While some fans believe Jelly Rollwas unfairly overlooked in the 2025 CMA Awards nominations, the country star was seemingly unbothered by the snub.
When the contenders were announced on Monday, September 8, Jelly Roll’s name was noticeably absent from all major categories — even though his Beautifully Broken album was eligible and he’s been on an impressive run with nonstop touring throughout the year.
In 2024, Jelly earned three nominations, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year slot. So, this year’s shutout didn’t sit well with many fans.
However, Jelly’s reaction to the omission wasn’t one of bitterness — it was pure positivity.
Despite the lack of major nominations, Jelly Roll did receive a nod in one category, Musical Event of the Year for “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” his collaboration with Christian artist Brandon Lake.
While it’s a less high-profile category, the nomination was still meaningful — especially because it marked Lake’s first-ever CMA nomination.
Instead of focusing on his own exclusions, Jelly turned the attention on Lake. He responded to a clip of the singer’s emotional reaction to hearing the nomination announced live.
“YEAHHH BUBBAAAA,” Jelly wrote in the comments. Fans rallied behind the duo, writing, “You already won the award just by how many people that sings has touched people.”
Another added, “You deserve to win. Your song comes straight from God through your two hearts. Powerful!”
When Lake first wrote “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” he reportedly thought Jelly Roll would be the perfect voice to bring the song to life. Though they hadn’t met, he reached out, and by coincidence, Jelly had already discovered the song on TikTok.
“I haven’t had a record touch me like that in so long,” Jelly shared in a 2025 promo video. “It’s been years since I worshipped the way that I worshipped to that song.”
If “Hard Fought Hallelujah” takes home a CMA Award, it could be one of the most meaningful wins of his career.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
