Jelly Roll reveals he attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 14: ‘I was court-ordered’

Rapper says he’s ‘never been more inspired’ than when leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting

Jelly Roll has revealed that he was just a teenager when he was “court-ordered” to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting.

The rapper, 39, appeared on a recent episode of Sirius XM’s “The Highway,” where he was asked by host Ania Hammar about his experiences with AA and Narcotics Anonymous – which reportedly inspired his song “I Am Not Okay.”

“I don’t fully remember my first real meeting ‘cause I was court-ordered at like 14,” Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, said during Friday’s episode. “I don’t remember it as much as I should.”

“But, I definitely remember the first time that I found solace in those rooms, or the first time that I kind of got introduced to the concept of this,” he added. “And how much stuff I’ve taken from them rooms.”

The “Son of a Sinner” singer admitted that he’s “never been more inspired” than when “leaving an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting or a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.”

“I think everybody should experience one if you’ve never drank in your life,” he continued. “I still think that there is something from it that is, you know, the good ones are like good theater. They’ll make you listen, you’ll learn, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry.”

Singer Jelly Roll reveals he attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 14 years old (Getty Images for Global Citizen)

The Tennessee native has previously opened up about his sobriety journey. In a December 2023 interview with People, Jelly Roll revealed that his relationship with alcohol was complicated by his battles with drug addiction.

“I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that,” he told the outlet at the time. “I’ve never said that, but that’s real. There was a long time where I just assumed, when people told me they drank without doing cocaine, I was like, ‘I thought we only drank to do cocaine.’”

He continued: “I thought [drinking] was to make us not feel like drug addicts. Nobody wants to snort cocaine sober, then you’re a drug addict. But I had to re-look at my relationship with alcohol like that.”

The “Need a Favor” singer explained that he “never really had a problem with alcohol” and will occasionally smoke cannabis, but he mainly tries “to stay away from drugs.”

“If I’m really struggling with thinking of my behavioral pattern, I’ll go to a meeting,” Jelly Roll said. While the Grammy nominee didn’t “claim to be a part of the program,” he emphasized how attending AA meetings “has done a lot” for him.

Jelly Roll also credited his family for supporting him amid his struggles with addiction. He’s a father to 16-year-old daughter Bailee Ann and eight-year-old son Noah Buddy from two previous relationships. He’s been married to his wife Alyssa DeFord, also known as “Bunnie XO,” since 2016.

“I’m very anchored in my family,” Jelly Roll said. “Being a father is so important to me. The single most impactful event of my entire life was having my daughter. It changed everything.”