Jelly Roll opened up about his political views after taking heat for jokes about President Donald Trump during his Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest hosting gig.
The country music star, 41, gave an impassioned monologue to kick off his final night as guest host of the ABC late-night talk show on Thursday, August 27, addressing speculation about his political affiliation.
“It is funny, before this week, everybody thought I was MAGA, and now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake,” he said. “I guess I’m just not used to people projecting their beliefs onto me, although a few years ago, I was so fat you could project a movie onto me.”
Jelly Roll then played a clip of a conservative political commentator calling him out over his Trump jokes this week, pointing out that the singer previously praised the UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House in June.
“Just because I watched a fight on TV doesn’t mean I support everything this administration does, just like hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show doesn’t mean I have all of Jimmy Kimmel’s politics,” he said.
He added, “Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle. 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.”
Jelly Roll then went on to address his interview backstage at the 2026 Grammys in February, when he was asked if he had any comment on “what’s going on in the country right now,” referring to the political climate, to which he responded, “Not really.”
On Thursday, the singer admitted he “had a microphone and I didn’t use it the right way.”
“So I’m going to try and do the right thing right now,” he continued. “Human dignity isn’t Republican nor Democrat. Compassion isn’t left-wing, and mercy isn’t right-wing. Pain and healing knows no partisanship. Hurting hearts are more important than poll numbers. And there are no boundaries or borders for broken families.”
Jelly Roll also mentioned his father, Horace “Buddy” DeFord, who died in 2019 and was a United States Marine Corps veteran.
“This might be a hot take, but out of respect for him, and everybody who has ever served and continues to serve this country, I will always shake the hand of the sitting president of the United States when asked,” he said. “My father would have been disappointed had I done anything other than that.”
“I’m proud that I was able to shake the president of the United States. I’m also proud that I live in a country where I can make jokes about him,” he added. “Ain’t that what’s great about being an American? The democracy, the freedom of speech.”
He reiterated, “I will shake the hand of any president that occupies that office because a handshake is not an endorsement. A conversation is not allegiance. And a joke is not a political point of view. And in my business, taking a picture with a political figure, or anybody else for that matter, doesn’t mean you agree or disagree with their policies or politics. More often than not, I f***ing don’t.”
