Wynonna Judd’s Daughter Grace Kelley Claims Singer ‘Was Never a Mother,’ Reveals Former Stepfather Molested Her at Age 10

Wynonna Judd’s daughter, Grace Kelley, has publicly accused her former stepfather of sexually abusing her as a child and suggested that the country star was complicit in covering up the abuse.

Kelley, 29, spoke to The Daily Progress in July about her experiences with D. R. Roach, who was married to Judd, 61, from 2003 to 2007. Roach was arrested and charged with sexual battery against a minor just days before Judd filed for divorce, though the victim was never publicly identified at the time.

Kelley, who was 10 years old during the alleged abuse, described how Judd initially sought family counseling but ultimately escalated the situation once Roach’s actions were revealed.

“When they found out in counseling what he had done to me, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute. We’re going to report this to law enforcement,’” Kelley recalled. “When he was arrested and it came out in the news, that’s when she divorced him.”

She went on to criticize her mother’s response: “So is my mom rich? Yeah, she’s so rich that she was able to sweep me under the rug and abuse me and then cover it all up. I don’t want to talk bad about my mom, but we’ll just say she’s a good performer. She was never a mother.”

A spokesperson for Judd did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Judd is currently raising Kelley’s 3-year-old daughter, Kaliyah, and is also the mother of her son Elijah, 30.

Over the years, Kelley has faced multiple legal troubles, including three arrests in 2024, and recently served six weeks in jail, according to The Daily Progress. She has since relocated to Charlottesville, Va., and is reportedly doing well after achieving sobriety and embracing religion.

“My story is so messed up,” Kelley admitted. “Between 12 and 17, I was in 14 different facilities.”

Kelley — whom Judd once called “the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory'” — is working on a memoir, tentatively titled Pronoia, detailing her complicated life.

“I believe that now’s my time,” she said. “I never had a voice, and I was iffy about talking about all this stuff, but no matter what is said about me, the Bible says the truth will set you free.”

Judd, who shares her two children with first husband Arch Kelley III, said upon filing for divorce from Roach in 2007 that she was “obviously devastated” by the situation.

“Our family will pull together, begin the healing process and hopefully – by the Grace of God – become stronger. We will move forward with our faith, family and our friends to find resolution to this difficult situation,” she said in a statement, noting that Roach was seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction in Texas.

Roach is currently listed as an active offender against children in the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. He pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit aggravated sexual battery, with the offense dated Feb. 1, 2007.

Judd married Cactus Moser in 2012 and has spoken publicly about the aftermath of her divorce from Roach. In a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, she described going into “mama bear mode” after his arrest.

“He was out of the house within the hour. I called him everything I could think of. I had a moment where I let it all fly, and then it was done. I trusted him with my life, and I didn’t want to stop trusting [people],” she said. “Because of the child, I won’t speak about it. It’s their story [to tell] when they’re ready to talk. That’s what’s so scary, is that it is someone that you know. There’s a trust there. There’s a bond… The best revenge is living well. I cleaned out my house, got rid of everything that reminded me of him.”

The Grammy-winning singer also opened up about her own experiences with sexual abuse in the documentary The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, which aired in May.

“I was molested at 12, so my whole sexuality thing was really stamped out because I just, at 12, shut down. I carried the weight, both literally and figuratively,” she said, adding that she coped by covering herself up with clothing as much as possible.