Jelly Roll, the 39-year-old genre-bending, feel-all-the-feels musician, took over the 2024 Emmy Awards like a boss on Sunday (September 15) at the Peacock Theater in L.A. And no, he wasn’t there for a comedy routine or to deliver spicy one-liners—although, honestly, he could’ve done that too. He was there to tug on your heartstrings so hard you’d need a professional emotional un-knotter.
Jelly Roll didn’t just stroll in and wave; oh no, he was tasked with leading the In Memoriam segment. (Cue tissues.) And what better way to commemorate dearly departed legends like Bob Newhart, James Earl Jones, and Shannen Doherty than with a performance of his ballad “I Am Not Okay”? Spoiler alert: you won’t be okay after this either.
Before he turned on the emotional waterworks, Jelly Roll dropped some wisdom like a self-help guru moonlighting as a musician: “I believe that music is therapeutic. I believe that music can heal,” he said, looking like the world’s most soulful teddy bear. “I also believe that storytelling is just as cathartic.”
At this point, the audience had their “deep thoughts” faces on, probably wondering if they’d ever healed from that one time they lost a sock in the laundry. But Jelly wasn’t done yet. “I hope that this song can act as a healing moment for those mourning the storytellers we’ve lost this year,” he said, casually dropping a bomb of sentiment so profound that even your houseplants are feeling things.
But wait, there’s more: “If you are feeling lost or alone tonight, I want you to know that it’s OK to not always be OK.” This is when the whole theater collectively nodded, maybe shed a tear, and decided it was time to text their therapists.
Jelly Roll didn’t just perform at the Emmys—he came, he sang, and he therapized an entire room of Hollywood’s elite. The man’s out here healing hearts one ballad at a time.
Jelly Roll sings "I Am Not Okay" in tribute to the television family members we've lost at the 2024 #Emmys pic.twitter.com/ec9sdwNWra
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 16, 2024