Jelly Roll boldly proclaims that ‘Jesus is for everybody’ in Grammy speech

Country singer Jelly Roll took home the first Grammy Awards of his career on Sunday night, delivering a gospel-centric speech that quickly became the talk of social media.

Jelly Roll won three times during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards – twice in the country category (Best Contemporary Country Album, Beautifully Broken; Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Amen) and once in the Christian genre (Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for Hard Fought Hallelujah) – and yet fans on social media weren’t talking so much about his breakout award win as his repeated mentions of Jesus.

Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, shared his faith-centered message after taking home the award for Best Contemporary Country Album.

“Jesus, I hear you – and I’m listening, Lord, I am listening Lord,” he began to shouts of approval.

He then thanked his wife, Alisa (Bunnie XO), saying he would have “ended up dead or in jail” if “it wasn’t for you and Jesus.”

“There was a time in my life, y’all, that I was broken. That’s why I wrote this album. I didn’t think I had a chance,” he said, holding a small Bible. “Y’all, there was days that I thought the darkest things – I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big, and a radio the same size, and a six-by-eight-foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life. I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life.”

As a young man, Jelly Roll spent time in prison on drug-related charges.

“And I want to tell y’all right now – Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus, and anybody can have a relationship with Him. I love You Lord,” he concluded.

His speech immediately began trending on X – and remained in the platform’s Top 10 the next day.

It was far from the first time Jelly Roll has spoken openly about his faith.

In December, he was interviewed during an ESPN college basketball broadcast and told viewers, “Get lost in them Gospels, and it will change your life.” Just last month, he appeared on Netflix’s reboot of Star Search as one of three judges and launched into a Jesus-centric message after contestant Bear Bailey performed Hard Fought Hallelujah:

“Let me tell you something about the Holy Spirit of God. He don’t care anything about your past. He doesn’t care what you’ve been through. He doesn’t care about your drug addiction. He is your Father.”

Although Jelly Roll’s music often includes themes of redemption, he began talking more about faith after he collaborated with Brandon Lake on Hard Fought Hallelujah. He won three Dove Awards last year.

“I was thinking about Matthew, when he talks about the least, when he said, ‘When I was hungry, you fed me, when I was thirsty, you gave me water, when I was in jail, you came and visited me,’” Jelly Roll said at the 2025 Dove Awards, citing the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:36.

“And I realized that I’m standing here because people took time with the least. And I want to get this message as clear as I can. Right now the world is hearing about Jesus like they haven’t in decades,” he said to cheers. “… And while we are hearing about Jesus, I encourage you to put faith on your feet and feet on your faith and walk out of this building and go do for the least. They heard Jesus – now show them Jesus.”