Amy Carter's Husband Is in a Wheelchair in 2025 — Here's What We Know About the Reason

The death of Jimmy Carter was the culmination of a long life of public service, and because he was once president, his services have been a pretty big deal. Carter's time in office was almost 50 years ago, and his family has long since receded out of the spotlight.

There was a time, though, when his daughter Amy Carter was a major political activist. Now that Amy has reentered the spotlight to mourn her father, some want to know more about her life. Specifically, they want to know why her husband appears to be in a wheelchair. Here's what we know.

We don't actually know much about why Amy's husband is in a wheelchair. She married Joseph John "Jay" Kelly in 2007, and the couple have one child together. What we do know, though, is that in 2023, when Amy's mother, Rosalynn Carter, died, Jay was not in a wheelchair, so whatever happened to him must have happened in the time since Rosalynn died. It's also unclear whether he will remain in a wheelchair or whether this is temporary.

Amy had three brothers and was just 9 years old when her father was elected president. She was born in Plains, Ga., and raised there until her father was elected governor of the state in 1970. She invited friends over for sleepovers during Carter's tenure there and was also apparently known to roller skate around the East Wing.

Because she left the White House when she was just 13, it wasn't until later that she became known for her activism.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Amy became a fairly prominent activist, participating in sit-ins that were designed to change U.S. policies in both South America and around apartheid in South Africa. In 1986, she was arrested while she was a student at Brown University for protesting CIA recruitment at UMass Amherst. She was ultimately acquitted of all charges in what became a well-publicized trial.

For most of her adult life, though, Amy has not been a public figure. She receded into a more private life in the early 1990s and has lived most of her adult life as a relatively low-profile person.

This is true of most of the Carter family, including the ex-president himself, who returned to Georgia and famously lived the rest of his life on a relatively modest property in spite of the amazing political success he had achieved.

Carter's death was a chance for many across the political spectrum to pay tribute to the former president, who was widely considered to be a great man whether you agreed with his politics or not. Amy's public appearances appear to be in service of her father's legacy and nothing more, and she will likely go back to her relatively quiet life when all is said and done.