The red carpet was not rolled out for country singer Jelly Roll during his recent visit to a luxury boutique in Sydney, Australia.
The popular musician says he was treated like a criminal after a visit to the Louis Vuitton store.
In a video posted to his Instagram story, Jelly Roll explained the uncomfortable situation. “The Louis Vuitton in Sydney, legitimately just treated us like we were finna come here and rob that place,” he said through laughter. “I have never been looked at more like a cri-.”
“Listen, the last time I was looked at like a criminal this bad, I was an actual criminal this bad,” Jelly admitted.
Jelly Roll, known for his face tattoos and soulful voice, is currently on his Down Under tour across Australia and New Zealand, having performed in Sydney on Tuesday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Representatives for Jelly Roll, as well as Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH, did not immediately respond to Men’s Journal’s request for comment.
Criminal History
From adolescence to young adulthood, Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason Bradley DeFord, spent several years in and out of the prison system. When he was 16, the singer faced up to 20 years behind bars for aggravated robbery, although he only served a little over a year in jail, plus seven years of probation.
“I hadn’t hit my last growth spurt. I was charged as an adult years before I could buy a beer, lease an apartment, get a pack of cigarettes,” he told Billboard in 2023 of the crime. “I feel like the justice system at that point kind of parked me on my only set path.”
Grateful for the life he has since created, the “Son of a Sinner” singer says his past continuously follows him. “Imagine changing your life in such a way that you can afford the kind of house in this community I was looking at,” he told the outlet, of being rejected by a community with its own golf course due to his record. “My money was welcome, but I wasn’t, all because of something I did [almost] 24 years ago.”
Travel Issues
The singer has spoken candidly about having trouble traveling out of the country in the past due to his felony record.
“America has finally agreed to let me leave and give me a passport, but some countries won’t let me come because of my felonies,” he told Jon Bon Jovi in a conversation for Interview Magazine last year. “We’re working on that. I think it’s going to work in my favor.”
In April of this year, the Board of Parole in Tennessee voted to pardon Jelly Roll for his previous crimes. The decision remains with the governor.
Jelly’s next show is in Townsville, Australia on Thursday.
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Nov 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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