Jelly Roll is a proud young father.
In a recent interview, the country music star opened up about the close bond he shares with his 16-year-old daughter Beli and explained why she He was “much smarter” than when he was her age.
Recalling his recent conversation with his daughter, Jelly Roll said. People Magazine“(I said), ‘I don’t judge you by what you do. I judge you by what I know you can do. You are much smarter than I was at 16. You are so much better, so much more emotionally intelligent. You can read the room much better. So don’t try to find a way out of trouble, Mr. Sassy, by weaponizing my past.
JELLY ROLL SAYS HIS CRIMINAL CONVICTION PREVENTS HIM BOOKING GIGS ABROAD
Jelly Roll said his 16-year-old daughter, Beli, is “much smarter than her.” (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Country star said Beli She was “completely ahead” from where she was at her age.
“When I looked at the things she did that I thought was scary. I look back at what I did when I was 16 and I’m like, ‘Oh friend…’ when I feel overwhelmed with you about things. or a little pushy You know it comes from love,” he said.
at “Save Me” singer Opened up about his past legal troubles and struggles with addiction.
During a 2023 interview with Billboard , Jelly Roll, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, told the outlet that he was arrested at age 16 and charged as an adult with robbery and possession with intent to sell.
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He served more than a year in prison and seven years of probation.
Jelly Roll is also father to 8-year-old son Noah. (Jason Kempin)
“I don’t want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime,” Jelly Roll told Billboard .
He continued: “This is an adult looking back at a 16-year-old who made the worst decision of his life. And people might get hurt. And luckily no one did. by the grace of God”
Jelly Roll, father to 8-year-old son Noah and his wife Bunny So, has had full custody of Beli since 2017.
“She really was a beaten child,” he told PEOPLE. “She has been in the same school district for 10 years and has had the same friends since Bunny and I took care of her. I think this helps in a lot of ways.”
Jelly Roll previously opened up about the birth of his daughter that changed his life. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
In October, Jelly Roll opened up about how the birth of his daughter was the catalyst for his desire to change his life.
This country music star decided to make a change. “As soon as she was born” after he found himself “Sitting in a cell There’s $17 worth of honey bread and potato chips in his name.”
“I own one set. Outfit in prison And here I am responsible for a child,” Jelly Roll said during her appearance on the show.Today’s Sunday with Willie Geist” “I mean, I’m the lowest common denominator in life, you know? I mean, I’m the scum of the world. I am a crack dealer. I am a horrible, horrible human being. And I was like ‘I have to figure this out.'”
earlier this year He detailed the moment he discovered Beli was born behind bars. And how it changed the course of his life.
“I was imprisoned as a teenager for a terrible decision. And I ended up stuck in the revolving door of that system for a decade,” he told guest host Martin Short during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in June. “I have a daughter. And it changed my whole life, man. It was almost like the experience on the Damascus Road where Saul turned to Paul for me.”
The country star was imprisoned as a teenager for various crimes. (Matt Hayward/Getty Images for Jelly Roll)
“I was incarcerated and they knocked on my door and told me she had been born. And I cried This is the first time I cried. And now I can’t stop crying,” Jellyroll joked. “Now I cry if I see a squirrel on the street. I’m like, ‘Little squirrel!’ It’s taken me 30 years of not crying. And now I can’t stop.”
During an interview with Fox News Digital last year, He says his troubled past and his ability to overcome it have had a lasting impact on him.
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“I would never be the man I am today. If it weren’t for what I had to face I think it gives me strength. I think it gives me a voice,” he said. CMA 2023 “It taught me a lot about winning. It taught me a lot about change and the ability to change.
He continued: “I have been a horrible human being for decades. And just being able to turn that around and send a message through music and help people… And I try to give back as much as I can in every way I can.” It really speaks to where I come from. And how important is it for me to always return to them?”
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Hume and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this post.
