Jelly Roll received one of the biggest honors in country music this week — and the moment left him visibly overwhelmed.
During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, the 41-year-old artist learned he had been invited to perform as an official member of the Grand Ole Opry.
The news, delivered through a surprise video message, brought him to tears as he removed his headphones and buried his face in his hands.
“It don’t get no bigger in country music, bubba,” Jelly Roll told Rogan through tears, calling the recognition “as big as it gets.”
During the show, Rogan queued up footage of Jelly Roll’s earlier Opry performance from 2021 — the night Jelly has often called one of the most meaningful of his career. As he rewatched the clip, he spoke about the uncertainty he felt during his years behind bars and how, at one point, reaching that stage had seemed impossible.
Rogan then played a pre-recorded message from country star Craig Morgan, who recounted meeting Jelly Roll backstage years earlier and learning how Morgan’s song “Almost Home” helped him through some of his darkest moments.
“I’ll never forget hearing you say my music helped you get through some really tough times,” Morgan said in the video. He then extended the invitation: “Jelly Roll, you’re officially invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Welcome to the family, brother.”
Membership in the Grand Ole Opry is one of the most selective achievements in the genre. According to the organization, inductees are evaluated across several areas: radio airplay, recorded music sales, touring impact, and broader industry recognition. The Opry weighs both a performer’s accomplishments and their potential for continued success.
That said, the organization has also acknowledged its challenges in fairly prioritizing Black performers. According to The Tennessean, the Grand Ole Opry has served as both a platform for groundbreaking Black talent and a reflection of the racial tensions embedded in American cultural history. Early stars like DeFord Bailey — the first Black performer to appear on the Opry — drew some of the show’s most enthusiastic responses. Yet, his career was cut short in 1941 due to a royalties dispute, and he spent decades shining shoes before returning to the stage in 1974.
His dismissal, coupled with the Opry’s early-era promotion of artists who performed in blackface, has become a central example of how both celebration and suppression mark the institution’s legacy.
Only two Black artists were inducted as members between Bailey’s 1926 induction and Charley Pride’s in 1993, illustrating the long gaps in recognition during a period when country music was increasingly associated with the “Southern Strategy,” political messaging, and a vision of patriotism that often excluded Black performers.
In recent years, the Opry has openly acknowledged that history, citing its failure to consistently support diverse artists and its slow response to racial inequities within the genre. The organization has since stated that “neither country music nor the Grand Ole Opry would exist without the impact of diverse artists and multiple cultures,” promising to “grow, listen and learn” while expanding access to its stage.