Shutterstock, Courtesy of Jelly Roll/ Instagram
Jelly Roll Is a Proud Father of 2! Meet the Country Singer’s Daughter Bailee and Son Noah
Country singer Jelly Roll has been vocal about his life before fame, including his countless run ins with the law. The “Son of a Sinner” artist gave fans more insight into his past during his Hulu documentary Jelly Roll: Save Me, including the moment he turned his life around after his daughter, Bailee Ann, was born in 2008. Fans are naturally curious about the musician’s life as a father.
How Many Kids Does Jelly Roll Have?
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, found out his daughter was born while he was in jail in 2008. According to records from the Davidson County, Tennessee, Criminal Court Clerk viewed by Life & Style, DeFord was convicted for possession with intent to distribute, having been found with cocaine on his person. He was arrested on October 17, 2008, and sentenced to eight years behind bars. His stay was eventually suspended. The Nashville, Tennessee, native may have entered parenthood while he was incarcerated, but the birth of Bailee “changed his life.”
“On more than one occasion, my daughter was a divine intervention in my life,” he said in the documentary. “I think I lived an extremely selfish life until that moment. I think it was the first time in my whole life that I thought about putting somebody in front of me. In that moment, I made a promise with her that I had to be there for her. It’s almost like something clicked right then.”
Jelly Roll later welcomed his son, Noah, in 2016, but has kept his life private to respect his mother’s wishes.
The country star additionally opened up about welcoming his daughter while behind bars in a December 2023 interview with People, revealing that it changed “everything” about his life.
“Man, the single most impactful event of my entire life was having my daughter,” he said. “Being a father is so important to me, and just being as present as I can for her. I compare it to the Christian scripture of when Saul turned into Paul on the Damascus Road. It was kind of that moment for me.”
Jelly also revealed that his daughter makes fun of him for his primely located tattoos, as he has her name tattooed on the side of his head, while his son’s name is on the side of his face.
“She picks on me about it all the time. Now she makes fun of me,” Jelly Roll said. “She’s like, ‘How did my brother get your face and I got the side of the head?’ I used to rock the undercut, and if I shave the side of my head, you see it. It’s huge. I mean, it takes the whole side of my head up.”
Does Jelly Roll Have Custody of His Kids?
It’s unknown if the CMT Award winner has custody of his son, and he has yet to reveal the identity of Noah’s mother.
However, Jelly Roll has opened up about his relationship with Bailee’s mother, Felicia, on several occasions.
During the documentary, the “Save Me” singer explained how he had to go to court to visit Bailee because he was “traveling so much” in an attempt to skyrocket his music career.
He said, “I was a very less-than-present father. Not to mention, I was drinking myself to sleep every night.”
Jelly Roll regained custody of his daughter in 2016 with his wife Bunnie XO (real name Bunnie DeFord) after Bailee’s mother struggled with heroin addiction.
“We’re proud of her, but it was really rough on Bailee. And it really helped me straighten my s–t out because It made me realize how important it was for me to be there for her,” he admitted.
The “Need a Favor” singer has praised his wife for being an extraordinary stepmother to Bailee and thanked her for being a strong parent figure.
“It takes a special kind of woman to raise a kid that isn’t her child and still treat the child as if she was. Over the years watching her relationship with Bailee blossom into this beautiful mother-daughter bond that it has become has been nothing short of magical,” he gushed via Facebook in May 2020 alongside a photo of his two leading ladies. “I have truly been blessed with the best partner I could’ve asked for in life. You are the epitome of a good mom and deserve more credit than anyone because you didn’t have to step up to the plate the way you did. You chose to step up and, man, you have knocked it out of the park. Thank you, Mama Bear – we love you.”
What Have Jelly Roll’s Kids Said About Him?
Bailee appeared in the documentary and explained her relationship with her father and mother, who is now sober after her six-year battle with drugs.
“I had an extra, interesting, traumatic childhood. Bunnie did, my dad did. They’re important reasons for why my mom is in my life now and is sober,” the teen explained. “As a teenager, I’ve moved on. I’ve worked through my childhood. But that doesn’t make it go away. It made me who I am today.”
