Ashley McBryde Tells The Story Behind Her Unplanned Duet With Post Malone On “Opry 100”
on Mar 24, 2025
Jelly Roll Got Sick Before Opry 100, Forcing Him To Drop Out At The Last Second
Ashley McBryde is reflecting on the extraordinary night she had during Opry 100—and her unexpected duet with Post Malone.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 100th anniversary with a televised special on Wednesday, March 19. Named Opry 100, the show featured performances from artists such as Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, and Blake Shelton (who hosted the event).
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Ashley McBryde took to the stage twice. She performed her own song, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” with fellow Opry member Terri Clark. Ashley also paid tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter by singing “Jackson” with Post Malone.
But Ashley was originally supposed to sing “Jackson” with Jelly Roll. However, the “I Am Not Okay” singer had to drop out of the show at the last minute.
Jelly Roll was advertised as part of the Opry 100 lineup and appeared in some of its promotional material, like the clip below.
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It was also revealed before Opry 100 that Jelly Roll was going to join Ashley during the show for an ode to Johnny and June. Needless to say, fans were confused when Post Malone joined her onstage instead.
It was later reported that “illness” was the reason Jelly Roll could not attend Opry 100. Ashley recently spoke with Music Mayhem about the sudden change of plans after Jelly Roll got sick.
“Hours before we were supposed to take the stage, I learned that, unfortunately, Jelly Roll wasn’t able to join me for ‘Jackson,” she said.
Ashley McBryde Shares How She Ended Up Singing With Post Malone During Opry 100
The show’s producer informed Ashley that someone else would be stepping up to sing with her in Jelly Roll’s place.
“[The producer] comes in and says that their friend Austin is going to sing it with me instead,” McBryde said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I wonder who Austin is…’ It took me a second, and then I said, ‘OH!’ It immediately hits me who he’s talking about, which was such a nice surprise.”
Post Malone’s real name is Austin, hence Ashley’s initial confusion!
With just hours to go until the show, Ashley and Post had no time for a proper rehearsal. Plus, they had never met before.
So Ashley rushed to go meet him backstage. She recalls:
“…so I walked outside my room, gave him a big hug and said, ‘I love how this is how we become friends.’ I still had to finish my makeup and hair so while [the stylist] was wrapping up, they brought him in with his guitar, and we just got right into singing it. We sang it together one time, and he said, ‘Okay, I’ll see you on stage!'”
The next time Ashley saw Post was shortly before they went onstage to sing:
“With permission, of course, I asked Austin if when we sang ‘…you turn-a-loose-a my coat’ if I could grab on his coat. Without hesitation, he said, ‘Green lights, green lights…you’re welcome to do more than that!’”
Ashley said she and Post “became friends, standing in the most sacred circle that exists in country music.” Many fans would agree that their performance of “Jackson” was one of the night’s highlights.
Watch Ashley and Post sing “Jackson” together in the video below.
