Everyone knows the infamous love story and drama of Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, but do you know the love story of Playboy creator Brooke Christine and Jelly Roll drummer Cody Ash? Their instant connection and mutual love of 1980’s hair metal music from bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison started a relationship that somewhat mirrors that of Pam and Tommy, who just so happen to be their two most influential icons.
In this exclusive interview, Cody and Brooke share intimate moments from the road on tour with Jelly Roll (watch an exclusive, never-before-seen, private video in this interview below), who made the first move in their relationship, if they’ll get married one day, the “realness” of an “abnormal” life, and more.
Additionally, Cody opens up about the biggest musical influences in his career, some special moments that he’s experienced with Jelly Roll, what he calls “beauty in the chaos” of the music industry, and the concert that inspired him play drums.
All photos credit to Andy (@jeanz_media), Chum (@chum_photos), Keith Griner (@keithgriner_creative), Brooke Christine, and Cody Ash.
Brooke And Playboy: A Love Story
Playboy: Brooke, what is your origin story with Playboy?
Brooke: I’ve always loved Playboy. The “big three” that introduced me to Playboy are Marilyn Monroe, Anna Nicole Smith, and Pamela Anderson. Those women really got me to fall in love with Playboy and I’ve been connected to the brand since as long as I can remember. Recently, a Playboy employee went up to Cody at Stagecoach and complimented his Playboy jacket that I bought him. She said that she wanted to send him some merch and when they got in touch, Cody sent her a picture of us together—I was wearing a Playboy skirt. I guess there was some interest there and they introduced me to the Playboy Club. I joined as soon as I could. I started in June, and I’ve found that Playboy truly cares about the creators and not just about the money we can make. I really appreciate that.
All gallery photos credit to Andy (@jeanz_media), Chum (@chum_photos) and Keith Griner (@keithgriner_creative)
Cody’s Support
Playboy: Cody, how do you feel about Brooke being on the Playboy Club?
Cody: I’m just so proud. Ever since we met, she has always brought up Playboy. When I went to her house for the first time, I noticed that Playboy was such a part of her aesthetic. Some of her fans had sent her Playboy drawings that she has displayed and she also has classic Playboy magazines around the house.
Obviously her three most influential people— Marilyn, Anna, and Pam—are just such strong independent female figures and role models for a woman to look up to, so I could see how influential Playboy had been in her upbringing.
“It’s been a privilege to be a part of her journey with Playboy and see her finally a part of a brand that she’s always wanted to be a part of.” – Cody Ash
She’s working towards hopefully having a full bunny or playmate title one day and I’d love that for her. I just love this woman. I want to see everyone I care about win, especially this freaking beautiful creature. She deserves everything. It’s been wonderful being a part of her journey and being along for the ride.
How Did Cody Ash and Brook Christine Meet?
Playboy: How did you two meet and how long have you been together?
Cody: We are officially coming up on being together for about a year. In 2021, I was scrolling on TikTok and I came across one of her posts. I thought it was just one of those spam pages because I was like “good Lord, this woman is so beautiful. There’s no way this woman exists.” But then I looked at her profile and her followers were kind of low for some as hot as she is. And I was just like, “yeah, that’s got to be (a) fake page.”
So, I decided to check out her Instagram profile and those numbers were also pretty low. I just couldn’t believe she hasn’t been noticed by someone yet because this woman is crazy beautiful. And I was just like, “dude, I’m going to change it. Even if this is a fake page, I don’t care. I’m going to change it.” So, I followed her on all the pages and then, yeah. Here we are.
Who Made The First Move?
Playboy: So, you made the first move.
Cody: Yeah. To be honest, I was trying to be respectful and didn’t scroll all the way down through her profiles because I saw she had a boyfriend at the time when I first found her. I thought, “if there’s any future with this, I don’t want her to think that I was creeping on her.” So, I didn’t engage for a while. I was seeing someone at the time too, so I didn’t reach out until my ex and I were on the outs and I saw that she and her boyfriend had broken up. I was on a tour when she posted something about Mötley Crüe. I just started small conversation because Mötley Crüe is my favorite band of all time.
“That’s really where our connection started—through our mutual love of Mötley Crüe and Poison. He was a sweet boy. It took him forever to even hit on me in the slightest.” – Brooke Christine
Cody: I love anything metal and that is what started the conversation with some small talk about that. She also posted about her cat and I asked what her name was.
