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Last month, Jelly Roll hosted Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show, and he took the opportunity to crack some lighthearted jokes about Donald Trump’s weight.

And according to fellow country singer John Rich, the move might have cost him a whole lot of fans.

It’s true that the backlash was swift, particularly from some members of the country music community who weren’t prepared to discover that the singer’s political views weren’t quite what they had assumed.

But Rich believes Jelly Roll knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

During an appearance on “The Benny Show” podcast, Rich argued that Jelly Roll understands his audience — and therefore had to know that publicly expressing his views could alienate a significant portion of it.

“He knows how this works. OK? He knows who the audience is,” Rich said (via Page Six). “And so I have to think he really believes every single word he said, or he wouldn’t have said it.”

Rich went even further, suggesting Jelly Roll’s comments could cost him half or more of his country music audience.

“When you make statements that are that hardcore and to a large extent counteractive to the presentation you’ve been making, you do understand in country music that half or more of your audience may disown you,” he said.

“They may turn their back on you. They may stop listening to you. They may turn you off. But you make the statement anyway.”

Rich knows a thing or two about political backlash himself. He said his own decision to speak openly about his conservative views cost him country radio support, a record deal, and invitations to award shows.

Still, he doesn’t appear to think Jelly Roll should have kept his mouth shut.

In fact, Rich believes the controversy is less about what Jelly Roll believes and more about the fact that fans weren’t expecting him to believe it.

“What you’re seeing from the backlash is people didn’t know that’s who he really is and that’s how he really thinks,” Rich said.

Jelly Roll attempted to clear up the confusion during his Kimmel appearance, explaining that he isn’t neatly aligned with either major political party.

“It is funny that, before this week, everybody thought I was MAGA. And now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake,” he said, adding:

“Hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show doesn’t mean I have all of Jimmy Kimmel’s politics. Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle.”

“I am a Christian. I am a country music singer. I’m a farmer. I’m a bow hunter. And most of the things I eat, I prefer to get with a stick and a string,” he added. “That’s the truth.”

But Rich thinks Jelly Roll’s biggest mistake was waiting until now to reveal that side of himself.

“He should have been talking that way from the very beginning, and he probably wouldn’t have this problem,” Rich said.

So Jelly Roll hasn’t changed, but his fans might now be finding out who he really is. And that affect his career in major way.