Country Legends Jump in to Help Wynonna Judd With Her Latest Hardships: ‘They’ve Got Wynonna’s Back’
Wynonna Judd is in freefall right now over her wayward daughter and struggling to hold herself together. Thankfully, a slew of country stars led by Dolly Parton have jumped in to help in any way they can.
“She’s been very fragile following the death of her mom, now her daughter Grace [Kelley’s] situation is getting worse and giving her immeasurable grief,” a source exclusively tells Closer. “Wynonna has a lot of friends in the country community and they’re all checking in on her and worrying about her. They’ve been there round the clock. Dolly calls to give her pep talks and others call to give her doses of spirituality to help calm her down or just listen. Wynonna has been through tough times, and she’s spiraled into the darkest place now. ”
The insider continued, “She’s freaked out and panicked and desperately upset and struggling to cope with her schedule on top of her relationship with her daughter. She needs all the help she can get now, and her friends are phoning her, inviting her to dinner and sending care packages. They’ve got Wynonna’s back.”
Wynonna, 60, has been dealt a difficult hand as of late. Her daughter Grace, 28, was arrested for the second time this year on August 3 in Georgia. She was charged with misdemeanor counts of not using motorcycle equipment properly, driving with a suspended/revoked license and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, according to Carroll County Jail records. Grace was released the following day on a $2,750 bond.
Earlier this year, Grace was arrested in Alabama and charged with prostitution, indecent exposure and obstructing governmental operations. The single mom of one exposed “her breasts and lower body” at the intersection of I-65 and Highway 14 in Millbrook, Alabama, while holding up a sign that read, “A ride for a ride.” The sign was the basis for the prostitution charge.
“We responded to two calls involving her. In the first, she was observed in the area of businesses on Highway 14 near Murphy Oil by Walmart. She had a sign displayed that said, 'A Ride for a Ride,’” Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson told The Daily Mail at the time. “And when she made contact with our officers, she argued with them about the legality of what she was doing. And that it was not illegal for her to offer herself in exchange for rides.”
The charge for prostitution was later dropped and the charge for indecent exposure was reduced to public lewdness.
Neither of these encounters were Grace’s first run-in with the law. In 2017, Grace was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of manufacturing, delivery, sale and possession of methamphetamine. She served three years at the Tennessee State Penitentiary and was given early release in 2020.
Wynonna has Grace and a son, Elijah, and the country star has joked about their different personalities in the past. Elijah, 29, works as a deputy at the Williamson County Sheriff's Department in Tennessee.
“I’ve got one on patrol, and I’ve got one on parole,” Wynonna said during an appearance on The Pursuit! With John Rich.
Wynonna continued, “I’m no different than anyone else. I’ve got kids who have made great successful choices. I have just as much to say about the testimony – emphasis on the word ‘test’ – of both my children saying, ‘Wow, that didn’t work.’ I will tell you this: My daughter is the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory.'”
