“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” – John 15:18 I’ve been going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to address all the Jelly Roll controversy lately, because frankly, I don’t think there should even be any controversy at all, and the entire thing just annoys me to no end. But Bunnie XO recently commented on some of the hate her husband is receiving from both so-called Christians and non-Christians alike, and given her added context, I figured now’s the time to sit down and talk about it. So without further ado, as a longtime, Bible-believing, born-again Christian, here’s my take on Jelly Roll and the questions about whether or not his walk with Christ is genuine. But first, let’s recap a little bit of what has been going on. A Changed Man? It’s no secret that Jelly Roll has made a number of headlines recently for I would call some rather bold proclamations of the Gospel in front of large audiences. On a recent episode of Star Search, contestant Bear Bailey performed Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” (which was planned with producers before he knew Jelly would be a judge on the show), and Jelly’s emotional response was powerful: “I prayed this morning. I said, God, give me an opportunity to talk about you. Night one was great, but I didn’t get to live on my purpose yet. God, you called me here to talk about you.” View this post on Instagram Proclaiming Jesus on Netflix? I’m here for it. And then came the Grammys, where after already taking home 2 awards prior to the broadcast, he won a 3rd Grammy for Best Contemporary Country Album. Once again, he got up there, and in front of what I can only imagine is a largely unbelieving audience, boldly proclaimed the power of Christ to transform both his own life and anyone else’s: “There was a moment in my life where all I had was a (pocket) Bible this big and a radio the same size in a six-by-eight-foot cell. I believed that those two things could change my life. I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life. I want to tell you all right now that Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by one music label. Jesus is Jesus and anybody can have a relationship with him. I love you Lord.” “Jesus is Jesus and anybody can have a relationship with him.”@JellyRoll615 #Grammy pic.twitter.com/pIwGKP8FKL — Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) February 2, 2026 Of course, this is the kind of awards show speech that Jelly Roll has become known for, his signature southern preacher style, if you will… but one thing I’ve noticed over the past couple of years is that they have gone from positive and encouraging, you know… that “overcome the odds” and “chase your dreams” kind of stuff, to downright Gospel proclamation… Jesus loves you, Jesus died for you, Jesus wants a relationship with you. Now, he’s certainly be celebrated and praised for his show of faith in some instances, and has definitely gone mega viral, but there has also been a ton of backlash, from both self-professing Christians and non-Christians alike, who call it “performative,” call it a “grift,” and call him a phony and a hypocrite, etc… I’ll get to my thoughts in a minute, but first, let’s hear what his wife, Bunnie XO has to say on the matter. Bunnie XO Defends Her Husband Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie XO recently commented on some of the criticism being thrown at him after his Grammy’s speech, arguing that it is exactly this kind of judgmental behavior that keeps people away from church, keeps people resenting Christianity. I don’t disagree… especially given Jelly Roll’s history. She walks through some of his old songs which illustrated him crying out for Jesus even back then, but then boils down the crux of it all in this sentence: “What you’re watching is a man who is growing in his faith in front of everybody.” Here’s a clip of the conversation: View this post on Instagram And I think that sentence I highlighted from Bunnie absolutely nails it. And I think that’s what a lot of so-called Christians in the comments are failing to understand. What I think we’re seeing with Jelly Roll is someone who is relatively new in their Christian journey, being utterly unashamed to proclaim the Gospel, encourage others, and testify to the profound impact that Jesus has had on his life. His life is being transformed by Jesus right in front of us, his soul, his mental health, his physical body, he’s said he’s loving his wife better, loving his friends better, become a better and more present father… it’s all being transformed right in front of us. Does that mean he’s perfect? No, he’s admitted as such. Does that mean he still doesn’t have a long way to go on the path towards progressive sanctification? Of course he does, we all do. Does he still stumble and will he probably continue to stumble in some ways? Yeah, that’s life. The difference is most of us don’t do it in the public eye, and many of us are too afraid to let anyone see us stumble. It would be wonderful if the second we all got saved, we’d all immediately flutter about in perfection, free of every vice and iniquity in an instant. And maybe that’s the testimony for some of you, praise God for that, but for 99% of us, it doesn’t work that way. Jelly Roll’s past is