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American Idol's artist in residence, Jelly Roll, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 24, 2025. Jelly Roll revealed that he was a big Tennessee Titans fan. He then further addressed the subject and revealed that he had been following them since the late 1990s. He recalled the time the Titans moved from Houston to his local town in 1997.
At that time, Jelly Roll was around 12 years old. The American Idol singer remembered the team's early years with players like Steve McNair and Eddie George. He became a fan when the team played at the Adelphia Coliseum, now known as Nissan Stadium. Jelly Roll recalled the 2000s Music City Miracle, a notable play that helped the team reach the Super Bowl that year.
When Jimmy asked if he attended the game, Jelly Roll clarified that he didn't exactly watch it from the stands. Instead, he watched from a nearby juvenile detention center, where he had to peek through holes in a window.
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"I had a bird's eye view and I could see half the field and half the Jumbotron. So, depending on where they were, I could either watch it on the field or up on the Jumbotron. Yeah, me and two other guys fit my one eye piece out of the cell window," stated American Idol's Jelly Roll.
Jelly Roll opens up about his troubled past and his role on American Idol
Jimmy Kimmel mentioned early on the show that Jelly Roll was a Tennessee Titans fan. They talked about the recent time when Jelly Roll had given the team a pep talk before the season. Jelly Roll was embarrassed about this, as just afterward, the team lost.
The American Idol star revealed that he had put thought into his speech and was nervous beforehand. He even had a Titans rookie, T'Vondre Sweat, sing with him. Despite feeling confident after the speech, the team went on to have a disappointing season.
Coming back to the times he was in trouble, Jelly Roll recalled having to watch football a lot to pass the time. Jimmy Kimmel found it hard to imagine Jelly Roll in such an environment, given his positive personality now. Jelly Roll revealed that he was a difficult inmate and wasn't well-liked by others. He described himself as a menace and the worst inmate in the facility's history.
According to a woman who was in the detention center with him 30 years ago, Jelly Roll's behavior was still talked about today. She believed that Jelly Roll's transformation was remarkable, given how poorly he behaved during his time there.
"She says, 'I have faith, not only because he made it, but because he was horrible. He was one of the worst inmates we ever had in the history of this building,'” stated Jelly Roll.
As the "artist in residence" on American Idol, Jelly Roll expressed that his role is to support and motivate the contestants. He referred thinking of himself as the "hype man", keeping the contestants in the show hopeful and positive. Jelly Roll revealed that he always develops a strong bond with the contestants, whom he affectionately calls his "little jelly babies."
He has grown to love and care for each of them deeply. However, Jelly Roll finds it difficult to cope when contestants get eliminated, often becoming more emotional than the contestants themselves. He has been known to get teary-eyed and offer words of comfort, showing his genuine investment in their journey.
Watch Jelly Roll on American Idol season 23 at 8 pm ET on ABC.
