The “Son of a Sinner” singer’s divorce has shaken country music, but the friends who’ve been closest to him aren’t worried… for a particular reason.Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, who together make up the duo Dan + Shay, spoke up at the Tight Ends & Friends Concert presented by Reese’s in Nashville on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. The event, hosted by Tight End University alongside Sports Illustrated, was where both men were asked about their close friend Jelly Roll’s high-profile split from Bunnie Xo. And neither held back.Dan kept it short, but the message was clear. “I saw him the other night, actually. Yeah, I ran into him,” he told Page Six, noting it was outside of the event. “He was great. We didn’t really get into it, but I’m happy for him.”

The guitarist also made a point to spotlight a post Jelly had shared earlier that same day, in which the Grammy winner reflected on his fitness journey.”The post he did was amazing,” Dan said. “I was like, ‘Damn, that’s my guy.’ It was cool.” It was a small moment, but a telling one: even in the middle of a very public unraveling, Jelly was showing up for himself.Shay took a broader view, making sure credit went to both Jelly and Bunnie for how they’ve each carried themselves since news of the divorce broke. “They’ve handled it with class. It’s a tough thing to go through very, very publicly,” he said.Coming from someone who knows what it means to be a public figure in a marriage, that read as genuine respect rather than a talking point.I mean, as married guys, if we had to go through something like that publicly, it’s really tough on both parties and they’ve both handled it well,” Mooney continued. “We want the best for both of them. They’re great.”