In a revelation during his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, country music star Jelly Roll shared an unexpected consequence of his severe obesity. He said he could not see colors properly for nearly two decades. The singer, who has lost over 300 lb (136 kg) in his weight change, described how eliminating sugar from his diet restored his ability to perceive a full range of colors.
“I was colorblind,” Jelly Roll told Rogan during the podcast. “I seen shades of colors like general concepts, but like hunter green, emerald green—like what? Green’s green to me. I never realized there was nuances and prettiness and that some were brighter and toned different. I just seen them like shades.”
The revelation came as Jelly Roll detailed his transformation from over 500 lb (227 kg) to his current weight in the 260 lb (118 kg) range. He explained that about nine months into eliminating sugar from his diet he had a moment of clarity.
“I come outside and I grab my wife and I go, ‘Dude, how long have we had that pretty purple tulip there or whatever it was?'”
He recalled her confusion before realizing he was seeing the plant’s color for the first time.
The experience shifted something in him and he became absorbed in rediscovering color.
“I bought coloring books”
he laughed, describing how his wife found him immersed in coloring with a 300-piece colored pencil set. During a recent outing with ultramarathon runner Cam Hanes, he could not stop talking about a bird he spotted.
“I was in a deer blind with Cam Hanes talking his face off about a bird yesterday,”
he said, explaining that he simply enjoyed color.
Rogan suggested the color blindness was likely caused by
“rampant inflammation through your whole body”
and a
“massive lack of nutrients”
The host theorized that Jelly Roll’s body had shifted into survival mode.
“Your body probably is like, ‘F**k colors. Let’s just keep this dude alive.'”
This effect was only one of many health issues Jelly Roll faced at his peak weight. He revealed that his insulin levels were dangerously high at over 40, normal being under 5, his A1C indicated pre-diabetes at 6.4 and his testosterone was at the level of
“a pre-juvenile child”
The physical burden was immense and he described his daily existence as similar to carrying an extra Michael Chandler on his shoulders all the time.
The singer’s transformation was not just physical. Through therapy and nutritional guidance he confronted emotional eating patterns that began in childhood. He traced his shame about weight back to shopping in the “Husky” section as a child, a memory that brought him to tears during the podcast.
Now with his vision and outlook clearer, Jelly Roll is embracing life with energy. He has taken up bow hunting, runs regularly with Cam Hanes and recently completed his first 10K. His testosterone has climbed to 149, his inflammation markers have dropped and his vitamin D levels have quadrupled.
“I didn’t see color for like 20 years”
Jelly Roll said during the interview.
