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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday, clearing the Nashville native’s felony convictions in the state.
“His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told local reporters, according to The Associated Press.
Lee and Jelly Roll shared a hug in front of a lit Christmas tree and a fireplace decorated with holiday garlands.
JELLY ROLL UNVEILS DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION WITHOUT SIGNATURE BEARD AFTER WEIGHT LOSS
Gov. Bill Lee, left, giving country musician Jelly Roll news of his official pardon Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, at the Tennessee Governor’s Mansion in Oak Hill, Tenn. (Brandon Hull/Office of Gov. Bill Lee via AP)
The Grammy-nominated artist was one of 33 people to receive pardons from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season.
State officials said Jelly Roll’s request underwent the same months-long thorough review as those of other applicants, with the Tennessee Board of Parole issuing a nonbinding, unanimous recommendation in April.
Jelly Roll’s criminal record includes robbery and drug-related felony convictions.
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Lee and Jelly Roll shared a hug in front of a lit Christmas tree and a fireplace decorated with holiday garlands. (Brandon Hull/Office of Gov. Bill Lee via AP)
He has said receiving a pardon would make it easier to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without having to navigate extensive paperwork tied to his past convictions.
Friends and civic leaders rallied behind the musician in an outpouring of support for his application, underscoring how far he has come since serving time behind bars.
Lee said he had never met Jelly Roll until Thursday, when the artist visited the governor’s mansion following the pardon announcement.
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Unlike some recent high-profile federal pardons that have freed inmates from prison, Tennessee’s pardon process is about forgiveness, not release. It applies only after a sentence has been served and can help restore certain civil rights, including the right to vote, though limits remain, and the governor controls the terms.
Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason DeFord, is seen speaking to inmates at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Annex in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 25, 2025. (Reginald Scott/Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Jelly Roll previously testified before the U.S. Senate about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his drug-dealing younger self as “the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”
“I was a part of the problem,” he told lawmakers at the time. “I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.”
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In the 2023 documentary “Jelly Roll: Save Me,” he revealed he’s been to jail about 40 times for various offenses. His most serious charge came when he was 16, for aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell. Jelly Roll was tried as an adult and faced up to 20 years in prison but ended up serving a little more than a year, and seven years of probation.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Jelly Roll and Gov. Lee for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
