Wynonna Judd Responds to Backlash Over Her CMAs Performance with Jelly Roll

After Wynonna Judd kicked off the 2023 Country Music Awards on Wednesday night with a performance with Jelly Roll, fans were concerned about her health. Afterward, Judd took to Instagram to post a video in which she addressed the backlash over her performance.

Jelly Roll, CMA Awards, Wynonna Judd, The Judds, 2023 pic.twitter.com/tsbkeiPgQm

– Machine Dreams (@Machine_Dreams_) November 9, 2023

Judd addresses fan concerns

“Don’t read the comments, I read the comments!” Judd, 59, said in the video. “I’m just going to be honest with you all. I was so nervous. I went out and watched Jelly Roll. I wanted it to be so good for him. I could cry right now, but I’m not going to because I’m such a fan of his and he asked me to sing and I said, ‘Absolutely!’

“I came out and I was so nervous I held on,” she added. “And that’s the main thing. All is well!”

Daily Mail reported that fans said Judd looked “unsettled” during his performance with Jelly Roll.

“Something is wrong with her. I hope she is doing well! one social media user commented, while another added: “Wynonna Judd is saving Jelly Roll for her life #CMAawards.” »

Others said Judd “could barely walk” and “could barely stand” while she sang.

Check out his performance for yourself in the video below.

Related: Wynonna Judd still communicates with her mother Naomi a year after her suicide – ‘I’m between hell and Hallelujah’

Judd speaks ahead of performance

Before taking the stage, Judd opened up to Entertainment tonight on why she decided to play with Jelly Roll.

“I have to introduce myself to people like people did to me,” she said on the red carpet. “That’s my job now is to pass it on because people have been so generous to me and now it’s my turn to be generous to people like Jelly Roll and that’s what I do .”

“I have my ups and downs and that’s life, and I just tell the fans that. Like the other night, I got emotional, I felt (my) mom,” she continued. “And I was overwhelmed and I just said, ‘I need water and I need someone to hold me for a second while I take a deep breath and cry.’ And I just do it because that’s the way life is.

Judd’s mother, Naomi Judd, tragically took her own life in April last year, aged 76.

Wynonna Judd says she is moved #CMA Awards her performance with Jelly Roll was like “a roller coaster” and that she was having “a tough mom’s day.” https://t.co/Bwti05mIo2@aleciadavis @country music pic.twitter.com/3X93jQF9M2

– ExtraTV (@extratv) November 9, 2023

Related: Country singer Wynonna Judd admits she’s ‘incredibly angry’ about her mother Naomi’s suicide

Judd meets Jelly Roll

Judd previously opened up about first meeting Jelly Roll during their performance at the CMT Awards earlier this year.

“I didn’t know anything about him until the CMT Awards, and I got up out of my seat because he turned my world upside down,” Judd recalled, according to People Magazine. “I ran up to him and (my wife Bunnie ‘I have to be part of your world, and I don’t know what that looks like, so here we are.

Ahead of their performance last night, Jelly Roll said he was “blown away” by the honor of performing with Judd.

“I would have never even imagined this. Someone said, “Have you ever dreamed of this?” And I wasn’t bold enough to dream that big,” he exclaimed. “So I hope that someone sitting at home right now with a dream – you think this dream is too big, and maybe it’s too small after all, baby. Dream bigger. Dream bigger.”

Wynonna Judd’s Performance at the 2023 CMA Awards Has Fans Worried: She’s ‘Holding on for Life’ https://t.co/mtA6tlu22t pic.twitter.com/IHd2GkKPII

– New York Post (@nypost) November 9, 2023

What did you think of Judd’s strength with Jelly Roll? Let us know in the Comments section.