Jelly Roll Dropped out of the Grand Ole Opry's 100th Anniversary, but Why?
Jelly Roll had to drop out of the celebration for illness.
Published March 21 2025, 11:45 a.m. ET
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 100th anniversary in grand and impressive fashion on March 19, and it featured a slew of stars ranging from Blake Shelton to Reba McEntire. While many of country music's biggest names were in attendance, one person was notably absent: Jelly Roll.
Jelly Roll is not a formal member of the Opry, but eagle-eyed viewers likely knew that he was supposed to be in attendance and was scheduled to perform alongside Ashley McBryde. He was ultimately replaced by Post Malone, but now that we know he wasn't able to attend, many want to know why. Here's what we know.
Blake Shelton at the Opry 100
Why did Jelly Roll miss the Opry 100?
While he has not offered any sort of explanation for his absence, The Tennessean reports that he had to bow out due to illness.
Post Malone and Ashley paid tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter by performing their 1967 "Jackson," and it was just one of two performances from Post, who is new to the world of country music, during the show.
Despite Jelly Roll's absence, though, fans were still pretty pleased with the duet, and it seems like Post has the credentials to prove he's always been a Johnny Cash fan. He has a tattoo of Johnny on his arm and also performed the Man in Black's "Cocaine Blues" in California in 2024. While he may have seemed like an odd person for a tribute to Johnny, then, it turns out that Post Malone has plenty of reason to be interested in that tribute.
June Carter and Johnny Cash are two of the biggest figures in the history of country music.
It's fitting that the Opry decided to pay tribute to June and Johnny, as they are two of the most important figures in the history of country music. "Jackson" was just one of the songs they performed together during their 35-year marriage, which only ended in 2003 when June died of complications related to surgery. Johnny would die later that year from diabetes.
Of course, the show was filled with performances to country music from decades past, and to the songs that continue to define it through to today. Legends like George Jones, Garth Brooks, and Dolly Parton were all paid tribute to, and some stars also performed songs from more recent country icons.
Amidst the onslaught of talent that was on-hand for the event, you wouldn't even have noticed that Jelly Roll wasn't in attendance except for the fact that Post Malone performed twice. Even so, he acquitted himself wonderfully, proving that he is a genuine lover of all things country music, and especially of the genre's long history.
One hundred years is a long time for anything to survive, and in that time, country music hasn't survived but it has continued to thrive and expand its boundaries. Country music has changed over the decades like every other genre, but it may have more fans than ever even after 100 years.