2 January 2026
Jelly Roll has laughed off critics who think he has face tattoos as a call for attention.
Jelly Roll has a few face tattoos
The 41-year-old rapper insists the inkings – including a cross under his right eye, a teardrop under his left eye, as well as “music man” across his hairline – do not define him as a person.
In his cover story for Men’s Health magazine – published on Friday (02.01.26) – Jelly said: “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.
“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 publication pointed out that the Need a Favor singer – whose real name is Jason DeFord – “may remove the face tattoos” as part of his “journey”, which includes a 200lb weight loss.
As well as face inkings, the star – who also told Men’s Health that he has consistently shed between nine and 15lbs each month – also has tattoos on his body.
And Jelly regrets “98 per cent” of his body art, which he decided to get done in his youth.
In March 2024, the Grammy nominee told GQ: “I regret 98 per cent of these tattoos, 97 per cent, almost all of them.
Jelly – who is married to 45-year-old media personality Alisa DeFord, known professionally as Bunnie XO – admitted the “core philosophies” he used to hold dear when he got most of his tattoos had now changed.
The Son of a Sinner performer added: “And now I’m 40, I’m like, what was I thinking?”
Jelly also said when it came to taking people on a ‘tour’ of his tattoos, he wouldn’t know “where to start”.
The Heart of Stone hitmaker added: “I don’t know, I hate ’em all.”
