Jelly Roll Returns to Antioch High School Following January Shooting

Rapper Jelly Roll has returned to his old alma mater, Tennessee’s Antioch High School, to visit with students following a tragic shooting incident that occurred on their grounds last month.

The incident took place on Jan. 22 when a 17-year-old student opened fire inside the school’s cafeteria just after 11am. The shooting resulted in the deaths of a 16-year-old student and the perpetrator, while another two students were injured.

Over a month on from the tragedy, one of the school’s most famous graduates has returned to their old hallways, with Jelly Roll (also known as Jason DeFord) meeting with students on Tuesday (Feb. 25). According to a post from Metro Nashville Public Schools on Instagram, Jelly Roll visited to talk to students and staff about the tragedy. Full details of what was discussed have not been made available to the public.  

“Thank you, Jelly Roll, for reaching out to the Antioch community and offering some comfort during a difficult time,” the post concluded. “We appreciate your support!”

Jelly Roll is one of the most prominent students to have attended the school, which is located 12 miles southeast of Downtown Nashville. Alongside former sportsmen and former North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis, the only other notable entertainer to have walked the halls of Antioch High School is Yelawolf.

The brief return to his old school isn’t the first time that Jelly Roll has been there again in recent years. In May 2024, Jelly Roll visited Antioch High School as part of the Save the Music Foundation, speaking to the class of music tech teacher Robert “Rock” Kennedy, and offering students feedback on their own compositions. Additionally, the singer spoke with former teachers, and both addressed and performed for current students as part of an assembly.

Jelly Roll himself has asserted himself as a massive success story in recent years, finding widespread fame with his ninth album, 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel (itself named after a chapel in Antioch he previously attended), which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

His follow-up, 2024’s Beautifully Broken, gave him his first appearance atop the main chart and arrived following his debut Grammy nominations, which saw him in the running for best new artist and best country duo/group performance for his “Save Me” collab with Lainey Wilson.