Brooke: He finally stood up and put a fire emoji on one of my selfies and I was like, “okay, this guy is into me.” I immediately told him to come to Texas so we could meet. That was me hitting on him in my subtle way. He told me that they had a tour date coming up in Texas and that they’d be in Dallas so I was like, “I’ll be there.” When it was getting closer to the day, I decided that I wasn’t going to go anymore. There was just too much going on. But, I made a last-minute decision to go to the concert because my friend asked me, “are you still wanting to go to this?” And I said, “if you drive, I’ll go.” And that’s the only reason I went. But, I’m so glad that I did!
“I met him at the show and watched him backstage. And while he was on stage and I was side stage, he texted me and said, ‘I could get used to this view.'” – Brooke Christine
Cody: That’s what I did.
Their First Date On The Tour Bus
Playboy: Very smooth, Cody.
Brooke: After the show, we went on their tour bus and were just hanging out. The way he was looking at me—just very intimately—I knew there was a strong connection there that I’ve never felt with anybody else before. It was an amazing time.
Cody: Yeah. We had some conversations about business and what we were looking for out of life and relationships, which had really sparked an interest for me. That’s not something that I’ve experience with anyone else in the past. I’m aware that what I do for a living isn’t normal and the life that I live is not normal. So, I need someone who has an understanding of what I do and I just felt like she got it, especially with her unique job too. What she does for a living isn’t considered normal either in terms of what’s considered normality in this world. And, what she was looking for out of a relationship and business-wise just aligned with me. It was just conversation that I had never had with a woman before.
It wasn’t just, “do you want to get married and do you want to have kids?” It was, “how can I want to be in a relationship that builds, is creative, and how can we create a brand together? Let’s do things together, help each other out, support each other, not give each other any problems, and understand one another’s lives.” So, it was really cool to have that conversation and it really just lived in my mind for a while. And, praise God, we ended up dating.
Will They Get Married?
Brooke: The connection was so strong that first night that I met him. I’m someone who said I’m never getting married. I had even said to my ex-boyfriend, “don’t ever propose to me because I’ll say, no. I’m not getting married.” I’m just a very independent thinker. But, the night that I met him, I went home, called my mom and I said, “mom, this is the man I’m gonna marry.” And she, of course, was like confused because I was always so against it. But, I don’t know why I knew or how I knew, but it was just that feeling in my heart that I this is the person I will spend my life with.
Playboy: Are there any preliminary conversations about a wedding in the near future?
Cody: No, it hasn’t really been talked about yet. But, I think it’s definitely something that we both want out of this at some point. What’s cool about our relationship is that there’s just no pressure from either end. There’s no rush to do it. We’re together and a ring on the finger doesn’t change us being together. We’re both on the same page that we want to do it one day, and we will be ready for it when the time comes. But right now, we’re both really focused on just being together and creating something for ourselves so we’re prepared for whatever the future holds with us.
The Tour Life
Playboy: Brooke, do you tour with Cody sometimes? If so, what is that like?
Brooke: it’s very interesting. I do go on tour with them for some of the dates. I’ll stay for a week at a times sometimes, but I don’t stay the whole tour. I don’t know how they do it. It’s so tiring. After just a week, I’m so ready to go home. People think it’s this lavish life. There are already accusations from fans that I’m in it for the money or that I’m dating him because he’s Jelly Roll’s drummer, which is just so wrong. It’s not all butterflies and rainbows—it’s extremely hard. You have to have such great communication, trust and understanding, which is something we’re both still working on together.
It’s incredible to be on tour with him or to go out to parties with him. It’s so much fun. And I’m so grateful for that experience and that perspective. But, it’s still very difficult and I just hate those accusations so much because I am such an independent person. So, when I get those, I just want scream to the world, “it’s not as easy as you think, but we make it work.”
Playboy: What is it like seeing Cody on stage?
Brooke: It’s crazy. I will just be out with my boyfriend being normal and having casual conversation, and then we walk to the stage and you can feel the energy before he’s about to play for a whole arena of thousands of people. Cody is the one of the first people to walk out on stage, and hearing the (eruption) of the whole arena is insane. it’s such a crazy perspective. That’s my boyfriend. He’s a rockstar.
I’m so grateful for that part of this crazy life because he deserves everything good. He has worked his ass off his entire life. I haven’t known him that long, but I do know that. It’s a beautiful experience, but it’s hard.
Cody Ash’s Life On The Road With Jelly Roll
Playboy: Cody, what is life like for you on the road?
Cody: It’s hard, man. It’s beautiful. It’s everything I’ve worked for and it’s everything I ever wanted. We’re just constantly moving and there’s 11 people on our bus. So, saying it’s a tight space is an understatement. Quarters are not like what it was in the 80s, that’s for damn sure. it ain’t just a party the whole time. But, I know the stress that it could put on a relationship and it’s all just normal for me at this point.
Beauty in the Chaos
Playboy: What does it feel like to be living your dream?
