Jelly Roll is never one to shy away from having vulnerable conversations, with the country star opening up about his addiction battle in the past.
The father of two got emotional when discussing how his daughter, Bailee Ann, has been affected by addiction in her life, after news broke that her biological mother had returned to jail on a drug charge.
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, shared on The Pivot Podcast how his daughter reacted to the harrowing family news.
"My child's mother has struggled with drug addiction since my daughter's been born pretty much," he said. "The addict is not the victim in that situation. The family is."
He spoke about the moment he learned that Bailee's mother had been arrested, prompting him to check on his daughter. "It was a news article that her mother had went back to jail, had got caught with, like, meth or something," he said.
"I've seen the effect that it's had on her. I've got a 16, almost 17-year-old upstairs and I've seen the effect that it's had – it's truly affected her life," the 40-year-old added, saying that the news "broke" Bailee's heart.
© Getty Images"This is a 16, 17-year-old that knows her mother is a drug addict, but like, her having to see the mugshot of her mother with just meth ate up on her face."
Jelly Roll began to get emotional about Bailee's fragile mental health, sharing how difficult it was to watch his daughter amid her heartbreak.
"I watched her go through it all over again. I was like, 'Ah, man,' I forgot 'cause I'm like, I'm 40 and I've done a lot of therapy and I've done a lot of work and I have a relationship with God that it hurt me, but I just got to pray about it and move on," he said.
© Getty Images"But I was like, 'Ah, man, she's 16, she don't have any of those tools. She's still gaining those tools. This hurts her.'"
He continued to share how he felt responsible for her struggle, as his stratospheric fame led to a higher level of media scrutiny in recent years.
"I told my wife, 'I've invited the world into our living room, so we've just gotta accept what comes with that," he said. "This is my fault more than anybody's."
© Getty Images for StagecoachThe "Beautifully Broken" singer spent time in jail during his youth on a drug charge, with his daughter being born while he was behind bars.
He admitted that her arrival changed his life and inspired him to get help with his substance abuse issues.
"I'm very anchored in my family," Jelly Roll told People. "Being a father is so important to me. The single most impactful event of my entire life was having my daughter. It changed everything."
© FilmMagicHe also has an eight-year-old son, Noah, and Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie Xo, is a proud stepmother to his two kids.
The couple, who married in 2016, are currently undergoing treatment for IVF as they hope to welcome a baby of their own.
