Most Jelly Roll fans know that he once incurred a felony charge for armed robbery.
It’s a story he frequently shares, as part of his policy about being open about his criminal past — and how it motivates him to work on his personal growth.
But it might not have occurred to fans that the victims that the singer once robbed are still out there and are likely aware of his rise to success.
That’s not a fact that’s lost on Jelly, though. During a recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the star admitted that he still thinks about his victims and has considered reaching out to them.
“I really want to have a conversation with them. I’ve thought about reaching out,” he says, but adds that after all the time that’s passed, it would be hard for him to know how to even broach the conversation.
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“I just don’t even know how that would start — you know, how I would go about it — because sometimes I wonder if they might have even seen me in passing or are aware of my success,” Jelly points out.
“I would just ask them to understand,” he continues. “I would ask them to just, one, forgive me, because there’s no excuse in that.”
“The first accountability is, no matter how old I was, I had no business taking from anybody. Just the entitlement that I had. This, the world owed me enough that I could come and take your stuff.”
What Crime Did Jelly Roll Commit to Incur a Felony Charge?
- When he was 15 years old, Jelly and some friends “robbed a couple guys for some weed.” He first opened up about the incident in an interview with Joe Rogan.
- The group was armed with a gun during the robbery.
- Jelly was charged as an adult and ultimately convicted of the crime.
- Tennessee has a zero-forgiveness policy for violent offenders, meaning that he carries a felony charge to this day.
Jelly’s history with the legal system is lengthy.
During his teenage years and early 20s, the singer was in and out of youth detention facilities and jails.
He is now a passionate advocate for incarcerated youth and frequently visits detention centers, both at home in Nashville and while out on tour.