Jesus at the Grammys: Jelly Roll Wins Big and Praises Jesus
If you go looking for either the good or the bad in culture, you will certainly find it. In many ways, engaging with mainstream culture as Christians is a matter of perspective and expectations. The recent 68th annual Grammy Awards was no different.
From the Oscars to the Golden Globes to the Grammys, awards shows have been hemorrhaging viewership and relevancy for years. This week’s Grammy Awards ceremony—the annual awards presented by the Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievements in music—provided another example of why. The emphasis on excellence in music quickly gave way to pandering on current events, with artists like Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny using their acceptance speeches to give political spiels.
But there was more to the ceremony than unwanted political rants. Breakout Christian artist Forrest Frank made headlines last year for his personal conviction to forgo attending awards shows in order to illustrate that the only award that truly matters is Jesus. Fellow musical artist Jelly Roll was critical of Frank’s position. At the 2026 Grammys, his actions demonstrated a compelling counterpoint.
Jelly Roll took home three awards, including a Best Contemporary Country Album win for Beautifully Broken. Despite receiving high honors, he was quick to direct the acclaim a little higher. He began an acceptance speech by proclaiming, “First of all, Jesus, I hear you and I’m listening, Lord. I am listening, Lord.”
Holding an award in one hand and a small Bible in the other, he shared his powerful testimony of how God found him while he was in jail. He declared, “I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life.”
On a night when many artists were using the stage to promote their preferred political positions, he passionately declared, “I want to tell y’all right now. Jesus is for everybody. Jesus is not owned by any one political party. Jesus is Jesus. Anybody can have a relationship with him. I love you, Lord!”
At a time when faith-based art appears to be trending back toward cultural isolation, Jelly Roll’s speech showcased the beauty of maintaining a Christian presence in the mainstream entertainment industry. A Christian was honored on the loftiest stage for his craft, and his humility—in stark contrast to his peers—provided an example in both word and deed of how Jesus transforms lives and pursues the lost (Luke 15:3-7).
By his own admission, Jelly Roll may not fit perfectly into the faith-based artist mold. And despite choosing to elevate Jesus over politics at the Grammys, he has indicated that he intends to become more politically engaged in the future. But for at least one evening, he used his public platform to cut through the cultural noise, outrage, and division to shine the light of Christ on a public stage.
