What allegations has Wynonna Judd’s daughter made against her former stepfather? Details explored

Grace Kelley, daughter of country music legend Wynonna Judd, revealed that her former stepfather, D.R. Roach, sexually abused her. The 29-year-old accused her mother of covering up for her abuser.

In an interview with the Daily Progress in July 2025, Grace Kelley alleged that Roach molested her when she was 10 years old, during his marriage to her mother from 2003 to 2007.

She told the media outlet:

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

In 2008, D.R. Roach was arrested in Abilene, Texas, on three counts of aggravated sexual battery on a minor below 13 years of age. Wynonna Judd filed for divorce from Roach shortly after and released a statement on her website:

"I am obviously devastated. 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 a resolution to this difficult situation."

Speaking with Oprah Winfrey in 2010, the Love Can Build a Bridge crooner described what she did after Roach was arrested:

“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.

“She was never a mother,” Grace Kelley says about her mother, Wynonna Judd

Grace Kelley, mother of 3-year-old Kaliyah, told the Daily Progress that while Wynonna Judd was a great performer, she wasn’t a good mother:

"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.”

Kelley, born to Wynonna Judd and her first husband, Arch Kelley III, has faced challenges over the years. She recently served six weeks in jail after facing charges of grand larceny and driving without a license in October 2024.

She has since relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, and has been focused on staying sober. She told the Daily Progress she is working on a memoir, Pronoia, to share her childhood story.

She added that she chose to tell her truth regardless of the outcome because the Bible says, “the truth will set you free.”

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