Tennessee’s governor pardoned country singer Jelly Roll for his criminal past in the state on Thursday.
Gov. Bill Lee pardoned the Need a Favor singer for two robbery and drug felonies issued before 2010 in Davidson County.
Jelly Roll said a pardon would make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without filling out paperwork. He previously said that every time he travelled, it took “a team of lawyers and a mountain of paperwork to secure my entry” into countries like Canada and the United Kingdom.
He was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season for years.
Lee said Jelly Roll’s application underwent the same months-long thorough review as other applicants and the state parole board gave a non-binding, unanimous recommendation for his pardon in April, after a hearing that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes and involved several witnesses, including Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, advocating for the musician.
“His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told reporters.
Hall, who runs Nashville’s jail, wrote that Jelly Roll had an awakening in one of the jails he managed.
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“I think he has a chance and is in the process of rehabilitating a generation, and that’s not just words,” Hall told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I’m talking about what I see we need in our country, is people who accept responsibility, accept the fact that they make mistakes and accept the fact that they need help.”
This photo provided by the Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff’s Office shows country music star Jelly Roll, left, whose legal name is Jason DeFord, posing for a photo with Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Annex in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 25, 2025.
Reginald Scott/Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff’s Office via AP
A Tennessee pardon serves as a statement of forgiveness for someone who has already completed a prison sentence. Pardons offer a path to restoring certain civil rights, such as the right to vote, although there are some legal limitations, and the governor can specify the terms.
Jelly Roll’s most serious convictions include a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal US$350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were quickly arrested. Jelly Roll was unarmed and was sentenced to one year in prison plus probation.
In 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, leading to eight years of court-ordered supervision.
He also has two misdemeanour offences for driving without a licence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The rapper-turned-singer, whose legal name is Jason Deford, has spoken about his redemption arc for years in front of various audiences, including people serving time in correctional centres, crowds at his concerts and even Congress.
Last year, the Somebody Save Me singer gave powerful testimony before Congress about the U.S. fentanyl problem, telling legislators he wants to be “part of the solution” for the opioid crisis.
“At every concert I perform, I witness the heartbreaking impact of fentanyl. I see fans grappling with this tragedy in the form of music … that they seek solace in music and hope that their experiences won’t befall others,” he said at the time.
“These are the people I’m here to speak for, y’all. These people crave reassurance that their elected officials actually care more about human life than they do about ideology and partisanship.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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