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Jelly Roll pardoned by Tennessee governor for robbery, drug convictions

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Jelly Roll pardoned by Tennessee governor for robbery, drug convictions


Tennessee’s governor pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native’s long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances.

The rapper-turned-singer, whose legal name is Jason Deford, has spoken for years about his redemption arc before diverse audiences, from people serving time in correctional centers to concert crowds and even in testimony before Congress.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee issued his pardon after friends and civic leaders of the Grammy-nominated musician joined in an outpouring of support.

He has said a pardon would make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without requiring burdensome paperwork.

Jelly Roll performs during iHeartRadio Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball at Capital One Arena on Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for iHeartRadio


He was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season. Lee said Jelly Roll’s application underwent the same monthslong thorough review as other applicants. The state parole board gave a nonbinding, unanimous recommendation for Jelly Roll’s pardon in April.

“His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told reporters, adding he hopes to meet Jelly Roll for the first time soon.

Beginning at the age of 14, Jelly Roll was in and out of jail for about a decade for convictions including aggravated robbery, shoplifting, drug possession and drug dealing.

In January 2024, “CBS Sunday Morning” interviewed Jelly Roll inside the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville, where he had once been an inmate. At the time, Jelly Roll had just been nominated for two Grammys.   

“There was a time in my life where I truly thought … this was it,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning.” “And then coming here, you know, just after getting nominated for two Grammys, it just hits different…I didn’t think I’d get emotional, to be honest.

He told “CBS Sunday Morning” he wrote hundreds of songs while in jail.

Unlike recent high-profile federal pardons, which let people off the hook for prison, a pardon in Tennessee serves as a statement of forgiveness for someone who has already completed a prison sentence and been released. Pardons offer a path to get certain civil rights restored, such as the right to vote, although there are some limitations under state law, and the governor can specify the terms.

Jelly Roll broke into country music with the 2023 album “Whitsitt Chapel” and crossover songs like “Need a Favor.” He has won multiple CMT Awards, a CMA Award and also picked up seven career Grammy nominations, three of them recently.

Much of his work has become associated with overcoming adversity, like the song “Winning Streak” that tells the story of someone’s first day sober. Or the direct-and-to-the-point, “I Am Not Okay.”

In making his case to the parole board, Jelly Roll said he first fell in love with songwriting while in custody, stating it began as a therapeutic passion project that “would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable.”

Beyond his sold-out shows, he’s brought his story to the Senate, where he testified in January 2024 about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his drug-dealing younger self as “the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”

“I was a part of the problem,” he told lawmakers at the time. “I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.”

Jelly Roll’s most serious convictions include a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal $350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were arrested right away. Jelly Roll was unarmed, and was sentenced to one year in prison plus probation.

In another run-in 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, leading to eight years of court-ordered supervision.

Friends and civic leaders backed the pardon application, citing Jelly Roll’s transformation.

Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, who runs Nashville’s jail, wrote that Jelly Roll had an awakening in one of the jails he managed. Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino cited Jelly Roll’s donations from his performances to charities for at-risk youth.

The parole board began considering Jelly Roll’s pardon application in October 2024, which marks the state’s five-year timeline for eligibility after his sentence expired. Prominent Nashville attorney David Raybin represents Jelly Roll in the pardon case.

Lee’s office said no one was pardoned Thursday who had a homicide or a sex-related conviction, or for any crime committed as an adult against a minor.



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Christian Bale reflects on Frankenstein’s transformation in ‘The Bride!’

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Christian Bale reflects on Frankenstein’s transformation in ‘The Bride!’


Christian Bale has opened up about the intense physical and emotional demands behind his transformation into Frankenstein’s monster for The Bride!, revealing that the process pushed him to some unusual coping methods just to get through the day.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor said he spent six hours a day in the makeup chair while working on the film, a reimagining of the 1935 classic Bride of Frankenstein directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Bale stars opposite Jessie Buckley, who plays the Bride and spent around an hour and a half in makeup for her own transformation.

Reflecting on the gruelling routine, Bale admitted the long hours of enforced stillness took a toll. 

“I would scream like crazy, every day. Just to [release the] despair, all of that restraint that you have to display when you’re sitting still for that long,” he said, explaining how he stopped himself “from going insane” during the process.

Those screams, however, were carefully timed. 

Bale said he avoided doing it on the way to work, worried it might distract him behind the wheel, and ruled out screaming alone because it could easily be misunderstood. 

Instead, what began as a private release gradually became a shared ritual on set.

“Oh man, I’m telling you, the whole crew got involved by the end because people would hear us screaming,” Bale said. 

“We would open the doors, and gradually, a bit like the Bride’s revolution, a few people were going, ‘Can we do it too?’ And then by the end, there were like 30 people who would hear us and run to the makeup trailer to be a part of it and scream as well.”

