The song that saved Jelly Roll is called, ironically, “Save Me.” The Lainey Wilson duet cemented his country bona fides and sent him hurtling into overnight stardom. Jelly Roll navigates a much different world now. Instead of peddling mixtapes out of his car, the “Need a Favor” singer tops country music charts. Instead of court appearances, he dominates award show stages. But which life is easier for him? You may be surprised.
Jelly Roll Opens Up About Prison to Howard Stern
Jelly Roll makes no bones about his checkered past. It’s part of his appeal. The three-time CMT Award winner was in and out of jail as he grappled with addiction in his teens and early twenties. During his Wednesday (June 12) appearance on The Howard Stern Show, he again spoke candidly about his time behind bars.
Videos by American Songwriter
Jelly Roll admitted to finding “a sense of safety” while locked up. It was a sharp contrast to his life on the streets of Antioch, Tennessee, where “anything could happen at any time”
“Rule No. 1 of the streets is there are no rules,” the GRAMMY nominee told Stern. “Rule No. 2 is, don’t forget No. 1.”
Thanks to Jelly Roll’s newfound fame, his life looks completely different now. And the rapper turned country star didn’t hesitate when Stern asked which world was easier to navigate.
“Prison,” he said. “So much easier.”
In jail, Stern pointed out, “you know how to function… you know what to do.”
“But now when you’re backstage and someone says Paul McCartney wants to meet you, that’s new territory,” the radio host said wryly.
“”You p*** yourself a little bit,” Jelly agreed with a laugh. “Just a small dribble.”
Jelly Talks Friendships With Paul McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi
Earlier this year, Jelly Roll (real name: Jason DeFord) met two of his childhood idols, Jon Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney, during a MusiCares event honoring the former. He’s still not quite over it.
“[H]e just immediately started loving on me,” Jelly told Stern of the former Beatles bassist. “It was really cool.”
Bon Jovi has also become a friend. “The even weirder part is when it goes past meeting them and you start to develop a relationship with your idols, and you find out that they’re actually really cool people, too,” said Jelly, 39.
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Most Viewed
-
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Singer Kelsea Ballerini accepts her New Female Vocalist award onstage at the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on April 1, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for ACM) -
The Beatles on the set of 'Top Of the Pops', plugging their new single 'Paperback Writer'/ 'Rain', 16 June 1966. The group had previously appeared on the show but this was their only appeararance live in the studio. Left to right: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon. (Photo by Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) -
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Guitarist Matt Pike of American heavy metal group Sleep performing live on stage at The Roundhouse in London on April 30, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Nixon/Metal Hammer Magazine/Future via Getty Images) -
HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 02: Dolly Parton and Stella Parton attend the premiere of "Dolly Parton's Coat Of Many Colors" at the Egyptian Theatre on December 2, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic) -
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 04: Steve Miller and The Steve Miller Band perform during the San Francisco Fest 2016 – On The Green at AT&T Park on September 4, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by C Flanigan/FilmMagic) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Tyler Farr performs on FOX News Channel's "Fox & Friends" All-American Summer Concert Series outside Fox News Channel Studios at Fox News Studios on June 23, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images) -
Kris Kristofferson, honoree during 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony – Show and Dinner at Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by L. Busacca/WireImage for Songwriter's Hall of Fame) -
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 05: Keith Richards speaks onstage during the exclusive launch event of The Rolling Stones new album “Foreign Tongues” at Weylin on May 5, 2026 in Brooklyn, NY. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for UMG)