Jelly Roll has shattered attendance records, chart milestones and expectations as a new artist in the country genre, but he’d never shattered a trophy — until the 2023 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 8.)
Just hours after winning CMA New Artist of the Year, his first-ever win at the awards show, Jelly was backstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena when he dropped and broke the glass trophy. Moments afterward, he told ET Online that he was mortified about the faux pas, explaining that he simply got a little too excited while he was carrying it around.
“I’m so embarrassed!” the singer says. “I was so excited. I was swinging it around to let somebody hold it. I’ve been passing it around like a bag of popcorn.
“…I feel bad. Oh God. I was worried. The first thing I said to my publicist was, ‘They’re not gonna keep it from me now, are they?'” Jelly continues. “I’m gonna get the one with tape. Wonder how much that cost. It looked expensive.”
When word first came out that Jelly’s trophy was broken, a photo shared on social media showed the damage — and assured fans that the singer will receive a replacement. Additionally, a CMA official tells the Tennesseean that the trophies used during the show and backstage are generic prop trophies, only used for photos and then returned at the end of the night. Since the Country Music Association doesn’t know the winners of the awards show ahead of time, none of the trophies are engraved yet, so custom engraved trophies are mailed out to each winner following the awards show.
in addition to winning his first CMA Award, Jelly performed twice on the awards show stage: He opened the show with “Need a Favor,” featuring surprise guest Wynonna Judd, and closed it with his cover of the Judds’ “Love Can Build a Bridge” with K. Michelle.
2023 CMA Awards Red Carpet Pictures
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes