How Jelly Roll's Daughter Bailee Really Feels About Her Dad's Fame

Jason DeFord, better known to his fans as Jelly Roll, has said becoming a parent was a life-changing moment for him. In the documentary "Jelly Roll: Save Me" (via Hollywood Life), he said he had an eye-opening experience after the birth of his daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, which he learned about while in jail. "In that moment, I made a promise with her that I had to be there for her," he said. "It's almost like something clicked right then."

In a 2023 interview with Taste of Country's Evan Paul for the "Taste of Country Nights, On Demand" podcast, Jelly Roll opened up about both of his children, mainly his then-6-year-old son, Noah, whom he does not bring up often to protect his and his mother's privacy. However, Jelly Roll's relationship with his daughter, who was a 15-year-old at the time of the interview, was also brought up in the conversation, namely for her thoughts about her father's career.

As Jelly Roll noted, his daughter was once resentful about his fame, given it separates them for an extensive amount of time. "I think for a while she loved it, but she was like maybe a little bitter about it because it took her father away from her," he said, per Taste of Country. "So she looked at this thing like, 'This thing's really cool and it helps out family and all this other stuff, but this dude is also gone 200 days a year because of it.'" While there may be downsides, Bailee Ann can't help but be one of her dad's biggest fans. 

Despite her initial feelings about her father Jelly Roll's career, Bailee Ann DeFord has since warmed up to the idea of him being a star, Jelly Roll said on the "Taste of Country Nights, On Demand" podcast. Since she's gotten older, he said, she now enjoys watching him perform. "Now, she's like, 'This is the coolest thing ever, I get to fly to see him in New York, I get to fly to see him in L.A,'" he said.

In a December 2022 Instagram post, DeFord showed appreciation for her father as both a parent and artist. "Just wanted to take a sec and let you and everyone else know how proud of you I am," she wrote to her dad. "You tell me all the time of how proud you are of the 'young woman I'm becoming,' but I don't think I tell you enough. I am so freaking proud of the human, artist, and father you are." Another post DeFord made in January 2022 highlighted that she has also performed with Jelly Roll on multiple occasions. They even recorded a song together titled "Tears Could Talk," which Jelly Roll said in a March 2020 Facebook post DeFord wrote herself.