Jelly Roll skips Kid Rock festival to celebrate daughter

Jelly Roll recently made a heartfelt decision to forego his performance at Kid Rock’s Rock The Country festival to celebrate his daughter Bailee Ann’s significant milestone. The 41-year-old Grammy winner took to Instagram Stories on Saturday, May 2, to express his joy over Bailee being crowned Prom Queen at her high school prom. In the image shared, Bailee appeared radiant, clad in a teal strapless gown adorned with a crown and holding a red rose, with white and blue sashes declaring her as “Prom Royalty” and “Prom Queen.” It was a proud moment for Jelly Roll as he commemorated his daughter’s achievement while missing out on a significant event in his music career.

In another Instagram post, Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie Xo, were seen standing behind Bailee as she got ready for her prom, showcasing a beautiful family moment. The trio later appeared dressed up for the occasion in a clip where they joyfully lip-synched to Reba McEntire’s song “Fancy,” demonstrating their unwavering support and love for Bailee.

Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, shares Bailee with his ex-girlfriend Felicia, and the pair welcomed their daughter in 2008 while he was serving time in prison for a drug-related offense. Reflecting on the moment he received news of Bailee’s birth, he shared with Billboard in June 2023, “A guard knocked on my cell door midafternoon during lockdown. He goes, ‘You had a kid today.’ I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now.”

In August 2016, Jelly Roll welcomed another child, Noah Buddy, with his ex-partner, Melisa. Despite being candid about his past struggles, Jelly Roll expressed his hopes for his children, writing on Facebook at the time of Noah’s birth, “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. I’ll post more pics tomorrow.”

Furthermore, Jelly Roll tied the knot with Bunnie Xo in Las Vegas in August 2016 and has been transparent about their journey with in vitro fertilization to expand their family. Bunnie Xo shared on her Dumb Blonde podcast in 2024, “This journey with IVF, we sat down a couple of months ago…J was like… ‘I would love to have a baby with you.’ And that was not the response that I thought he would say. I was just like, ‘Wow really? Have you always felt like that?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I will always have a baby with you. If you want to have a baby, cool. If you don’t, cool. Whatever you want to do.’ So now he’s, like, really excited about it.”

The music festival Kid Rock’s Rock The Country, where Jelly Roll was scheduled to perform, kicked off over the weekend, while he chose to be by his daughter’s side to celebrate her memorable achievement. Despite missing out on a significant performance, Jelly Roll cherished the moment with Bailee, showcasing his dedication to his family above all else.