Jelly Roll’s wife, Alisa DeFord, addressed online outrage following her husband’s viral Grammy Awards speech. She said it was “insane” that some have labeled Jelly Roll a “performative Christian,” adding that Christians have “judged them more” than anyone else.
At this year’s Grammy Awards, Jelly Roll won all three categories in which he was nominated and delivered a faith-filled acceptance speech.
Jelly Roll, 41, whose real name is Jason DeFord, married Alisa DeFord, 46, in 2016. The couple have full custody of the two children Jelly Roll had from previous relationships. Alisa DeFord previously worked as a high-end escort and produced adult content on OnlyFans. She said she quit escorting in 2020 and stopped posting on OnlyFans in 2023. Her story includes a troubled childhood, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicidal thoughts.
Alisa DeFord: ‘People Are Weaponizing the Bible’
Before the Grammys, Alisa DeFord predicted there would be an “upset,” but she didn’t think her husband would sweep all three categories for which he was nominated.
“I had predicted that we would win one, but I didn’t want to say it, but in my heart, I felt like we were going to do either two or three,” DeFord said on an episode of her “Dumb Blonde Podcast.”
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DeFord spoke about her husband’s acceptance speech after Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Country Album for “Beautifully Broken.” During the speech, he praised God and told people that “Jesus is for everybody.”
“Who would have thought that my husband’s speech would set the internet on fire,” DeFord said, explaining that some people have weaponized his words and turned them for bad.
“The problem is people are weaponizing the Bible and religion way more than they are celebrating the name of Jesus,” DeFord said. “And it’s to the point where they’re just proving why people do not want to be a Christian.”
She continued, “For the longest time, I didn’t want to be a Christian because of what I saw growing up. Everything that I saw was hypocrisy. The congregation just backbiting each other.”
“I grew up around people who I did not want to be like, and seeing all of these people online just tearing apart my husband’s walk of faith makes me not want to associate with that type of Christianity,” DeFord added. “It’s so horrific, and it is so sad, and it’s borderline demonic, dude.”
