The Gospel message of redemption and grace took center stage on “Star Search” Tuesday night when contestant Bear Bailey performed “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” transforming a live Netflix competition into an explicit proclamation of faith.
Bailey’s performance of the song, popularized by Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake, led to a Gospel presentation on one of the world’s largest streaming platforms. “Star Search” is the second-most popular show on Netflix.
Bailey testified about addiction, imperfection and salvation through Jesus Christ, while Jelly Roll responded by openly preaching about redemption, the Holy Spirit and God’s grace before a national audience.
“I’m a very imperfect person loved by a perfect God and Jesus. Jesus has redeemed me,” Bailey said moments after finishing the song. “Drug addiction. I’ve lost everything because of addictions, and I’m not perfect, but I serve a God who is, and he believes in redemption. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being emotional. I’m just thankful for God. I thank you, Jesus.”
The moment was heightened by the fact that Bailey chose the song before learning Jelly Roll would be one of the judges, a revelation that left the artist visibly shaken and briefly speechless.
The Netflix reboot of "Star Search" is hosted by Anthony Anderson and features Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen as judges. The live format allows viewers to vote in real time, alongside the judges’ scores.
As Bailey finished speaking, Jelly Roll struggled to respond.
“I don’t know. You might have to start with Chrissy …” he said, asking producers to move to another judge while he composed himself.
Teigen praised Bailey’s emotion and delivery: “You have a beautiful voice. … Jelly himself wants to hear feeling and passion. And I think we all heard feeling in your voice,” she said. “You had everybody jumping up and screaming. And I think you might have found a brother for life too.”
Gellar called the performance star-making.
“We came to ‘Star Search,’ and my whole thing was, it’s about finding a star. We just found you,” she said. “I don’t know what was more beautiful, though, watching you sing or watching this man watch you sing. It was everything the performance was supposed to be. I learned so much about you.”
When Jelly Roll finally spoke, he suggested the moment was orchestrated by God and used the opportunity to clearly proclaim the Gospel.
“I prayed this morning. I said, God, give me an opportunity to talk about you,” he said. “Night one was great, but I didn’t get to live on my purpose yet. God, you called me here to talk about you.”
“What I just seen [sic] was a room full of people that might not have ever felt it before, but that is called the Holy Spirit of God,” Jelly Roll said. “He don’t [sic] care anything about your past. He doesn’t care what you’ve been through. He doesn’t care about your drug addiction. He is your Father.”
Jelly Roll emphasized the heart of the Gospel message: redemption and hope through Christ.
“He hung so you can stand here and sing His name on the biggest streaming service in the world,” he said. “This is a God moment to show what God has done. He is a redeemer. He is for everybody. Jesus is for everybody. He doesn’t hate anybody. He loves everybody, and that’s what He stands for.”
Addressing Bailey directly, Jelly Roll added, “The voice wasn’t crazy. You took my song and made it your song. In fact, you took our song and you gave it to God. I know Brandon Lake somewhere, crying right now.”
When judges revealed their scores, Teigen awarded four stars, while Gellar and Jelly Roll each awarded Bailey five stars.
“We should only give fives to people that we think could actually win this show,” Jelly Roll said. “And you, my friend, can win this show.”
"Hard Fought Hallelujah” won Song of the Year at the 2025 K-Love Fan Awards and the 2025 GMA Dove Awards, where it also took home Short Form Video and Country/Roots Song awards. The song also earned a CMA nomination and went platinum.
Jelly Roll, who has often credited his faith for his personal transformation, spoke candidly about redemption, challenging audiences to live out their faith while accepting the Dove Award for “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
“I was thinking about Matthew, when he talks about belief, when he said, ‘When I was hungry, you fed me, when I was thirsty …’ I’m standing here because people took time with me. The world is hearing about Jesus like they have never before. Put faith on your feet and feet on your faith,” he said.
Previously, Lake shared with The Christian Post how he hopes his music reaches both the Christian struggling with hurt and doubt, as well as non-Christians. Healing from church hurt is possible, he said, and God, through His people, can restore what has been broken.
“Your primary call isn't to ministry, it's to intimacy,” the worship leader said. “Let everything flow from that. Just focus on your relationship with God. Take one day at a time. Surrender daily. Don't worry about tomorrow. Focus on what He asks you to do today, and you'll end up where you're supposed to be.
“Everyone's going to be hurt by a Christian,” he added. “But it doesn't mean God hurt you. At some point, the church is going to let you down. But it doesn't mean God did. Church isn't perfect, because you're there and I'm there. So if you've ever had food poisoning, you don't stop eating food. You have to eat again at some point. So just keep moving forward. Find healthier and healthier people to surround you. Keep your arms up, keep your faith on fire, and be quick to forgive.”
