Wynonna Judd’s Daughter Grace Says Singer ‘Has Done Some Messed Up Stuff,’ but ‘I’ve Forgiven Her’

Wynonna Judd’s daughter Grace Kelley is opening up about her turbulent past and the path that has brought her to a place of peace.

“This is the first time in my life that I’ve genuinely been at peace,” Kelley, 29, tells PEOPLE. After a challenging 2024 that included three arrests and a stint in jail, Kelley says she is now sober, healthy, and has settled into a steady routine at her home in Charlottesville, Va. “I wake up at the same time every day, make breakfast, send my boyfriend off to work, go to work myself, attend Bible study… it’s a peaceful, simple life, and I’m happy.”

Reaching this point has not been easy for Kelley, whose father is Judd’s first husband, Arch Kelley III. The couple divorced after two years in 1998. Recently, Kelley has spoken publicly about her traumatic childhood, which she alleges included sexual abuse by both her former stepbrother and stepfather, as well as a strained relationship with her Grammy-winning mother.

“She’s done some messed up stuff, man,” Kelley says of Judd, 61. “I just never had a voice to talk about any of this. I don’t want to stir the pot, but ultimately, the Bible says the truth will set you free. So I’m here to tell the truth and talk about it, because I want to share my story.”

Today, Judd has custody of Kelley’s 3-year-old daughter, Kaliyah, whom Kelley was pregnant with while serving time in jail for a probation violation stemming from a 2016 drug possession charge. Judd has spoken previously about her bond with Kaliyah and, in a May interview, reflected that the child helped her see “there is life after death” following the 2022 suicide of her mother and former musical partner, Naomi Judd.

In a July interview with Charlottesville’s The Daily Progress, Kelley alleged that D. R. Roach — Judd’s husband from 2003 to 2007 — sexually abused her when she was 10. Roach was arrested and charged with sexual battery against a minor in 2007, though the victim was never publicly identified. Judd filed for divorce shortly after, saying she was “obviously devastated.”

Kelley now claims that her first experience of abuse occurred even earlier, at age 6, at the hands of Roach’s son, and continued nightly for three years. She says it ended when her stepbrother confessed during counseling, and Judd sent him to a wilderness program.

She also alleges that when Roach began abusing her, she told Judd, who responded by placing the family in counseling for “weeks,” requiring a young Kelley to sit face-to-face with her abuser.

“Ever since that happened, that’s when my mom started looking at me differently. She treated me different… I [remember saying], ‘Mom, please don’t make me go.’ And she would be ripping me out of the car,” Kelley recalls. “Being that young and watching her hug and kiss this man goodbye after every session… it’s like, wait a minute. Where does your loyalty lie? I’m your child. So that’s the ultimate betrayal for me.”

Kelley says her relationship with her mother worsened over time. She alleges that as a teenager, Judd had her “snatched, blindfolded, and dropped off” at various facilities.

“I can’t just keep saying all this crazy stuff about my mom. People are going to think I’m just making this up,” Kelley says. “But that was literally my childhood.”

Eventually, Kelley became involved with selling drugs to cover her bills, a downward spiral that lasted for years.

“I’m not blaming my mom for my mistakes as an adult, but when I was a child, yeah I am,” she explains. “Because she did that. I think she wanted me to feel pain. It’s like, imagine me in a pool with weights tied around my neck. She’s throwing more on top of me but saying, ‘Keep swimming. You’re strong. You got this.’”

Although Judd has not publicly addressed Kelley’s struggles in detail, she called her daughter “the strongest Judd woman in our ‘herstory’” in a 2020 interview. In the May documentary The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, Judd also revealed she had been molested at age 12.

Kelley says her life began to change in 2024 after she stole a church van in Charlottesville. She later took a plea deal and spent six weeks in jail. Instead of condemnation, the church embraced her, welcoming her into their community and baptizing her.

“We talk every day and [Meghan’s] like, ‘Grace, you are not, and you never were evil. You’re the sweetest person we know,'” Kelley says. “When I came up here, I found people that believed in me and I found the goodness of God. That’s when everything changed for me.”

Although Kelley has settled into life in Virginia, she remains separated from her daughter Kaliyah, who is in Judd’s custody. Kelley says a restraining order prevents her from contacting both her daughter and Judd. She has maintained a Facebook account for Kaliyah, updating it regularly to show her daughter how hard she is working.

“If you’re poor, you don’t stand a chance,” she says. “I work hard. I fight for my life every day. I go to the food bank every week. And my mom, she’s got so much money. She got my child and basically said, ‘Screw you.’”

Despite everything, Kelley says she has forgiven her mother and is focused on her completed memoir, Pronoia. The book, which she credits with helping her get through prison, is named after the concept that the universe is conspiring in your favor. She is open to speaking with those interested in her story at pronoiarelations@gmail.com.

“I want to believe that the universe is for me. I have to believe that. I got to have hope,” Kelley says. “Nothing’s going to change until you truly change your heart. And by the grace of God, I’m able to have a changed heart today.”