Jelly Roll's Daughter Is Growing Up Fast

The following article mentions drug addiction.

When Jelly Roll (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) became a father to his daughter Bailee Ann DeFord, it turned his life upside-down — in a good way. At the time of her birth, he was incarcerated but determined to move forward. "The guard knocked on my cell door during lockdown in the early afternoon hours and informed me my daughter had just been born," he wrote on Facebook in 2020. "In that exact moment, sitting there uncertain about the future, I knew that if given a second chance ... I would get out of jail and do everything I could to be there for her."

The "Tears Could Talk" singer eventually gained full custody of Bailee, and she also has a loving stepmom in Bunnie Xo. "Over the years, watching her relationship with Bailee blossom into this beautiful mother-daughter bond that it has become has been nothing short of magical," Jelly Roll said of his wife and daughter in a Facebook post from 2020.

In celebration of Bailee's birthday in 2023, Jelly Roll made an Instagram post and referred to his daughter as his "favorite human on Earth" and informed fans of how he swelled with pride as he watched her grow up. Meet Bailee Ann DeFord.

Bailee Ann DeFord lives with her father and stepmother, but it was initially a challenge for Jelly Roll to gain custody. "Bailee's mother made it hard on me at first," he said in the "Jelly Roll: Save Me" documentary. "She made me go to court to even see her. I barely got to see her in the early years because I was traveling so much. I was a very less-than-present father. Not to mention, I was drinking myself to sleep every night."

When Bailee Ann was a young girl, her mother, Felicia Beckwith, developed an addiction to opiates. "I see Felicia end up in a full-blown heroin addiction," Jelly Roll recalled. Beckwith, who has been in and out of recovery, has had a complicated relationship with her daughter. Bailee briefly touched on this in an Instagram post from 2022, which detailed the highs and lows of her year. "I had a rocky relationship with my mother (which we are working on)," she wrote. In the documentary, Bailee and Jelly Roll shared that Beckwith was sober.

Bailee Ann also commented on the hardships she endured as a young kid. "I had an extra, interesting, traumatic childhood," she said, acknowledging that her father and stepmom have had similar experiences. "As a teenager, I've moved on. I've worked through my childhood. But that doesn't make it go away. It made me who I am today."

As busy as his music career keeps Jelly Roll, he and Bailee Ann DeFord spend a lot of time together. "Being a father is so important to me, and just being as present as I can for her," Jelly Roll told People in 2023. And his daughter wants him to know he is doing a great job. "Just wanted to take a sec and let you and everyone else know how PROUD of you I am," she wrote on Instagram in 2022. "I am so freaking proud of the human, artist, and father you are." In an Instagram post from 2021, Bailee spoke about her dad's achievements again and noted his rags-to-riches story. "He's truly my inspiration," she wrote.

Bailee has acknowledged how her life changed when her father and Bunnie Xo took custody of her. In a 2019 Instagram post, she praised Jelly Roll for all he has done. This includes being present and attending events like graduation ceremonies and dances. "You have been by my side when nobody else could or would. Teaching me life lessons on everything, how to deal with bullies and my feelings," she wrote.

At an early age, Bailee Ann DeFord developed a passion for music. In 2019, Jelly Roll informed fans of her contribution to his album. "Bailee wrote and rapped her own verse on the song 'Sunshine After the Rain' on 'Crosses and Crossroads.' She is so so talented. I could brag on her for days," he wrote on Facebook.

In 2020, she appeared in her father's music video for "Tears Could Talk." "Such a proud father moment — my daughter wrote this verse all by herself, and shooting this video with her was one of the best days of my life to share that experience with her," Jelly Roll captioned the clip.

Bailee joined her father onstage at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in December 2022. In an Instagram post, she shared her thoughts on this moment, referring to it as among the "best experiences" of her life. In 2023, she joined Jelly Roll for his performance in Alpharetta, Georgia, where she sang their song, "Tears Could Talk." The musician addressed the crowd and informed them of the inspiration behind the track. "A few years back, Bailee came to me and said that she wanted to do a song, and she told me she wanted to use writing as a means of therapy," he said (via American Songwriter). "And I said, 'Well, I'd love for you to write something, and if it's good, we'll put it on my album.'" She took her dad up on that offer, and clearly, it all worked out.

Bailee Ann DeFord has a younger brother, Noah Buddy DeFord. When Noah arrived on August 23, 2016, Jelly Roll announced his birth on Facebook. "God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord! I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father's sins," he wrote. After Noah's birth, the musician updated fans on how Bailee was adjusting. "She's so happy to be a big sister! I've seen it all, and nothing compares to this!" he wrote on Facebook four days after the original post.

Unlike Bailee, Noah's life is more private. His mother is a woman named Melisa, who keeps out of the public eye. In an Instagram Story (via Taste of Country), Bunnie Xo expressed her love for Melisa. "She's one stand up chick & we couldn't imagine our lives with her," Bunnie wrote. 

In August 2023, Jelly Roll offered another glimpse into what the blended family's dynamic looks like. "With Bailey, I'm the full-time parent; I'm the judge, the jury, and the executioner when it comes to decisions with her," he told Taste of Country. "I try not to get in the way of what she (Melisa) is building over there, and I never want to step on her toes with what she's doing with him, that I want to just respect that boundary."

Jelly Roll not only served time for selling drugs, but struggled with addiction. "I had to learn that you could drink alcohol without doing cocaine. It took me a long time to learn that," he told People in 2023. "I've never said that, but that's real." As previously noted, Bailee Ann DeFord's biological mother also has a history of addiction. Jelly Roll wants a different path for his daughter. 

When it comes to drug use, the musician worries about Bailee's safety and well-being, especially given the dangers of fentanyl. In recent years, there's been an uptick in fentanyl-related overdoses, and Jelly Roll has advocated for anti-fentanyl legislation. "We've seen crack. We've seen cocaine. We've seen opioids. But we've never seen something that is so deadly in such small amounts that's being mixed in so many different things," the "Son of a Sinner" musician told People in an interview in 2024. "My daughter will never experience the safety of experimenting with drugs," he continued. "I know that sounds crazy to say, but when I was a kid, my mother would be like, 'You're going to try everything once. Just be safe.'" As far as Jelly Roll is concerned, there's no such thing as "safe" experimenting nowadays. 

Jelly Roll is a fan of body art, and he has an impressive collection of tattoos. Among his most important designs are Bailee Ann DeFord and Noah DeFord's names, which are on his face. Alas, Bailee isn't the biggest fan of these particular tattoos. "She picks on me about it all the time. Now she makes fun of me," the musician told People in 2023. "She's like, 'How did my brother get your face and I got the side of the head?' I used to rock the undercut, and if I shave the side of my head, you see it. It's huge. I mean, it takes the whole side of my head up."

While Jelly Roll may stand by those tattoos, he isn't exactly on board with every other piece of ink he's gotten over the years. Frankly, he no longer likes most of them. "I have more tattoo regrets than I do. 'Man, I'm glad I got this,'" he said on "Audacy Check In." In the same chat, he admitted he'd considered covering all of the tattoos on his arms. "How you think at 16 years old and how you think at 36 years old are so dramatically far apart from each other," he said. "It's embarrassing." Jelly Roll did say that in addition to the tattoos of his kids' names, he's still cool with some of the tattoos he got while on tour because they have sentimental value.