Jelly Roll responds to critics of face tattoos, says ink is not a cry for attention

Jelly Roll has brushed off criticism about his face tattoos, insisting the ink is not a call for attention and does not define who he is as a person.

Jelly Roll poses in the Broadcast room during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

The 41-year-old rapper and country star addressed the topic in his cover story for Men’s Health magazine. Jelly Roll has long been known for his distinctive tattoos, including a cross under his right eye, a teardrop under his left eye, and the words “music man” across his hairline.

Pushing back against assumptions about his appearance, the “Need a Favor” singer explained that people often misunderstand the motivations behind bravado and outward confidence. He told the publication, “It’s the polar opposite. The way shame sometimes shows itself is not always the way we expect it to be. We think shame is somebody in the streets on their knees, with their head down. But shame sometimes is pride. Sometimes shame is just bravado.”

Jelly Roll performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

Jelly Roll continued, “Behind real bravado, I can normally find shame. I can normally find guilt. I can normally find insecurity. I was the biggest, the loudest, the toughest, the meanest, the growliest, the fattest. There’s normally deep inside of that a really, really small, insecure human. I was that, for sure. Then a by-product of that was I got fat as f***.”

The Grammy nominee told the outlet he “may remove the face tattoos” as part of his personal “journey,” which has also included a dramatic over 200lb weight loss. Jelly Roll shared that he has consistently lost between nine and 15 pounds each month.

Jelly Roll attends The 56th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Despite his major transformation, J Jelly Roll has been candid about his regrets. In March 2024, he told GQ, “I regret 98 percent of these tattoos, 97 percent, almost all of them.”

Now married to Bunnie XO, Jelly Roll admitted that the beliefs he held when he got most of his tattoos have changed. Reflecting on his past choices, he said, “And now I’m 40, I’m like, what was I thinking?”