Singer Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, is going to add “actor” to his ever-growing resume after starring in an episode of CBS’ Fire Country. The show follows the story of a young convict named Bode Donovan (played by Max Theiriot) seeking redemption. He is given the chance to shorten his prison sentence by joining a prison-release firefighting program, where he and other inmates work alongside firefighters to tackle raging wildfires in his hometown.
Thanks to a lucky encounter with Max, the “Son of a Sinner” artist was given a chance to not only star in an episode in Season 3, but have his character created with some of his own personal life story in mind. Jelly Roll has a past history of multiple arrests and incarceration. Fans can tune in and watch the rapper in the episode, “Fire and Ice,” on April 11th.
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Jelly Roll Got A Chance To Star In Fire Country After A Lucky Encounter With Lead Actor Max Thieriot
Jelly Roll And Max Thieriot Met One Another In The Bathroom Of The CMT Music Awards
Jelly Roll will be making his acting debut in Season 3’s Fire Country. The singer will make an appearance (not as himself) in one episode of the CBS drama series, and fans are looking forward to seeing him take on this new role as his music has been regularly used on the show.
So, how did Jelly Roll get a chance to star in the series? It all happened thanks to an encounter with the show’s lead actor, Max Theiriot, while both men attended the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Max shared just how he and Jelly Roll first met while in the bathroom at the award show.
“He was finishing drying his hands with a towel in the bathroom at the CMTs. I ran into him in the bathroom straight up at the CMT Music Awards,” Max said. Their conversation began from there with the singer telling Max that he was a huge fan of the show and was even “petitioning online” to get himself to star in it.
“I said, ‘Thank you for letting us have some of your songs on the show.’ And he’s like, ‘Dude, how do I get on the show? I’ve been petitioning online and talking to my people, and you got to get me on that show.'”
“He said Fire Country is what he really represents. … He called me the next day and it showed how sincere he was.”
Max then shared with the outlet that they worked together to come up with a “unique” character for Jelly Roll. The artist can somewhat relate to the show’s cast. As his Biography notes, Jelly Roll had a troubled youth and was first arrested at the age of 14. He has admitted to going to jail 40 times for various offenses that included aggravated robbery at 16, and being incarcerated for drug dealing at 23.
Jelly Roll was born in Nashville, Tennessee on December 4, 1984. According to Biography, his mother gave him the nickname “Jelly Roll” because he was a “chubby kid.” That nickname stuck with the singer.
“We worked on coming up with a character [for him] that we all thought would be interesting, unique and special and still. It tells some of the story about second chances and what he really represents. But [it] also feels different from who he is and how people see him day to day as a country singer,” Max said.
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Who Does Jelly Roll Star As In Fire Country?
Fans Can Watch Jelly Roll In An Episode Titled “Fire And Ice”
Jelly Roll will star in the upcoming episode of Season 3 titled “Fire and Ice” that will air on April 11th. The singer will play a healthcare worker and former convict named Noah.
A synopsis for “Fire and Ice” reads: “The station 42 crew responds to a ski resort accident after a chair lift malfunctions, and Vince struggles to connect with his father.”
A teaser for the upcoming episode shows that Jelly Roll’s character will play a vital role in the synopsis above as he is seen having a very important conversation with Billy Burke’s character, Vince Leone, who stars as Bode’s father. In the clip, Jelly Roll is seen telling Billy’s character, “Memories are complicated, but your boy got a second chance.”
A character description of Noah shares that he had lost his mother while incarcerated and “now, he works with patients like his mom, and their loved ones who struggle with saying their own goodbyes.” The role is the perfect fit for the artist, as he, too, has turned his life around after his several brushes with the law and incarcerations.
Stills from the episode also show Jelly Roll’s character interacting with Walter Leone (played by Jeff Fahey), who is Bode’s grandfather and Vince’s father. It appears that the singer’s character will have much-needed and helpful conversations with Vince and Walter as the episode synopsis shared that “Vince struggles to connect with this father.”
Additionally, the episode will feature a brand-new song by Jelly Roll titled, “Dreams Don’t Die.” So, fans have a lot to look forward to when they tune in on April 11th.
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The “Need A Favor” Singer Also Stars As American Idol’s First Artist In Residence
TV viewers will be seeing a lot of Jelly Roll this year. Besides starring in a highly-anticipated episode of Fire Country, the singer will be a permanent fixture on Season 23 of American Idol after being announced as the reality TV series’ first Artist in Residence.
Jelly Roll made his first appearance as the show’s artist in residence during “Hollywood Week,” in the April 7th episode, where his role will be that of a mentor to the aspiring Idol hopefuls. The “Save Me” singer will make appearances throughout the season as he gives advice to the contestants. As of this writing, the season is now down to its Top 24 contestants after judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Season 4 Idol winner Carrie Underwood (who replaced Katy Perry) had to make some very gut-wrenching decisions.
Jelly Roll had previously appeared on Season 22 of Idol as a mentor during “Hawaii Week.” Fans loved watching the singer help out the contestants, and now he will get to play a much bigger role on the show.
Not only will Jelly Roll mentor Season 23’s up-and-coming singers, but fans will also get to see him perform very soon. The show announced a three-hour episode during the Easter holiday (Sunday, April 20th) called “Songs of Faith,” where Jelly Roll and several other Christian artists will perform. At that time, the Top 20 contestants will also take on “faith-inspired songs” that will hopefully secure them to the next round.
Fans can watch Jelly Roll make his acting debut as Noah on Season 3 of Fire Country on April 11th, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
