trump.”
The monologue caught some viewers off guard, with several commenters online expressing surprise that the singer — long assumed by some fans to be a Trump supporter — would go after the president so directly.
Returning for a second night as guest host Tuesday, Jelly Roll addressed the backlash head-on rather than walking it back. Some Trump-supporting fans called him a “sellout” and said they were done listening to his music, according to Western Journal.
“Some folks online were upset that I didn’t treat the president with reverence and dignity,” Jelly Roll said, according to LateNighter. “But I want to remind y’all that I go by the name Jelly Roll.”
He defended the jokes as part of the job of hosting a late-night program, telling the audience, “that’s where you talk about the news, and you make jokes.”
“For those who threatened to stop listening to my music based on my comments last night, I just want to say with conviction: Go right ahead,” he said.
Jelly Roll has previously described himself as having no formal political affiliation, telling members of Congress during 2024 testimony on the fentanyl crisis that he considers himself neither a Democrat nor a Republican.
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