Carl Higbie Deletes 1 Jelly Roll Song On-Air as Trump Weight Jokes Spark MAGA Backlash
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 28
Carl Higbie Deletes 1 Jelly Roll Song On-Air as Trump Weight Jokes Spark MAGA Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 28
Summary
Newsmax host Carl Higbie deleted Jelly Roll’s track “I Am Not OK” from his phone on air after the singer mocked Donald Trump’s weight while guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
Jelly Roll had cited Trump’s reported 14-pound gain to nearly 240 pounds, joked he had personally lost “an entire Donald Trump,” and later doubled down with a fake weight-loss ad and more insults.
The singer refused to retreat, telling critics to “go right ahead” if they wanted to stop listening to his music, a clip Higbie played before removing the song.
Republican backlash spread beyond Higbie: Florida Representative Jimmy Patronis said Jelly Roll was not welcome in the Panhandle, while pro-Trump commentators cast the jokes as a career-damaging betrayal.
The flare-up shows how a late-night monologue by a performer who had largely avoided politics quickly became another loyalty test inside Trump-aligned media circles.