Country music star and sometime-WWE wrestler Jelly Roll (government name: Jason Bradley DeFord) has a second lease on life just a week after lamenting something he dearly missed.
According to ABC News, Jelly Roll has been granted a pardon from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday.
Tennessee’s governor pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native’s long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances.
The rapper-turned-singer, whose… pic.twitter.com/PKUmTdsTvp
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 19, 2025
Jelly Roll had told podcast titan Joe Rogan in 2023 that he had been in and out of jail from the age of 14 to 25.
“At 16, I was charged as an adult for a charge,” he said at the time. “It was a heinous crime, admittedly. It was horrible. We robbed a couple of guys for some weed, but they called the police because we took some money and some stuff.
“It was an armed robbery, we went in there with a gun, I regret it every day of my life.”
The conviction has hounded the music star his adult life, impacting his ability to travel to certain countries — and his ability to hunt.
A week before his pardon, Fox News reports that Jelly Roll spoke out about how much it would mean for him to have his gun rights reinstated, particularly for hunting and security reasons.
“My goal is that I want to reach out to legislation eventually and go, ‘Hey, if nothing else, I’d like my right to hunt,’” Jelly Roll told Rogan. “It’s done a lot for my mental health. It’s done a lot for my physical health.”
Jelly Roll added: “I want to go to them and go, ‘Look, I understand if you’ve ever raped somebody or killed somebody, but I think that every … it should … there should be some path to redemption.’ Even if it takes 30 years.”
Jelly Roll also said that he could cut his personal security costs in half if he were able to carry again.
According to The Associated Press, the governor’s decision to pardon Jelly Roll came off the heels of an April recommendation from the Tennessee Board of Parole.
The outlet reports: “The board issued its nonbinding recommendation unanimously after a hearing that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes with several witnesses, including Nashville Sheriff Daron Hall, advocating for the 40-year-old musician.”
At the time, Jelly Roll called the recommendation “incredible.”
“I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be — to let them know that change is truly possible,” he told the parole board.
Lee, meanwhile, appeared to be fully supportive of Jelly Roll’s turnaround story.
“It’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee said.
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