Jelly Roll is facing a few challenges booking an international tour. In a new interview with Jon Bon Jovi for Interview magazine, the country artist confirmed that his legal record has prevented his team from being able to send him overseas.
During the chat, Bon Jovi asked Jelly Roll if he’s been able to tour outside the U.S. yet. “Not yet,” he replied. “I’m so excited. We’re figuring out the final pieces of some legal puzzles for me to get overseas.”
A surprised Bon Jovi inquired, “Really?” “Yeah,” Jelly Roll confirmed. “It’s funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies. We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.”
He added, “For the record I’m a kid from Antioch, Tennessee, whose father never left the southeastern region until he was in his fifties. I still have friends in Antioch who have never left. They’ve never seen a football game downtown—just watch the Titans on TV every Sunday. I’m like, ‘You know the stadium is 18 minutes away, right? We can get a ticket for $10.’”
Jelly Roll has been open about his felony convictions and has admitted to being in jail around 40 times, most of which were for drug-related charges. Last month, in an interview on Joe Rogen’s podcast, the musician discussed his aggravated robbery charge. “We robbed a couple of guys for some weed,” he acknowledged. “It was a heinous crime, admittedly… It was an armed robbery, we went in there with a gun.” He served seven years probation for the crime.
Despite his past, Jelly Roll has been seeing huge success as an artist in recent years. In April, he performed the CMT Music Awards and took home three trophies, including Video of the Year, Male Video of the Year, and CMT Performance of the Year. He also took the stage at Stagecoach, offering a wild set that included a cameo from T-Pain.
Earlier this week, Kane Brown confirmed he will be releasing a collaboration with Jelly Roll that reflects on mental health. “I have a song with Jelly Roll, so that’s really cool,” Brown told Entertainment Tonight at the event. “It’s talking about depression and, you know, you could have everything in the world, but as long as you don’t talk to someone about it, you’re still gonna go through those things.” While the musician didn’t nod toward when the song would be released, he described it as “a very powerful song,” adding, “I’m blessed to have Jelly on it because he goes through the same thing.”
Jelly Roll has been candid throughout his career about his own struggle with depression. Back in 2021, the musician published a lengthy post on Instagram offering insight into how depression has impacted him. “I think the reason I decided to finally post this is because I feel the need to be honest, and also it’s my public vow to start being more transparent and hope that maybe you all will help me stay accountable at seeking help and fighting this demon. And maybe someone out there feels the way I do — maybe you can give me some pointers.”