Jelly Roll Discusses Difficulty With International Tour Due to Previous Felony Convictions

Jelly Roll, winner of CMT Performance of the Year, Male Video of the Year, and Video of the Year awards poses in the press room during the 2024 CMT Music Awards at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on April 7, 2024. (Chris Saucedo/Getty Images)

Country artist Jelly Roll expressed frustration with challenges booking an international tour due to his felony convictions.

The 39-year-old recently spoke with with rocker Jon Bon Jovi for “Interview Magazine.”

“It’s funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies,” he said. “We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.”

Mr. Bon Jovi agreed with Jelly Roll, replying, “I hope so. Those are really archaic rules. Entertainers should be able to go and do their job.”

Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason Bradley DeFord, began his music career in 2003 and has since become known for blending genres such as hip hop, country, and Southern rock.

He has been recognized for his contributions to music with several awards, including three CMT Music Awards in April 2023, and he was named CMA’s New Artist of the Year in November.

Federal Guidelines

According to the Code of Federal Regulations as outlined by Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute

The U.S. Department of State can refuse or revoke passports for several reasons. These includes defaults on government loans for repatriation or emergency aid, significant arrears in child support payments, and being a registered sex offender as specified by law. Passports can also be denied to individuals with outstanding federal or state felony warrants, or those under criminal court orders preventing them from leaving the country.

Other factors include commitments to mental institutions, legal incompetence, active extradition requests, federal subpoenas, military orders, and severe tax delinquencies certified by the Treasury Secretary. Incorrect or invalid Social Security numbers on applications can also result in denial.

Furthermore, activities abroad that pose risks to U.S. national security or foreign policy can lead to passport refusal. In such cases, a limited validity passport may be issued solely for direct return to the United States.

Jelly Roll has been transparent about his past, including struggles with addiction and run-ins with the law, claiming he has been to jail 40 times.

In a 2023 interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience“ podcast, he discussed his aggravated robbery conviction at age 16, which led to over a year in prison and seven years of probation.

“It was a heinous crime, admittedly. It was horrible. We robbed a couple of guys for some weed,” he said. “It was an armed robbery. I mean, we went in there with a gun. I regret it every day of my life.”

He explained that he finally turned his life around in 2008, when he learned about the birth of his daughter while he was in jail.

In February, the singer opened a music studio at the juvenile correction facility where he was incarcerated as a teen in Nashville, Tennessee, as a way to give hope to the young people there and help them turn their lives around.