JELLY ROLL's Brutal Journey of Self-Forgiveness 'I hate the man I used to be...”

Grammy-nominated artist Jelly Roll opens up about his turbulent past, from felony charges to addiction, and his transformative journey to self-forgiveness. In this raw and emotional conversation, he reveals the struggles behind his music, his mission to help others, and how he learned to love himself and overcome his past.

In this interview, we discuss:
00:00 Intro
04:27 Finding Your Purpose
07:30 Grief From Losing A Parent
10:38 What Sparked His Musical Journey?
14:50 Getting Incarcerated At 15
17:50 "I was mad at life..."
20:17 The Barriers to Self-Forgiveness
21:35 The Best Question Jelly Roll Has Ever Been Asked
24:55 Life Behind Bars as a Juvenile
29:26 The Fine Line Between Accountability and Self-Sabotage
33:10 Guilt, Shame, and Judgement Are Your Enemy
38:12 The Reality of Food Addiction
40:34 Breaking the Chains of Addiction
43:12 Finding Someone Who Sees Your True Worth
50:35 Why Asking for Help Shows Strength, Not Weakness
55:07 Jelly Roll's Mission
01:03:04 Jelly Roll's Congressional Speech
01:12:12 Breaking Free from Generational Curses
01:19:15 Analyzing Song Lyrics
01:26:50 Healing the Inner Child Through Faith
01:32:01 A Heartfelt Letter from His Brother
01:36:26 Fast Five with Jelly Roll

Episode Resources:

[MariaCarmelo-tnww]

*I'm favoured only God knows how much I praise Him, * $230k every 4weeks! I now have a big mansion and can now afford anything and also support God’s work and the church.

[NIASUN]

This conversation has left me full. That's all I have to say. I am full!

[emveezee]

Jelly Roll's authenticity is just one reason people are drawn to him and then he unleashes that beautiful voice that can only come from the soul.
His appreciation and introspective outlook on life is enlightening. I think he's more than made up for alot of the wrong he's done in this life. He's healing others while healing himself!
What a beautiful interview!

[DominionAnako-bbry]

Self-forgiveness is like giving yourself a big hug and saying, "It's okay, we all make mistakes." It's about accepting what happened, learning from it, and moving forward with a positive attitude.

[whyHazeus]

I never cried more as a man watching an interview/therapy session really .. thank you.

[sarinaronning]

Jay and jelly both have gotten me through some really dark thoughts and times. I’m alive thanks to these two.

[Croberts]

Jason (Jelly Roll) is so inspirational. He seems so real and humble.

[lacefacethegreat]

Jelly Roll has done more for this generation's mental health than most on his platform. This episode gave me a good healthy cry. Thanks for having this ray of sunshine on Jay! ❤

[StylezMajorMusic]

Beautiful interview, you can tell jay really cares about the people he brings on this show. This conversation flowed very naturally. I spent 11 months in rehab last year for mental health and drug addiction. I was one of the lucky ones that god saved I was granted a scholarship to a very good rehab. Jelly Roll Played at the Boise music festival when I was in rehab and I got to go see him. I was so happy for him.

Mind you during my addiction I would listen to his albums self medicated and beautiful disaster. I felt like he was speaking to me on those record's. Mind you I had a top 100 song in 2016 and was somewhat successful as a artist. I lost everything, but watching jelly gave me inspiration to do music again even though I am 35.

I got baptized on Saturday and gave my life to Jesus. I just released my first music video in four years. Look up Stylez Major "The Only One" its a deep song about recovery and god. PS @JellyRoll the new album is beautiful. You have grown so much.
🙏✝

[ChildofGod]

Father hear my prayers. I’m a single mother. Both of my sons are special needs, and require much from me but I know God will give me the strength and courage that I need to continue to keep going. So while I struggle to buy groceries and while I struggle to pay rent. I will keep faith. Always. Amen Praise God!💕💕

[mattcar]

I didn't realize i needed to cry for an hour and a half. Jelly, thanks for being a becon of light in a dark world

[SteakCutFries]

'It was NEVER ME. turns out it was pretty much always me" ... Keys to the kingdom right there

[sbempowerment]

He is amazing. Thank you for having him as a guest

[kathleenkarsten]

When two humble, genuine, beautiful souls sit together, look one another in the eye, then share pieces of themselves, I’m left feeling like I just witnessed greatness. My cup runneth over. Thank you Jason and Jay! Wow! What a way to begin the day! 🥰

[cindylouwied]

I love hearing people's stories and testimonies. This just made me love Jelly Roll 10x more. Honestly so relateable. And wow, the word of "guilt, shame and judgement don't help you grow, shift and transform" we need to stop guilting and shaming ourselves and stop judging ourselves and others. It's not a useful sustable emotion to help us shift and transform .... as Sadie would say, "whoa that's good!" Thank you for this episode. I hope to shift and transform. I most definitely need emotional sobriety.

[lorisamolsky]

I cried when you said you hadn’t cried until 33. I have had the opposite. Crying all my life. It releases such an immense amount of pain and suffering You were the greatest interview Thank you

[peggyellis]

We need more compassion like this in the world. We need more men being open like this to break the stigma of male mental health. So much of what Jelly speaks about is the reality for a great majority of Americans and if we all understood how much we have in common there wouldn't be as much division.

[karenalexander]

13 Years Sober through the steps and AA. I love this episode, it describes how we can live our life with freedom and forgiveness. Learning to take responsibility for my actions changed my life.

[shilomonroe]

This is the best interview I have seen with Jelly Roll. He is so authentic and transparent. He and Bunny both. His music is so amazing and has helped me through some shit. The new album is AMAZING!

[yaikadavila]

I am not the typical person that listens to country music, ppl in my family don't listen to it but there are several artist that I like and Jelly Roll has been one of them. I knew his heart was amazing just from his music, but hearing him speak so open and honest just wonderful. I have truly loved this conversation.