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'Kimmel' Guest Host Jelly Roll Expresses Major Past Regret After Week Of MAGA Backlash
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“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” guest host Jelly Roll concluded a whirlwind week that saw many conservatives turn against him after the rapper made jokes about President Donald Trump. Jelly Roll began his final monologue by addressing the MAGA backlash and claims that the show’s writers pushed him to make jokes about Trump, while saying his politics fall more down the middle than anything. But the highlight of the night came when the rapper addressed a moment earlier this year, when he was asked at the Grammys to comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Minnesota. “I can tell you that people shouldn’t care to hear my opinion, man. You know, I’m a dumb redneck. I haven’t watched enough,” Jelly Roll said at the time when asked about singer Billie Eilish saying “fuck ICE” during her acceptance speech. Jelly Roll said he didn’t regret asking for more time when pressed for his opinion about the issue, but added that he did regret not being able to find “the words to express my heart just a little bit sooner.” “But I was afraid that anything I was going to say was going to be immediately taken as a political statement,” Jelly Roll said. “And ironically, by trying so hard not to make a political statement, I became one.” He added that he’s tried his whole life not to belong to any political party and that, as a former felon, he was deprived of his right to vote until March of this year. He said he fully intends to vote in this year’s midterm elections but did not say what party he would support. The rapper said that at the Grammys he failed to speak up for “people who were scared, hurting and felt like nobody was speaking for them.” “I had a microphone, and I didn’t use it the right way,” Jelly Roll said. He added that his father always told him it’s never too late to do the right thing. “So, I’m going to try to do the right thing right now because human dignity isn’t Republican nor Democrat. Compassion isn’t left wing, and mercy isn’t right wing. Pain and healing knows no partisanship. Hurting hearts are more important than poll numbers. And there are no boundaries or borders for broken families,” Jelly Roll said. Watch Jelly Roll’s full opening monologue from Thursday night’s show here: By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
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