The role adds another extreme chapter to Bale’s long history of physical transformations. 

Over the years, he has become known for radically altering his body for characters, from bulking up on a strict protein-heavy diet for American Psycho to shedding 60 pounds over four months to reach 120 pounds for The Mechanist

For that film, his daily intake reportedly consisted of “water, an apple, and one cup of coffee per day.”

Not long after, Bale went in the opposite direction, gaining around 100 pounds of muscle in just six months to play Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, cementing his reputation for total physical commitment.

The Bride! is set to open in cinemas on 6 March, distributed by Warner Bros.





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Reba McEntire’s fiancé Rex Linn values ‘work’ more

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Reba McEntire’s fiancé Rex Linn values ‘work’ more


Reba McEntire and Rex Linn update on wedding plans

Reba McEntire and Rex Linn’s wedding plans are on hold, and according to the couple, it all comes down to one clear priority, work.

Speaking on the red carpet at the 2026 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, 1 February, McEntire explained that her fiancé has a firm rule when it comes to life decisions. 

As she put it plainly, “Work comes first.” Their wedding, it seems, is no exception.

The 70-year-old singer and actress shared that Linn, 69, is currently juggling multiple professional commitments, which has pushed their nuptials further down the calendar. 

The couple are waiting to hear whether their NBC sitcom Happy’s Place, in which they star together, will be renewed for a third season. 

On top of that, Linn has recently landed a role in Stick alongside Owen Wilson, adding another project to an already busy schedule.

Those developments, McEntire said, have naturally delayed any wedding planning. 

While the date may be undecided, the couple do not appear frustrated by the wait. In fact, McEntire has made it clear that working side by side is something they genuinely enjoy.

Later that evening, she told PEOPLE that collaborating professionally has been one of the highlights of their relationship. 

She spoke warmly about the range of projects they have tackled together over the years, from films to television, across both dramatic and comedic genres. 

Linn proposed to McEntire on Christmas Eve in 2024, and since then, the pair have continued to prioritise their shared careers.

The couple, who have been together for six years, currently appear together in Happy’s Place. Their on-screen history also includes Big Sky, The Hammer, Young Sheldon and The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, making their professional partnership almost as established as their personal one.

McEntire has previously said that there is no pressure to rush down the aisle. 

Back in November, she told PEOPLE that they were simply enjoying their engagement and had no set timeline for the wedding, reiterating that work would guide their plans. 

She echoed that sentiment in a separate interview with E! News, adding that when the ceremony does happen, it will reflect who they are as a couple.

According to McEntire, the wedding will be “nontraditional,” focusing on comfort, good food and time with friends rather than convention. 

For now, though, the aisle will have to wait, because for Rex Linn, work still comes first.





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Stefon Diggs reveals if he will propose Cardi B

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Stefon Diggs reveals if he will propose Cardi B


Stefon Diggs has proposal plans for Cardi B 

Stefon Diggs has hinted that a wedding proposal to Cardi B could be in the works, though he is focused on securing his own championship ring first. 

Speaking at a media presser on Monday ahead of Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots wide receiver was asked if his partner would be receiving a ring of her own if he wins the big game this Sunday. 

Diggs laughed at the suggestion, responding, “It’s on the agenda, maybe, right? Right?” 

However, he made it clear that the upcoming match against the Seattle Seahawks is his immediate priority, adding, “I gotta get mine first, though.”

The couple, who first sparked dating rumours in February 2025 before making their relationship Instagram-official last June, have had a whirlwind year. 

They welcomed a son together in November 2025, adding to their busy family lives. 

Cardi, 33, is currently a mother of four, sharing three children, Kulture, 7, Wave, 4, and one-year-old Blossom, with her former partner Offset, from whom she is currently divorcing. 

Cardi B goes wild as Stefon Diggs heads to Super Bowl: ‘That’s my baby!’

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Diggs is a father to five other children, four of whom were born just last year.

Despite his focus on the pitch, Diggs remains a huge supporter of Cardi’s career and recently praised her performance on Saturday Night Live.

While he admitted he isn’t an expert on the music industry, he told PEOPLE, “I don’t know too much about music but I know she’s one of the best to ever do it and one of the best out right now.” 

He expressed his excitement for her upcoming tour, noting that it falls during his football off-season, which should allow him to travel and support her in person. 

He even joked about being a dedicated fan in the crowd, saying, “I’ma get me a big a** sign that says, ‘Go, go go go.’”

Cardi has fully embraced her role as a supportive partner, appearing at several of Diggs’ games, including the recent AFC Championship victory over the Denver Broncos. 

She is also set for a busy Super Bowl weekend herself, with a scheduled performance at the Fanatics Super Bowl party on Saturday. 

Diggs emphasised that he wants to see her continue to flourish and reach her potential as she balances her role as a mother with her global music career.





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