Country singer Blake Shelton has allegedly opened up about a music video project he once worked on with Jelly Roll, revealing that what was supposed to be a relatively straightforward production turned into a nearly 10-day ordeal.
According to Shelton, the project ultimately never saw the light of day because of what he described as Jelly Roll’s terrible performance throughout the filming process.
“That was probably the most grueling 10 days of my life,” Shelton said. “Jelly Roll had such a hard time filming that we had to scrap the whole thing altogether. I guess I should have known better than what I was getting into.”
The alleged story adds another unusual chapter to the growing criticism surrounding Jelly Roll, whose career has taken him from rap and hip-hop into the country music world and eventually to the top of the genre.
Shelton reportedly said the experience gave him an early indication that working with Jelly Roll might not be as easy as some people expected.
“We kept thinking we were going to get everything done the next day,” Shelton allegedly said. “Then another day would go by, and we’d still be trying to get the same scenes right. By the end, everyone was exhausted.”
The singer also took aim at Jelly Roll’s recent political comments, arguing that the controversy has created unnecessary problems for an artist who should simply be concentrating on music.
“Now he’s completely gone woke, and that was the biggest mistake of his life,” Shelton said. “He should’ve just stuck to the music.”
Jelly Roll recently attracted widespread attention after making jokes about President Donald Trump during his appearance as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! His remarks triggered backlash from some country music fans, particularly those who viewed him as an artist who had previously connected strongly with a more traditional audience.
Shelton allegedly believes the political controversy isn’t simply a temporary phase.
“I think people just think that he got woke recently, but he always has been,” Shelton said. “We just never called it that way.”
The comments paint a picture of someone who, according to Shelton’s alleged account, had been displaying the same attitude long before Jelly Roll’s latest political controversy.
The story also highlights how dramatically Jelly Roll’s public image has changed. His rise in country music was largely built around his personal story, his unconventional background and his ability to connect with fans who appreciated his honesty.
But his recent comments have shifted much of the attention away from his music and toward politics.
Some fans have defended Jelly Roll, arguing that he should be able to express his personal opinions. Others have accused him of alienating the country audience that helped turn him into a major star.
For Shelton, the alleged music-video experience appears to have reinforced his opinion that Jelly Roll has always been somewhat different from the traditional country image.
What began as a 10-day music video shoot reportedly ended with no finished video at all.
And now, years later, Shelton allegedly has another explanation for why things went wrong: Jelly Roll was apparently always Jelly Roll.