Cody: I know what I do is crazy and, like I said, it’s not normal. But, there’s an hour and a half every night that I get to go up on stage and feel so many emotions. I’m getting some real perspective right now in this moment.
“To be honest with you, it’s for that hour and a half on stage every night when I feel cared about, feel important, and just feel like what I’ve done my whole life matters and has a purpose. It’s just freeing and so empowering. It’s pure bliss up there. And then, you walk off that stage to just silence and it can get really lonely. It can be scary. It can be intimidating, and it can really mess with your head. To be completely blunt and honest about it, there’s some kind of beauty to the chaos. There’s some kind of beauty to the madness of being able to overcome that.” – Cody Ash
I might sound like I’m being a baby, but you walk off that stage and come back down to normality and have to deal with real life stuff. Like, Brooke and I could be having a serious argument, but for that hour and a half that I’m on stage, it’s gone. But, then I come off stage and it’s right there waiting for you. It rushes back in and just slaps you in the face.
And, on top of that, you’re dealing with 150 other people who are also on tour with you—they all have different personalities, different ways of thinking, and different lifestyles in terms of how they’ve grown up. Navigating that isn’t easy at all. But, it is everything that I’ve ever worked for. I don’t know how to describe it other than saying that there’s beauty in the chaos. It can be so stressful at times where you just want to break down and be in full-on panic mode, but then there’s other times where I just sit there and can’t believe this is my life. I’ve worked my entire life for this.
There’s nothing that will ever describe it. And, nothing will ever give me the same feeling of being on stage. Which this is something I told Brooke about our relationship—just being with her is the closest I’ve ever felt to the feeling that I get when I’m playing. I’m just so drawn to her.
The Journey With Jelly Roll
Playboy: How did you meet Jelly Roll and become a part of his band?
Cody: I’ve been touring since 2011 in and out. I picked up two bands that I manage and, around 2019, I decided to make some life changes because my metal band wasn’t doing well through COVID. So, I started going to Nashville a lot to write with one of the bands that I work with and to network. I was probably going to Nashville about two to three times a month because I was hoping to get my foot in the country world. I was at the studio where the band I manage, Devil’s Cut, were recording and it was also Jelly Roll’s studio at the time.
I just ended up accidentally running into some of his people. It wasn’t on purpose and I didn’t even know who Jelly was at the time. I had heard his name because I’m in the music industry, but I didn’t really know much about him. And, I didn’t really understand the whole Southern, hip-hop, rock country thing that was happening. I just ended up becoming friends with some of his managers and some people that he played with who were in and out of the studio. I just ended up getting a call when they went to go play their first show back after COVID, and I drove down from Kentucky immediately to join the band. He’s kept me around ever since.
Special Moments With Jelly Roll
Playboy: Are there any specific moments touring with Jelly Roll that come to mind and bring you the most joy?
Cody: There was one time that he rented out a movie theater. That was really, really cool. This may be selfish, but I think my favorite memory was with him happened after the first time we played a should in Louisville, KY when I was in the band. We sold out this venue that only holds about like 2,000 to 3,000 people in 2021 when he was just coming back.
“It was my first time playing in Louisville with him and although Mount Washington is my hometown, Louisville is the closest big city to where I grew up. The city of Louisville gifted him a custom Jelly Roll Louisville Slugger baseball bat and he gave it to me. That was a really special moment and it meant a lot to me.” – Cody Ash
And then, last year, we sold out Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY and they made a custom Jelly Roll bourbon barrel top for when you sell out—which is what the artist gets when you sell out the arena. He called me into his room and gave me that too. They took a video of him gifting that to me and we just both cried as we share this really special moment. It’s just those little things that are really nice.
Cody’s Musical Influences
Playboy: What was the first time in your life that you heard a piece of music that made you think, “I want to create music too. This is my thing.” Do you remember?
Cody: Wow, we’re getting deep. Man. that’s hard. I don’t know because I’ve had so many musical influences growing up that I don’t think there was one that made me want to write and play music. It was just the idea of how so many different styles of music could be written that fascinated me. I couldn’t wrap my head around how there were so many different mindsets, so many people who feel different ways, and how so many different genres are split up. And then there’s something that kind of intertwines them all.
When I was a kid, my dad and I would ride in his truck and he would listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, and ZZTop. And when I drove with my mom, she would listen to Fleetwood Mac, Reba, Mötley Crüe and Kid Rock. So I grew up in a very eclectic music surrounding.
The Day Cody Decided To Play Drums
Playboy: When did you know you wanted to play the drums?
