Following his performance on the season 21 finale of American Idol, it has been confirmed that beloved country singer Jelly Roll will join the upcoming season of the series as a guest mentor. Entertainment Tonight has reported that Jelly Roll, alongside American Idol alum and successful singer Tori Kelly, will provide mentorship on the 22nd season of the reality singing competition. In addition to their mentoring roles, the duo will also take the stage to perform.
Jelly Roll and Tori Kelly will join host Ryan Seacrest and judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan for Hawaii week, where filming will take place at Aulani: A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii.
American Idol's official Instagram account announced the news in a post, stating, "Back on IDOL & ready to INSPIRE! 🙌 Breakout star Jelly Roll is here to hype up our hopefuls & deliver all the vibes!"Oliver Steele, a contestant on the 2023 season of Idol who had the opportunity to duet with Jelly Roll on stage last year, expressed his support for the country singer as a mentor, saying, "I can say from experience, this man is an excellent mentor!!!" Jelly Roll previously appeared on the season finale of American Idol, where he performed a duet with Steele and also sang "Save Me" alongside Lainey Wilson.
American Idol is set to return on February 18 at 8 pm PT/ET on ABC in the US. Jelly Roll has recently made waves in the country music scene, having won the Country Music Association (CMA) Award for Best New Artist (which he later declined). He has also received nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Lainey Wilson. Reacting to the Grammy nominations, Jelly Roll shared an emotional video expressing his gratitude, saying, "The greatest honor an artist can ever hear is that they've been nominated for a Grammy. I got to hear that this morning. I haven't cried like this since my daddy died. I tried making this video seven times, y'all. I love y'all, man, so fucking much."