well-documented… arrested for armed robbery, in an out of the prison system, a drug addict, infidelity in his marriage, violent, angry, full of self-hate, depression, anxiety, isolation… and he’s gonna stand on that stage and proclaim that Christ has delivered him from that, and that Christ can do the same for you, meanwhile he’s spending his time and money sewing into the prison system he escaped from, why are we not celebrating this? Why are we not rejoicing as a Christian community? Why are we not encouraging Jelly Roll (and Bunnie for that matter) to press even deeper into their walk with Christ? God is always calling us towards our FUTURE, not our past. Our past sins, our past traumas, our past mistakes… dead and buried. He’s calling us all out of that and into a deeper, richer, fuller life in Him. Day by day, step by step, being formed closer and closer into the image of Him. In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Romans 8:1 says: “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t wolves in sheep’s clothing, false teachers, and that we don’t need to be discerning. I think you should generally be cautious about celebrity conversions and careful not place our hope in any one person, but rather in Jesus. However, when I look at Jelly Roll’s public life, I see a man who is standing up on stage explaining all the ways that Jesus has profoundly changed his life, and inviting others into that… he’s not a pastor, but where’s the false teaching? Isn’t that the Gospel? “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!” So I’m not here to anoint Jelly Roll as the next great leader in some kind of blue-check, celebrity Christian universe, but I’m absolutely rooting for him to continue his walk with Christ, boldly, bravely, unapologetically. I don’t know him personally or know what he does behind closed doors, but we can clearly see someone who is proclaiming the Gospel, someone who seems like they are trying to live it out better and better each day, and someone who is having a really positive impact on people are feeling lost and isolated, broken and hurt. And you can see the emotion pouring out of him every time he talks about, he can’t help but turn into a puddle of tears… that tells me that he’s a man who knows where he’s been and knows what he’s gained. That’s why he’s always crying… he’s overwhelmed by the saving love of Christ. Granted, a chunk of the criticism is from left-leaning people who are angry that he refused to speak about politics after the Grammys. And the one account that Bunnie is referring to who called Jelly a “performative Christian” is clearly not a Christian at all. Her entire profile is Trump-hating, conservative hating and anti-Christian… so let’s not even pay these folks any mind. What I’m more concerned about is people who claim to be Christians, and are tearing him down for his past mistakes, or because he has tattoos on his face and uses cuss words. We’re always so quick to attack, so quick to be cynical… we just love to destroy our own right now. So, let’s encourage our brothers and sisters, pray for our brothers and sisters, and build each other up… the journey isn’t easy, we need each other. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thess. 5:11The post “A Man Growing In His Faith”: Why Christians Should Be Rooting For Jelly Roll’s Spiritual Transformation… Not Tearing It Down first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Sometimes the best thing to know is what not to do. Ernest recently returned to the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast, and the Nashville-based artist and songwriter had a story and anecdote for just about everything. He spoke to us about how rewarding it is to give joy to others through music, why he’s passionate about giving back to the Nashville music community, working with artists like Jelly Roll (and non-artists like Pat McAfee), and the responsibility he felt producing a Toby Keith demo after the country legend’s death. If it’s not clear already, Ernest (whose full name is Ernest Keith Smith) is a very busy figure in the country music world. He’s always got a project that he’s working on, whether it be for himself or for someone else. And he’s always got a song in the wings. Ernest has rightfully earned the reputation of a hit-making songwriter, and he told us that an idea can come to him at any time, anywhere: “Anywhere. Literally. It could be at a bar.” If Ernest does opt for a more official, organized writing session, there’s a certain place he feels the most productive. The “Flower Shops” singer told us that a fruitful write can often times be unlocked by a loose, anything-goes-atmosphere and an open mind: “A scheduled write? We’d go my office at Big Loud, third floor, Cadillac lounge. There’s a couch in the main area, then I have my room that’s a little smaller. We’d go in either one of those. I’d pick up a guitar and we’d just be bulls****ing. I’d start singing something, just blurting out whatever. Something might stick, and then that inspires somebody else.” He did go on to say that the vibe of the writing session can often be dictated (or at the very least affected) by who’s in the room. For example, Ernest said that HARDY might come in with everything prepared and fairly polished. Others opt to