Cody: I would probably say that the first three drummers that really made me want to learn drums, are Joey Jordinson of Slipknot, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, and Peter Criss of KISS. I liked the stage performance and the fact that all of those drummers were in character when they were on stage. I really gravitated towards that. I thought it was so cool that even though they may still be that same person both on and off stage, they were all such big personas on stage that captivated the crowd. Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit, oddly enough, also play a role in my love of music as well. So, clearly it’s hard to pinpoint it, but so many artists had a massive influence on me wanting to do drums and be in a band.
“Seeing Mötley Crüe and Tommy Lee in concert definitely made me want to be in a band when I was 13 years old. I literally decided in that moment that this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. That performance and the show with the carnival and his drum solo really changed my whole life. I was just like, ‘that’s what I want to do.'” – Cody Ash
Cody Ash’s Inspiration
Playboy: Which bands inspired you to want to write your own music?
Cody: Mötley Crüe and Poison were probably the first bands that made me want to write music, if I had to really narrow it down, because my first band that I ever had was an 80’s hair metal band. I didn’t know how to write—I wasn’t really good in English class—so I didn’t know how to tell a story with minimal words, but also still make sense and be catchy at the same time. So, I would be copy the formatting of their songs and then just change words. That’s how I learned to write music. I would go to their sentence and think to myself, “how could I say this differently?”
The Tie That Binds
Playboy: I know you mentioned earlier that your love of Mötley Crüe and Poison is what drew you to each other and tied you together. Tell us more about that.
Brooke: Yeah, we both love 80’s metal and I’ve just always loved Mötley Crüe and Poison. My mom and I used to just drive around and listen to Poison while screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs with the windows down. That was our thing.
“And when Cody and I first met and were hanging out on the tour bus, he looked at me and said “do you listen to Poison?” And I said “talk dirty to me,” because that’s one of their songs. So, that was an immediate connection right there.” – Brooke Christine
You don’t really find many people, in my age range especially, that listen to music like that. We shared a love for more than just the music, but also the lifestyle, the era, the clothes, the makeup and everything about it.
From Metal to Country
Playboy: Cody, how did you jump from being in a metal band to a country band? That’s quite a genre leap.
Cody: I was born a redneck, so I grew up around country music. My town was so small, man. I think I was the only kid at my high school that didn’t hunt. My parents both grew up in the city and moved us to Mount Washington, so they weren’t like the rest of the parents of the kids at my school. So, I grew up in a city family in the country.
I wanted to be different because, in my eyes, everyone in my town were just all the same and did all the same things. They all dressed the same, listened to the same music, pulled up in the same vehicles. So, I wanted to do anything to be different. That’s when I really started getting into metal. There was only five metal kids in my high school that wore black. And so, I started my core friend group. We just started listening to hair metal and started a band.
“Cody calls us the redneck version of Pam and Tommy.” – Brooke Christine
Cody: And yeah, to be perfectly honest with you, the most beautiful part of it all is that I feel like we’re essentially the Mötley Crüe of country. There’s no one that will out-party us. We’re damn good players and you’d be damn sure that put on a show. We ain’t gonna stand around and just sit there. It’s a party.
It’s beautiful because every genre that I’ve gained influence from—country to gospel to metal to Southern rock—is everything that Jelly is. And that’s everything I am. So, I couldn’t have been blessed with a better fit band for me, personally.
“Save Me”
Playboy: Brooke, what is your favorite memory of being with Cody on Jelly Roll’s tour?
Brooke: Jelly sings “Save Me” at the end of every show and, if I’m there, Cody will come off stage to give me a kiss and tell me he loves me. That’s our moment. We have a few videos of it, but it’s just our thing to each other. To embrace during that song. He used to text me every time they played it when I wasn’t there. It’s just a special, little thing we have together.
Their Relationship Takeaway
Playboy: What do you want people to know about your relationship?
Cody: We want the world to know that we aren’t perfect. That’s important. We’ve always tried to portray the realness of our relationship and let people know about the realness. We’ve had some really knock-down, drag-out arguments. This lifestyle isn’t easy and it’s not normal for her, so I understand that. But, I’ve gotten heated too because sometimes I feel like I’m not understood on certain things. But, as Brooke said earlier, it’s all comes down to communication.
“We’re not trying to be painted as this perfect couple who are so in love. We are in love, but I’m not afraid to let you know that we do sometimes fight and things get messy, but those real moments are necessary and make us stronger.” – Cody Ash
I think it’s easy to see couples hiding behind perfectly curated videos, pictures, and interviews online. Of course others will think, “they’re so perfect. They’re so in love, they have their business in oder, and yeah.” Y’all ain’t seen the other side and I’m not scared to let people in on that other side. It’s hard sometimes, and sometimes you have to take that space away from each other. But, at the end of the day, that struggle and heat brings us closer together.