Jelly Roll’s Past Crimes Are Officially Wiped Clean by Tennessee Governor

Jelly Roll has been granted clemency for crimes he committed over two decades ago.

The “Son of a Sinner” singer (born Jason DeFord) was one of the 33 people Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee pardoned on Thursday, December 18.

“After thoroughly reviewing the merits of each case, I have decided to grant 33 individuals executive clemency,” Lee said in a statement. “Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the Board of Parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process.”

In particularly, the governor felt Jelly Roll, 41, is a “man who should get a pardon.”

“Jelly Roll’s story was remarkable, redemptive and powerful,” he told reporters in a conference call, per the Nashville Tennessean, “and that it was evident he should get a pardon.”

By Jelly Roll’s own account, he went to jail 40 times for various drug-related offenses throughout his teenage years and early 20s. His most serious charge was aggravated robbery, for which he served over a year in prison and seven years of probation.

“I never want to overlook the fact that it was a heinous crime,” he told Billboard in 2023. “This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid that made the worst decision that he could have made in life and people could have got hurt and, by the grace of God, thankfully, nobody did.”