Jelly Roll opened up about his political views after his jokes about Donald Trump caused a lot of talk this week.
The country singer got emotional during his final night as a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as he explained why he does not want people putting him into one political group.
Jelly Roll said he is “pretty down the middle” and does not belong to either political party.
“Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle,” he said.
His comments, however, came after he joked about Trump’s weight while hosting the show on Monday.
The joke quickly brought strong reactions, with some people calling him a liberal while others earlier assumed that he supported Trump.
Jelly Roll said he is tired of people deciding what he believes without really knowing him.
He also explained that he had been scared to speak about politics because he knew people could take his words the wrong way.
“I was afraid that anything I was going to say was going to be immediately taken as a political statement,” he said.
This time, he wanted to make his feelings clear.
“Human dignity isn’t Republican nor Democrat. Compassion isn’t left-wing, and mercy isn’t right-wing,” he said.
Jelly Roll also defended shaking Trump’s hand, saying he respects the office of the president while still believing he has the freedom to joke about the president.
For him, both things can exist at the same time.
