The singer said he 'didn't mean to' pick up the country legend during their first meeting.
Jelly Roll is gushing over Garth Brooks! ET's Denny Directo spoke with the 38-year-old singer on Sunday, and he opened up about his first time meeting the country legend at the ACM Awards.
During the viral moment, Jelly Roll met Brooks backstage and excitedly picked him up and lifted him into the air by way of introduction.
"I got to see Garth Brooks at the ACM Awards and I was so excited I picked him up," Jelly Roll told ET. "I didn't mean to and I didn't know it until the clip went viral."
After that meeting, the two men saw each other again in Las Vegas, where Jelly Roll stepped out to attend Brooks' Plus ONE residency, which he called the "best show ever."
"I'm watching it, I leave, I go backstage. I get to see him again, he holds his hands out, but he goes, 'But don't hurt me this time, big fella,'" Jelly Roll recalled of Brooks, before praising the singer.
"He is the sweetest guy," Jelly Roll said. "Man, I grew up with him in my household. He is truly, probably one of the biggest things that will ever happen for me is meeting him. [He's] just as charismatic as you think he is. He is the man. Genuine."
@acmawards When stars are starstruck 🤩 How great is @Jelly Roll meeting Garth Brooks?! #ACMawards ♬ original sound - ACM Awards
ET's conversation with Jelly Roll happened at the American Idol finale, where he performed "Need a Favor" and "Save Me" with Lainey Wilson and Oliver Steele.
"It was awesome. I was so nervous. Lainey Wilson is one of the best singers I know," Jelly Roll said. "She never misses a note. I always miss notes, so anytime you sing next to her, my butt cheeks are clinched."
Iam Tongi was named the show's season 21 winner on Sunday. While Jelly Roll admitted that it was "so hard to watch" contestants be eliminated, he said he's confident that all the finalists on the ABC series will be successful.
"Monday morning, everything changes for all of y'all. The phones are going to start ringing, baby," Jelly Roll said of what he told those who didn't come out victorious. "They're going to make some money off music the next few years for sure."
As for the advice he has for all the performers, Jelly Roll said, "Enjoy it. Stop, walk slow, smell every rose you can. Put your phone down and be present, baby. This is the wildest ride of your life. I've enjoyed every second of it and I hope you do too, baby. "
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