Jelly Roll prefers fans to call him “Jelly.”
The country and rap artist Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, made the admission in a recent appearance on Taste of Country Nights podcast.
“I think people call me Jelly. If you know me, or feel like you know me, you call me Jelly. I respond to Jelly better than Jelly Roll,” the singer explained.
He added, “If you say Jelly Roll, I kinda go, ‘Aww [expletive].’ But if somebody goes, ‘Hey Jelly!’ I think they know me… Delete the Roll, man.”
The nickname has been part of his life since childhood. Jelly Roll told The Bobby Bones Show in 2022 that his mother gave him the name because he was a chubby kid.
“Been fat my whole life. And she tried to call me Jelly Roll when I was young, and I spent the next 30 years trying to grow into the name. I think I’ve done it. And yeah, it just stuck,” he said.
“While he prefers ‘Jelly’ in personal settings, he still uses Jelly Roll professionally, including in a Dunkin’ ad for jelly roll donuts.”
“You know everybody always asks me how I got the name Jelly Roll. Believe it or not, truth is because of these little guys right here,” Jelly joked as he took a bite of the pastry.
