NEWSJelly Roll Says He's Lost an 'Entire Donald Trump' in Weight as He Triples Down on Political Jokes Amid Backlash
Jelly Roll continued mocking Donald Trump despite backlash over his late-night jokes.
Aug. 30 2026, Published 9:32 a.m. ET
Jelly Roll is not backing away from the Trump jokes that turned his second Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest-hosting week of the summer into a MAGA meltdown.
The 41-year-old singer, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, opened his stint on Monday, August 24, by joking about President Donald Trump’s health and weight. By Wednesday, after angry fans threatened boycotts and a Florida lawmaker declared him unwelcome in the Panhandle, Jelly Roll was still going.
From One Joke to Three Nights
He joked about Donald Trump’s weight during his guest-hosting stint.
The bit began with Jelly Roll telling the Kimmel audience that Trump had gained 14 pounds and was “tipping the scales at almost 240.”
“Think about this, y’all, in the few last years I’ve lost 300 pounds,” he said. “That means I’ve lost an entire Donald Trump.”
He then played old clips of Trump mocking other people’s weight before adding, “Well, if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle fat.”
The reaction was quick. Some viewers seemed shocked that the country star would roast Trump, with one fan on social media asking, “Wait, hold up. Isn’t Jelly Roll MAGA?” Others accused him of alienating fans who support the president.
Jelly Roll answered the backlash Tuesday by reminding viewers where he was.
“It’s because I’m hosting a d--- late-night show. That’s where you talk about the news, and you make jokes,” he said.
A Florida Republican Joins In
Florida Republican Jimmy Patronis declared Jelly Roll unwelcome in Florida's Panhandle.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis, a Florida Republican who had previously invited Jelly Roll to perform at Gulf Coast Jam, posted on X that the singer was “100% not welcomed to Florida’s panhandle.”
“I don’t even want to see his bus on I-10,” Patronis wrote, calling him a “token ‘country’ star” and telling him to take “TDS elsewhere,” a reference to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Conservative personalities also piled on, with some claiming Jelly Roll had damaged his career by mocking Trump.
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The Donjaro Bit
Jelly Roll responded to the criticism by defending comedy’s role in late-night television.
Jelly Roll did not treat the outrage as a warning sign.
“I can’t believe out of all the jokes I’ve told the past few nights, the one that really seemed to make people mad about what I said about the president was when I said he was overweight,” he said Wednesday.
“I thought fat-on-fat crime was OK,” he joked. “We can debate whether this president is mentally fit, but I think we can all agree he is certainly not physically fit.”
He escalated the bit with a fake ‘Donjaro’ weight-loss ad.
Then came a fake ad for “Donjaro,” a made-up weight loss drug for Trump, complete with a voiceover promising help with presidential cravings and listing side effects including “meeting drowsiness,” “bruising of the hands” and “massive cankles.”
“With a little hard work,” Jelly roll joked, “one day your waistline will be just as thin as your skin.”
