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Jelly Roll<\/strong><\/a> got emotional and cried while discussing how his daughter, Bailee, is deeply impacted by her birth mother\u2019s drug addiction.<\/p>\n The country singer, 40, opened up about the situation and said that he was \u201cpassionate about broken people\u201d during a recent interview on \u201cThe Pivot<\/a>\u201d podcast published on Thursday, March 27.<\/p>\n \u201cMy child\u2019s mother has struggled with drug addiction since my daughter\u2019s been born pretty much,\u201d Jelly Roll (real name: Jason DeFord) explained. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the effect it had on her. I\u2019ve got a 16, almost 17-year-old upstairs and I\u2019ve seen the effect that it\u2019s had \u2014 it\u2019s truly affected her life. It\u2019s really hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cSomebody Save Me\u201d artist continued, \u201cThe addict is not the victim in that situation. The family is.\u201d<\/p>\n Jelly Roll recalled how he discovered his ex\u2019s recent arrest and said that someone contacted him about it because he doesn\u2019t have social media and hadn\u2019t heard about the incident yet. The person who contacted him advised him to \u201ccall and check\u201d on Bailee later and \u201csent a link\u201d to a news article.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was, like, breaking news. It only happened four or five days ago, but her mother had gone back to jail and had been caught with, like, meth or something,\u201d he said. \u201cI told my wife, \u2018I\u2019ve invited the world into our living room, so we\u2019ve just got to accept what comes with that.\u2019 This is my fault more than anybody\u2019s \u2026 It broke my daughter\u2019s heart. This is a 16, 17-year-old that knows her mother is a drug addict, but, like, her having to see the mugshot of her mother with just meth ate up on her face.\u201d<\/p>\n Jelly Roll had to pause for a moment as he teared up talking about the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to watch her go through it all over again,\u201d he continued after wiping a tear off his cheek. \u201cI was like, \u2018Ah, man,\u2019 I forgot \u2019cause I\u2019m like, I\u2019m 40 and I\u2019ve done a lot of therapy and I\u2019ve done a lot of work and I have a relationship with God that it hurt me, but I just got to pray about it and move on. But I was like, \u2018Ah, man, she\u2019s 16, she don\u2019t have any of those tools. She\u2019s still gaining those tools. This hurts her.’\u201d<\/p>\n Jelly Roll has struggled with his own drug use in the past and in 2008, he was arrested on a crack cocaine charge<\/a> at just 23 years old. While he served time behind bars, his daughter, Bailee, was born and that caused him to reevaluate his lifestyle.<\/p>\n \u201cA guard knocks on my cell door midafternoon during lockdown. He goes, \u2018You had a kid today,\u2019\u201d the \u201cSon of a Sinner\u201d singer told Billboard<\/em><\/a> in 2023. \u201cI\u2019ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time Bailee\u2019s second birthday rolled around, Jelly Roll was out of jail and back home with his daughter. But it\u2019s not just Bailee he credits with helping him turn his life around, but his wife, Bunnie XO<\/strong><\/a>, as well.<\/p>\n Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO (real name: Alyssa DeFord) eloped in 2016 and were granted primary custody of Bailee. Jelly Roll also has a son, Noah<\/a>, from a previous relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have never got custody of my daughter without her,\u201d Jelly Roll told the outlet. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have had the stability or the money.\u201d<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and\/or substance use, you are not alone. Seek immediate intervention \u2014 call 911 for medical attention;\u00a0988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline<\/a>; or\u00a01-800-662-HELP for the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline<\/a>. Carrying naloxone (Narcan) can help reverse an opioid overdose.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n