An unlikely voice standing up for Jelly Roll.
The “Son Of a Sinner” singer has ignited quite the uproar this week while serving as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! After previously remaining pretty apolitical, and even noting that he didn’t identify with one part or the other because he lost his right to vote as a convicted felon, he’s taken the opportunity this week to throw several shots at President Donald Trump during his monologues, much to the delight of Kimmel’s audience.
On Monday, he started by joking about the president waving the green flag at the Freedom 250 IndyCar event in Washington, D.C. this past weekend, before turning his attention to Trump’s weight:
“In the last few years I’ve lost 300 pounds. That means I’ve lost an entire Donald Trump. And let’s be honest, based on his approval ratings, it seems like most of the country wants to do the same thing… Well, Mr. President, from one fat pig to another, take it from me that physical fitness is very important. And trust me, you’ll be happy to see your penis again.”
Jelly Roll has never been especially political, and in fact has said in the past that he doesn’t identify with either political party because he lost his right to vote as a convicted felon. But he’s also been spotted shaking hands with Trump before, during a UFC event back in 2024, and is often branded as “MAGA” by left-wing media.
Well naturally, there was plenty of backlash over his first night as guest host, with many on the right criticizing him for taking the easy bait when he’d previously refused to talk politics. But Jelly Roll addressed the critics on Tuesday, though he was far from apologetic:
“It’s because I’m hosting a damn late night show. That’s where you talk about the news and you make jokes. But I guess apparently because I did it, it really messed with people’s heads.”
He even gave a shout out to frequent Trump critic (and last week’s guest host) Rosie O’Donnell before defending his jokes at the president’s expense:
“Some folks online were upset that I didn’t treat the president with reverence and dignity. But I want to remind y’all that I go by the name Jelly Roll. I don’t even treat myself with reverence and dignity. …
Frankly I think most people were just surprised that I had any opinions at all. They see a guy that looks like me and assume the only opinion I have is whether I prefer my meth crystal or classic.
Now let’s be honest for a second: Any US president should be able to handle a few jokes, right? They should also be able to handle gas prices, healthcare, and the occasional international conflict. Look y’all, I get it. Some people are mad at me for goofing on Trump. But if you wanted me to make jokes about Kamala Harris, you should have voted for her.”
And last night, he continued to take aim at the president, returning to the jokes about Trump’s weight while also taking aim at his trade policies with Canada.
He started his jokes about Trump after first discussing a recent incident in Los Angeles where a truck spilled 120 containers of cheeseballs on the interstate:
“Speaking of cheeseballs, let’s talk about Donald Trump.
The president is doubling down on his ridiculous trade war with Canada. And they’re saying this could lead to higher prices for several products, including whiskey, smartphones, but most alarmingly, toilet paper.
But you have to admit, there is something poetic about it being so expensive to wipe our a** just because the president’s full of s–t.”
Jelly Roll joked that he was really starting to feel like Kimmel because they were talking about his monologues on Fox News, playing a segment from host Jesse Watters accusing the singer of developing “Trump Derangement Syndrome” from taking Ozempic.
“I can’t believe out of all the jokes I’ve told the past few nights, the one that really seemed to make people mad about what I said about the president was when I said he was overweight. I thought fat on fat crime was okay? We can debate if this president is mentally fit, but I think we can all agree he is certainly not physically fit.
But I hope I can inspire the Donald, man. If I can lost all that weight, he can too. And in fact, there is a new medication on the market designed specifically for him.”
They went on to play an SNL-esque commercial for “Donjaro,” a once-daily injection for weight-loss management. Jelly ended the Trump portion of the monologue with a joke about the President’s thin skin, although Trump has yet to respond to the Jelly Roll jokes:
“Wouldn’t it be nice to see Trump lose something besides the war, his popularity, and most of his marbles? And just so we’re clear, I believe in you, Mr. President. With a little hard work, one day your waistline will be just as thin as your skin.”
Now, I feel sure that the jokes were written by the same team of writers who crafts the knee-slapping jokes that Kimmel tells to whatever audience he has remaining every night, but regardless, it’s a bizarre move for Jelly Roll to suddenly decide that he’s going to go all in against Trump when his supporters no doubt make up a large portion of the singer’s fanbase – the kind of people that Kimmel and other Trump critics regularly make fun of.
It’s no surprise that Jelly Roll has received a fair amount of backlash, both online and in right-wing media. But one surprising voice has come out in support of Jelly Roll – or at least, his right to make his political opinions known.
John Rich, the outspoken conservative and vocal supporter of President Trump made it clear that he has no issue with Jelly Roll making his political opinions known…as long as he accepts the backlash that comes with it:
“I see people getting mad at Jelly Roll for filling in for Kimmel and trashing Trump. I’ve always said artists should speak their mind and be true to themselves, and sometimes that comes with a price.”
Of course it’s yet to be seen what that price will be for Jelly Roll. Online outrage often doesn’t translate to the real world, and Jelly Roll has built up a loyal fan base thanks to his inspiring story of redemption and recovery. But then again, there’s no doubt that a large section of that fan base are Trump supporters, who may or may not stick with him now that he’s decided to go full Jimmy Kimmel.
Only time will tell.