come in with just titles, while some arrive empty handed and hope to walk out with the next country music hit. Through it all, Ernest has learned that sometimes the best thing a songwriter can do is get out of their own way: “There’s some rooms where the best thing I can do is let. That was an important thing for me to learn. Early on, I was just firing off everything. The first thing that came to my mind.” The respected songwriter suggested that he used to feel a pressure to keep the ideas flowing. It was only during a songwriting session with Dean Dillon when he had a change of heart. The older country music singer and songwriter advised Ernest and everyone else in the room to embrace the silence and “listen to nothing for a while.” So now Ernest that has method in his writing tool belt. There’s no question that Ernest knows what to do when it comes to songwriting… but the Nashville native knows that being aware of what not to do can be just as helpful: “One of the toughest things you can do is shoot down every idea and then not have any. I think everybody that’s been in a songwriting room would agree that’s kind of the thing where it’s like, ‘Okay, well, you hate this, you hate that… what do you like?'” Can’t imagine that kind of writer gets invited back all that often… And to add to that, if a songwriter is trying to get into the Nashville writing community – like Ernest himself did – the artist says your talent isn’t as important as knowing how to work a room: “I think maybe 75% of being successful in this town is the hang. Being able to hang and know your place in a room. If the other 25% is filled up with talent, you are gonna be just fine.” Take note aspiring songwriters. To hear more from Ernest, make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Ernest Reveals What NOT To Do During A Songwriting Session first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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Gotta love a supportive wife. Chris Stapleton delivered one of the all-time great national anthem performances back in 2023, when he kicked off Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a performance that left Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni in tears and probably made more than a few artists think twice about agreeing to perform the Star Spangled Banner ever again: Chris Stapleton brought Nick Sirianni to tears.#SuperBowl #NationalAnthem pic.twitter.com/sQUDTjdTsz — Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) February 12, 2023 Of course there wasn’t really any doubt that he would crush it: When it comes to pure vocalists, there aren’t many better than Chris Stapleton. The Kentucky native undeniably has one the most powerful and authentic voices not only in country music, but in any genre. So nobody was expecting his national anthem performance to be anything less than an instant classic. Except, maybe, his wife. Stapleton’s wife Morgane is obviously a killer singer in her own right, accompanying her husband as a background vocalist during his live shows and even occasionally serving as a guest artist – while also balancing life as a mom to the couples’ five children. But Stapleton revealed that leading up to his national anthem performance, Morgane decided that she was going to mess with him a little bit in a hilarious way. The country star explained during an interview on Audacy’s Rob + Holly that one of the biggest things he was worried about prior to his performance was the basics of the song: “Learning the words. I mean, I knew the words, but making sure – that’s the one unforgivable thing.” He’s not wrong. If you forget the words, or otherwise screw it up, your performance could go down in history, and not in a good way. Everybody still talks about Fergie’s national anthem performance, although I’m sure she wishes they didn’t. It was clear that the country music singer wanted everything to go smoothly when he stepped out on the field to basically kick off the Super Bowl. That’s where his wife Morgane comes in. Instead of calming his fears, Stapleton says that in the weeks leading up to his performance, Morgane was sending him countless videos and examples of “Star Spangled Banner Gone Wrong” moments: “My wife was messing with me. There’s all these ideas of people messing up so she would find the people messing up the most and she would send me those. I was like, ‘Please don’t send me this because I’m going to get that in my head.'” That’s mean – but hilarious. Of course we all know how it ended. Luke Combs revealed that the performance even had powerhouse vocalist Adele going crazy: “I was sitting in a box with Adele at the Super Bowl, and he sang that thing, and she was watching and like two lines in, she goes ‘Holy SH*T.’ She’s just like losing her mind dude. It was unbelievable… he’s unbelievable.” I mean, there wasn’t much risk that Stapleton would go down alongside Fergie, Roseanne, or any number of artists who have screwed up the national anthem over the years. As long as he remembered the words, you just knew he was going to crush it. Luckily, his wife was there to warn him of the dangers of messing it up.The post The Hilarious Way Chris Stapleton’s Wife Morgane Messed With Him Ahead Of His Super Bowl National Anthem first appeared on Whiskey Riff.