Jelly Roll's Past Crimes and Pardon Explained After Tennessee Governor Bill Lee Called His Story 'Redemptive' and 'Powerful'

Jelly Roll received a pardon following a long history of legal troubles.

The 41-year-old singer had an early run-in with the law when he was a teen. At the time, he reportedly attempted to flee from the police while under the influence of Xanax.

"In my mind, when the police pulled us over, I was like, 'I'm just gonna run.' So I opened the door, and in my mind, I jumped out and sprinted across a field and almost made it. I was so fat and Xanaxed out, I stood out and got two steps," he detailed during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

"The cop was standing there watching me, and I fell. And he finally, he just laid on top of me," he added. "He felt so bad for me, he didn't even charge me for trying to run."

The Grammy-nominated musician continued to run afoul of the law after his first arrest, adding to the turbulent chapters of his life.

Jelly Roll, who has been jailed for more than 40 times for various offenses, had another brush with the law when he was charged with aggravated robbery when he was 16. He served a little over a year in jail and received seven years' probation.

"I hadn't hit my last growth spurt. I was charged as an adult years before I could buy a beer, lease an apartment, get a pack of cigarettes," he told Billboard. "I feel like the justice system at that point kind of parked me on my only set path."

He served multiple stints in jail in the years thereafter but began to change after learning life-altering news from a correctional officer in 2008.

On May 22, 2008, the "Wild Ones" singer was still in prison when learned he had become a father.

"A guard knocks on my cell door midafternoon during lockdown. He goes, 'You had a kid today,'" he recalled. "I've never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now."

Jelly Roll was released from prison before Bailee Ann's second birthday.

Although Jelly Roll changed after his repeated stints behind bars, he admitted his felonies prevented him from performing overseas.

"I'm so excited. We're figuring out the final pieces of some legal puzzles for me to get overseas," he told Jon Bon Jovi in a 2024 interview. "It's funny, America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won't let me come because of my felonies. We're working on that. I think it's going to work in my favor."

On December 18, 2025, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee pardoned Jelly Roll's two felony records — one from 2003 for robbery and another from 2008 for drug possession — in Davidson County. The rapper was one of the 33 individuals pardoned at the time, months after he filed a pardon application "to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be — to let them know that change is truly possible."

"His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for," Lee reportedly told reporters.

The governor added, per The Tennessean, "It was evident to me that this is a man who should get a pardon."