Quick answer: On Joe Rogan Experience #2424, Joe played Jelly Roll's first Grand Ole Opry speech, in which he talks about listening to Craig Morgan's "Almost Home" in his jail cell. Then Joe surprised him with a video from Craig Morgan inviting him to become an official Opry member. "It don't get no bigger in country music," Jelly Roll said. He was inducted in March 2026.
Source: Joe Rogan Experience #2424 - Jelly Roll, clipped as a YouTube Short.
The speech
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, grew up in Antioch, a neighborhood in Nashville. He made his Opry debut in November 2021, and the speech Joe plays comes from around then, when his daughter was 13.
"I'm going to be more honest than I probably should be," he tells the crowd. "In 2008, I was incarcerated... I had made some horrible decisions." He remembers sitting on his jail bunk when he learned his daughter had been born, and "thinking I had to do something to change my life."
He says the turnaround came through music. When he got out, he sold mixtapes and T-shirts "out of the trunk of my car right here in Nashville, Tennessee." He talks about marrying his best friend and having full custody of his daughter.
And he says country music helped. "I used to listen to Craig Morgan sing 'Almost Home' in my jail cell and think, I'm going to change my life when I get home."
Craig Morgan's message
Craig Morgan is a country singer, an Opry member and an Army veteran. His 2002 song "Almost Home" is about a homeless man who dreams of going home. In July 2022, Jelly Roll joined him on the Opry stage to sing it.
In the video Joe plays, Morgan congratulates Jelly Roll and thanks him "for the positive difference you're making in the lives of so many people who need the help." He remembers meeting him at the Opry and hearing that his music "helped you get through some really tough times."
Then he says: "Who would have ever dreamed back then that I'd be back at the Opry House today to say Jelly Roll, you're officially invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry... Welcome to the family, brother."
Jelly Roll stands and hugs Joe. "Joe, that's like it don't get no bigger in country music."
What happened next
Jelly Roll was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on March 10, 2026, during the Opry's 100th anniversary year, with Lainey Wilson doing the honors. A few days after the Rogan episode, on December 18, 2025, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee granted him a pardon, which the Associated Press reported.
His personal life has changed too. He married Alisa DeFord, known as Bunnie Xo, in 2016, and the couple divorced in 2026. The speech in the clip was given years earlier.
The clip shows why his story connects with people. He doesn't hide his past, and he gives credit to the song that kept him going.
More on RealNameOf:
- Jelly Roll's real name
- Joe Rogan's real name
- Jimmy Carr on why life feels hard, on Joe Rogan
- Singers' real names
FAQ
What is Jelly Roll's real name? Jason Bradley DeFord.
What song did Jelly Roll listen to in jail? He says he listened to Craig Morgan's "Almost Home" in his jail cell.
Who invited Jelly Roll to join the Grand Ole Opry? Craig Morgan, in a surprise video played on the Joe Rogan Experience in December 2025.
When was Jelly Roll inducted into the Opry? On March 10, 2026.