Country Star John Rich Says Jelly Roll Knew Exactly What He Was Doing, And He Will Now Pay the Price

John Rich asserted that fellow country music star Jelly Roll knew exactly what he was doing when he took several potshots at President Donald Trump while guest-hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week.

Among other things, Jelly Roll said, “The president seemed to enjoy the IndyCar race [in Washington, D.C.], which was a real switch-up for him because normally he only likes his own race,” to the delight of the audience.

The heavily-tattooed artist, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, then shifted into making fun of Trump’s weight.

“Sadly, those are the only laps Trump’s been doing lately,” said DeFord, who has had his own challenges in packing on the pounds over the years,

“It’s crazy. Think about this, y’all. In the last few years, I’ve lost 300 pounds. That means I’ve lost an entire Donald Trump,” the singer pointed out. “And let’s be honest, based on his approval ratings, it seems like most of the country wants to do the same thing.”

The next night, he defiantly doubled down, letting it be known that he was aware — and didn’t care — that he’d stepped on some fans’ toes.

“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.

Podcast host Benny Johnson asked Rich in an episode published this week what he made of Jelly Roll attacking Trump each of the four nights he hosted Kimmel’s show.

Rich argued that fans reacted so strongly because Jelly Roll had never shown this kind of animosity toward Trump. Further, an artist’s authenticity is a high commodity among country music fans, which country music legends like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton had in spades.

Rich noted that Republican Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee pardoned Jelly Roll last year for his criminal offenses, and the performer has said complimentary things about Trump in the past.

“He knows how this works, OK?” Rich contended. “He knows who the audience is. And so I have to think he really believes every single word he said, or he wouldn’t have said it.”

“Because, you know, when you make statements that are that hard-core and to a large extent counteractive to the presentation you’ve been making — you do understand in country music that half or more of your audience may disown you,” Rich added.

“They may turn their back on you. They may stop listening to you. They may turn you off. But you make the statement anyway,” he said.

Johnson reported earlier this week that Jelly Roll lost hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Facebook, and X after he attacked Trump.

Rich compared the hit Jelly Roll took to Rich’s own career, saying that when he spoke out about his conservative convictions, it cost him support, a record deal, and invitations to award shows.

“Jelly Roll knew the same thing concerning his audience,” Rich said. “Yet, he did it anyway. So to me, what that says is this guy is really who he says he is … what you saw him saying and how he presented himself on Jimmy Kimmel, that’s Jelly Roll. That’s who he is.”

The artist appeared to acknowledge as much during his last night hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week, making clear it was not the show’s writers pulling him to the left.

“I was just telling it like it is, and for some reason that seemed to freak a lot of people out,” Jelly Roll said. “It is funny that, before this week, everybody thought I was MAGA. And now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake.”

Perhaps trying to do damage control, he continued, “Hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show doesn’t mean I have all of Jimmy Kimmel’s politics. Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle.”

Jelly Roll concluded, “I am a Christian. I am a country music singer. I’m a farmer. I’m a bow hunter. And most of the things I eat, I prefer to get with a stick and a string. That’s the truth.”

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