Jelly Roll says 16-year-old daughter is ‘so much smarter’ than he was when he was arrested

Jelly Roll is a proud father of a girl.

In a recent interview, the country music star opened up about the close bond he shares with his 16-year-old daughter, Bailee, explaining why she’s “so much smarter” than he was at her age.

Recalling a recent conversation he had with his daughter, Jelly Roll told People magazine“(I said), ‘I’m not judging you by what you do. I’m judging you by what I know you’re capable of. You’re so much smarter than I was when I was 16. You’re so much better, so much more emotionally intelligent. You can read a room so much better. So don’t try to talk yourself out of trouble, Miss Sassy, ​​by weaponizing my past.’

JELLY ROLL SAYS HIS CRIMES PREVENT HIM FROM BOOKING GIGS ABROAD

The country star said Bailee is “way ahead” of where he was at her age.

“When I look at what she does that I consider terrible, I look back at what I did at 16 and I’m like, ‘Oh man…’ When I’m hard on her about things or a little pushy, she knows it’s out of love,” he said.

The “Save Me” singer has been open about his past legal troubles and battle with addiction.

During a 2023 interview with Billboard, Jelly Roll, whose full name is Jason Bradley DeFord, told the outlet that he was arrested when he was 16 and charged as an adult with aggravated robbery and possession with intent to sell.

LIKE WHAT YOU READ? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

He served over a year in prison and seven years probation.

“I will never get over the fact that it was a heinous crime,” Jelly Roll told Billboard.

He continued, “This is a grown man looking back at a 16-year-old kid who made the worst decision he could have made in his life and people could have been hurt and luckily no one knew by the grace of God did it.”

Jelly Roll, who is also father to 8-year-old son Noah, and wife Bunnie Xo have had full custody of Bailee since 2017.

“She’s a really down-and-out kid,” he told People. “She’s been in the same elementary school district for 10 years and had the same friends since Bunnie and I have had custody of her. I think a lot of that has helped.”

In October, Jelly Roll opened up about how the birth of his daughter was the catalyst for wanting to change his life.

The country music star decided to make a change “as soon as she was born” after he found himself “sitting in a jail cell with $17 honey buns and potato chips to (his) name.”

“I own an outfit, the one that was in prison, and here I am in charge of a child,” Jelly Roll said during an appearance on “Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist.” “I mean, I was the lowest common denominator in life, you know? I mean, I was the scum of the earth. I was a crack dealer. I was a terrible, terrible person. And I thought, “I’ve got to figure this out.”

Earlier this year, he described the moment he found out Bailee was born behind bars and how it changed the trajectory of his life.

“I was incarcerated as a young person for some terrible decisions, and I ended up as the revolving door of the system for about a decade,” he told guest host Martin Short during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in June. “I had a daughter and it changed my whole life, man. It was almost like the Damascus Road experience where Saul turned to Paul for me.”

“I was in jail and they knocked on my door and told me she was born. And I just cried. It’s the first time I’ve ever cried and I can’t stop crying now,” Jelly Roll joked. “Now I cry if I just see a squirrel on the street. I say: ‘The little squirrel!’ Spent 30 years not crying and now I can’t stop.”

During an interview with Fox News Digital last year, he shared that his troubled past and his ability to overcome it had a lasting impact on him.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for what I went through. I think it empowered me. I think it gave me my voice,” he said at The CMAs in 2023. “It taught me a lot about overcoming. It taught me a lot about change and the ability to change.

He continued: “I was a terrible person for decades and just to be able to turn it around and give a message in music and help people… and just try to give back as much as I can in every way , I can, is very indicative of where I came from and how important it is for me to always reach back.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Hume and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this post.