Jelly Roll shares Gospel message live to tell the tale Netflix’s ‘Star Search’

The Gospel message of redemption and style took center stage on “Star Search” Tuesday night when contestant Bear Bailey performed “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” transforming a live Netflix competition into an explicit proclamation of religion.

Bailey’s performance of the song, popularized by Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake, led to a Gospel presentation on one in all the world’s largest streaming platforms. “Star Search” is the second-most popular show on Netflix.

Bailey testified about addiction, imperfection and salvation through Jesus Christ, while Jelly Roll responded by openly preaching about redemption, the Holy Spirit and God’s grace before a national audience.

“I’m a really imperfect person loved by an ideal God and Jesus. Jesus has redeemed me,” Bailey said moments after ending the song. “Drug addiction. I’ve lost every little thing due to addictions, and I’m not perfect, but I serve a God who’s, and he believes in redemption. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being emotional. I’m just thankful for God. I thanks, Jesus.”

The moment was heightened by the undeniable fact that Bailey selected the song before learning Jelly Roll could be one in all the judges, a revelation that left the artist visibly shaken and briefly speechless.

The Netflix reboot of “Star Search” is hosted by Anthony Anderson and features Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen as judges. The live format allows viewers to vote in real time, alongside the judges’ scores.

As Bailey finished speaking, Jelly Roll struggled to reply.

“I don’t know. You might need to begin with Chrissy …” he said, asking producers to maneuver to a different judge while he composed himself.

Teigen praised Bailey’s emotion and delivery: “You have a lovely voice. … Jelly himself wants to listen to feeling and keenness. And I believe all of us heard feeling in your voice,” she said. “You had everybody jumping up and screaming. And I believe you may have found a brother for all times too.”

Gellar called the performance star-making.

“We got here to ‘Star Search,’ and my whole thing was, it’s about finding a star. We just found you,” she said. “I don’t know what was more beautiful, though, watching you sing or watching this man watch you sing. It was every little thing the performance was alleged to be. I learned a lot about you.”

When Jelly Roll finally spoke, he suggested the moment was orchestrated by God and used the chance to obviously proclaim the Gospel. 

“I prayed this morning. I said, God, give me a possibility to discuss you,” he said. “Night one was great, but I didn’t get to live to tell the tale my purpose yet. God, you called me here to discuss you.”

“What I just seen [sic] was a room stuffed with those who won’t have ever felt it before, but that is known as the Holy Spirit of God,” Jelly Roll said. “He don’t [sic] care anything about your past. He doesn’t care what you’ve been through. He doesn’t care about your drug addiction. He is your Father.”

Jelly Roll emphasized the center of the Gospel message: redemption and hope through Christ.

“He hung so you may stand here and sing His name on the largest streaming service on the planet,” he said. “This is a God moment to indicate what God has done. He is a redeemer. He is for everyone. Jesus is for everyone. He doesn’t hate anybody. He loves everybody, and that’s what He stands for.”

Addressing Bailey directly, Jelly Roll added, “The voice wasn’t crazy. You took my song and made it your song. In fact, you took our song and also you gave it to God. I do know Brandon Lake somewhere, crying without delay.”

When judges revealed their scores, Teigen awarded 4 stars, while Gellar and Jelly Roll each awarded Bailey five stars.

“We should only give fives to those who we expect could actually win this show,” Jelly Roll said. “And you, my friend, can win this show.”

“Hard Fought Hallelujah” won Song of the Year on the 2025 K-Love Fan Awards and the 2025 GMA Dove Awards, where it also took home Short Form Video and Country/Roots Song awards. The song also earned a CMA nomination and went platinum.

Jelly Roll, who has often credited his faith for his personal transformation, spoke candidly about redemption, difficult audiences to live out their faith while accepting the Dove Award for “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”

“I used to be interested by Matthew, when he talks about belief, when he said, ‘When I used to be hungry, you fed me, after I was thirsty …’ I’m standing here because people took time with me. The world is hearing about Jesus like they’ve never before. Put faith in your feet and feet in your faith,” he said.

Previously, Lake shared with The Christian Post how he hopes his music reaches each the Christian scuffling with hurt and doubt, in addition to non-Christians. Healing from church hurt is feasible, he said, and God, through His people, can restore what has been broken.

“Your primary call is not to ministry, it’s to intimacy,” the worship leader said. “Let every little thing flow from that. Just concentrate on your relationship with God. Take sooner or later at a time. Surrender each day. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Focus on what He asks you to do today, and you may find yourself where you are alleged to be.

“Everyone’s going to be hurt by a Christian,” he added. “But it doesn’t suggest God hurt you. At some point, the church goes to allow you to down. But it doesn’t suggest God did. Church is not perfect, since you’re there and I’m there. So when you’ve ever had food poisoning, you do not stop eating food. You should eat again in some unspecified time in the future. So just keep moving forward. Find healthier and healthier people to surround you. Keep your arms up, keep your faith on fire, and be quick to forgive.”

© The Christian Post