Country music star Jelly Roll is taking intense fire from President Donald Trump’s supporters after delivering a string of crude jokes about the president on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The singer mocked Trump’s weight, approval ratings, and appearance while repeatedly using profanity during his guest-hosting stint. He later told angry fans that he planned to keep “speaking my truth.” Critics responded by accusing him of betraying the working-class audience that helped build his career.
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, guest-hosted the ABC late-night program from August 24th through August 27th. His first Trump-focused monologue followed the president’s appearance at the Freedom 250 IndyCar race in Washington, D.C. The singer had previously attended the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, leading some fans to believe he supported Trump.
“The president seemed to enjoy the IndyCar race, which was a real switch-up for him because normally he only likes his own race,” Jelly Roll said during Monday’s monologue. He turned to Trump’s weight, telling the audience, “I’ve lost an entire Donald Trump.” Jelly Roll followed that remark with an approval-rating joke before referring to the president as a “fat pig.”
The attacks continued during subsequent monologues. As Taste of Country reported, Jelly Roll defended himself by declaring, “It’s because I’m hosting a damn late-night show,” before telling viewers, “If you wanted me to make jokes about Kamala Harris, you should have voted for her.” While discussing Trump’s dispute with Canada, he claimed rising toilet paper prices would be poetic because “the president is full of s–t.”
Jelly Roll also responded directly to fans who threatened to stop supporting his music. “Any U.S. president should be able to handle a few jokes, right?” he said, before attacking Trump over gas prices, health care, and foreign conflicts. Addressing listeners who said they were finished with him, the singer replied, “Go right ahead. ’Cause I’m gonna keep speaking my truth.”
By Thursday, Jelly Roll was explaining his political views more directly. “It is funny that before this week everybody thought I was MAGA. And now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake,” he said, according to Fox News. He described himself as politically moderate, saying, “Sure, I lean left on some things. But like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle.”
The backlash across X was immediate. One post called Jelly Roll a “no talent hack” and said that he was “another Hollywood sellout,” with another calling the singer a “traitor” who had built his brand around a blue-collar “one of us” image. Another wrote, “Jelly Roll lost 300 pounds and apparently his backbone went with it.” A third critic described him as a “classic Hollywood sellout” who mocked Trump for clout.
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A former listener said she had unexpectedly grown to love Jelly Roll’s music but signed off her message with, “No longer a fan.” Another user said, “Jelly Roll asked all Trump supporters to stop listening to his music. I have no problem with that. I’ll never listen again if I have any control over it. Hey Jelly Roll get a life!” One account summed up the appearance as “a sellout with a monologue.”
Another critic urged Trump supporters to “NEVER listen to Jelly Roll again.” One disappointed viewer said “The comments from Jelly Roll about President Trump aside…… Appearing on The Jimmy Kimmel Show is an unforgivable act.” Another former supporter wrote, “So long, Jelly Roll,” before adding, “We know a sellout when we see one.”
Watch the segment where Jelly Roll attacked Trump here:
Featured image credit: Setoxxx, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons