Jelly Roll is known for his music and has a huge nationwide fan base, but his political comments have raised concerns from fellow musician John Rich. The songwriter believes the rapper’s political comments could cost him half of his fans.
John Rich says Jelly Roll understood the risk of alienating country music fans with his political views
Recently, country music star appeared on Benny Johnson’s podcast, where the two discussed country music, artist authenticity, and other related issues. One of the main topics was Jelly Roll’s statement, with John Rich saying that the rapper understood the risk of alienating country music fans because of his political views.
Rich said, “He knows how this works, OK? He knows who the audience is. And so I have to think he really believes every single word he said, or he wouldn’t have said it.”
“Because you know when you make statements that are that hardcore and to a large extent counteractive to the presentation you’ve been making – you do understand in country music that half or more of your audience may disown you,” he added
Rich didn’t stop there and continued, “They may turn their back on you. They may stop listening to you. They may turn you off. But you make the statement anyway.”
The 52-year-old also said that the Son of a Sinner star made the decision despite knowing his audience well. John Rich added that, for him, the person Jelly Roll claims to be is the same one viewers saw on Jimmy Kimmel’s show and the way he presented himself there. According to Rich, that is the real Jelly Roll.
For context, in late August, Jelly Roll appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, where he joked about Donald Trump and his politics while also taking jabs at MAGA. His comments prompted John Rich to speak out about the rapper.