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Jelly Roll's ex-wife, Bunnie Xo, has opened up about the sacrifices she made during the early days of their relationship, revealing she relied on "sugar daddies" and sex work to help support the country star's career before he found fame.
The candid admission comes shortly after reports emerged that Jelly Roll had filed for divorce after nearly a decade of marriage.
Speaking on a recent episode of her Dumb Blonde Podcast, Bunnie Xo reflected on the couple's struggles before the Grammy-nominated singer became one of country music's biggest stars.
The podcast host pushed back against claims that she was independently wealthy when she first got together with Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord.
"When Jay and I first got together, we were two kids who literally had nothing," she explained.
"Everybody always likes to say that I had all the money when we first got together, and I did this for him and I did that for him. And I mean, I had sugar daddies at the time that were paying for all of this."
Bunnie went on to reveal the lengths she went to in order to help fund their lifestyle and support Jelly Roll's music career.
"We were still in the streets. We were making money as it came," she said.
"It wasn't like I was over here sitting on a million dollars and was taking care of him. I was turning tricks to pay our bills and to get lawyers and to travel and to go on tour and stuff like that."
The couple's relationship has long been viewed as one of country music's most enduring love stories, with Bunnie frequently speaking about standing by Jelly Roll during his struggles with addiction, incarceration, and his rise to fame.
However, she also revealed that the pair had faced growing challenges in recent years.
According to Bunnie, communication between the couple began to break down over the last year and a half.
"We stopped communicating together in the past year and a half," she said.
"And I think that it's safe for me to say that I always loved my husband a little bit more than he loved me."
She continued: "I was always protecting him and always making sure he was okay and always chasing him. I literally was the glue that held us together."
The emotional comments come after reports that Jelly Roll filed for divorce in Tennessee in May, citing irreconcilable differences.
Court documents reportedly list the couple's date of separation as May 9.
While neither has publicly addressed the filing in detail, Bunnie's latest comments have offered fans a rare glimpse into the realities of the couple's relationship long before fame, awards, and sold-out arenas became part of their lives
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Country artist Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie Xo, are set to split up after almost 10 years of marriage.
It was revealed by TMZ that Jelly Roll, real name Jason DeFord, filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, on May 18, according to court documents.
The move may come as a surprise to many who have followed the couple's journey, as the pair have shared several details about their relationship in the past.
Earlier this year, they could be seen getting their PDA on at the 2026 Grammys, before Jelly Roll, 41, scooped up an award for himself, thanking his wife in his speech.
Following the news, an old interview involving podcaster Bunnie Xo, real name Alisa DeFord, and the discussion of the couple's sex life has resurfaced.
Speaking out in February this year, she explained how her love life with Jelly Roll changed following his dramatic weight loss.
The country artist once hit 540 lbs (245 kg), but managed to lose over half of that without the use of GLP-1 medication, getting down to 265 lbs (120 kg).
Speaking to Us Weekly, Bunnie Xo opened up about what she shared in her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic: "We always had a sex life, but there were mountains and valleys that we had to go through - especially when he was so big."
She added that it was his "excitement and his new zest for life" which was refreshing, adding: “It’s so childlike and just giddy - just seeing him get to be the man that I always saw that he was.”
The 46-year-old went on: “Even when he was 500 pounds, this dude was an agile, big guy. I’m like, ‘You are athletic under that meat suit.’
"Now that he has the weight off of him, he just gets to be who I always knew that he was, and I think it’s brought a new sense of happiness to him. Any time he’s happy, I’m happy."
Jelly Roll also opened up about his own weight loss in an interview with Men's Health this year, explaining: "I was so fat that there came a moment in life that my wife and I had to put two queen beds beside each other because we couldn’t fit in a king bed anymore, I was just all over,
"Now it’s a totally different thing. I’m chasing her around the house. I’m like a teenage kid again! I’m like the Pink Panther – I bust out of every corner. And she opens the cabinet and I go, ‘Hi!’"
He had previously revealed that he couldn't get aroused due to his size.
The couple started dating over 10 years ago, after meeting at one of Jelly Roll's shows at Las Vegas' Country Saloon in 2015.
After around a year of dating, Jelly proposed to Bunnie on stage in Las Vegas, with the pair eloping and making it official in a courthouse ceremony that same evening.
They had been open about numerous aspects of their relationship, including their IVF journey, as they were attempting to conceive.
When Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo attended this year's Grammy Awards, they could be seen laying kisses on one another, sharing a more wholesome moment after the former won Best Contemporary Country Album.
As part of his acceptance speech, he said: "I want to thank my beautiful wife,
"I would have never changed my life without you. I would have ended up dead or in jail. I would have killed myself if it wasn't for you and Jesus. I thank you for that."
After country music star Jelly Roll, 41, filed for divorce from his wife, influencer and podcast host Bunnie Xo, 46, he has stayed silent until now.
He has finally spoken out about their relationship and even claimed that “nobody cheated on nobody.”
The couple, with a combined 8.3 million followers on Instagram, had been married for almost ten years and renewed their vows just three years ago.
Although the singer paid tribute to his wife on stage at the Grammys earlier this year, saying that without her, he “would have ended up dead or in jail”, Jelly Roll has filed for divorce months later.
On Thursday evening, he told the audience at his show at Saratoga Springs, New York: “This is the only time and the only city I’m gonna speak about this, so break your camera phones out now.”
Jelly Roll, real name Jason Bradley DeFord, even claimed: “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends,” and declared that Bunnie will “probably be the only woman I will ever love the way I loved her.”
Despite TMZ reporting that the separation was a "mutual decision by the two and a private family matter", the pair have previously been open about their up-and-down relationship.
The documents filed for the divorce cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for ending their marriage.
Offering an olive branch to his estranged wife, the 'Wild Ones' singer endorsed an episode of Bunnie’s Dumb Blonde podcast, during which she discussed the couple’s divorce.
Prompting fans to listen to the episode, Jelly Roll said: “Every word of it is the truth. That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will ever speak about it. Bunnie, I love you, baby.”
The podcast host, real name Alisa De Ford, made a bombshell revelation in the most recent episode: Jelly Roll is allegedly already dating again.
She revealed: "J is a little lover, and he, you know, he likes to snuggle, and he likes to cuddle.”
The model even encouraged other women to contact her soon-to-be ex-husband, saying: "Don't be scared. Shoot your motherf**king shot.
"I will be the ex-wife, okay? And we'll have a great time."
However, she did also admit that she is not ready to do the same. Bunnie confessed: “The crazy thing is, I'm not even ready to hook up with a dude. I'm ready to focus on myself and pour into myself."
Bunnie Xo has claimed that her ex-husband, Jelly Roll, is already stepping back into the dating world following their divorce, and she says she's fully supportive of it.
Speaking on the June 18 episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, the 46-year-old opened up about the country singer's new chapter after the pair ended their longstanding marriage.
According to Bunnie, Jelly Roll is thriving both personally and physically.
"Daddy Roll is probably in his finest season, right? He's feeling himself. He looks so good. He is healthier than he's ever been," she claimed before revealing that he has "started dating."
She described the singer as someone who enjoys affection and companionship, saying: "J is a little lover, and he, you know, he likes to snuggle and he likes to cuddle."
Bunnie stressed that she's comfortable with the situation and is currently focused on herself rather than seeking a new relationship.
"The crazy thing is, I'm not even ready to hook up with a dude. I'm ready to focus on myself and pour into myself," she explained.
In fact, she even encouraged women interested in Jelly Roll to reach out to him directly.
"Don't be scared. Shoot your motherf**king shot," she joked. "I will be the ex-wife, okay? And we'll have a great time."
While Bunnie says she's happy to welcome a future partner into Jelly Roll's life, she made it clear that honesty is important.
"I will welcome you with open arms, but if you're a b***h who is lying straight-up the first time you meet my husband — God, gotta stop calling him that — the first time you meet J," she said.
She then joked about how closely she and Jelly Roll pay attention to people around them.
"First of all, we are like the FBI. We will figure out everything about you. And two, we just don't wanna have to do that. Just come correct and be cool."
Bunnie also shared what she believes her ex is looking for in his next relationship.
According to her, Jelly Roll wants someone down-to-earth and away from the influencer lifestyle.
"He needs a really sweet girl who is normal and isn't like, f**king trying to be a f**kin' influencer," she said.
She added that he may be looking for someone very different from herself.
"No offense to anybody — his wife, you know — no offense to anybody, but I think he wants the complete opposite of me, which is what he deserves."
Although she says Jelly Roll hopes to eventually settle down, Bunnie has other advice for him.
"He wants to settle down," she revealed, adding that she's encouraging him to "play the f**kin' field."
News emerged earlier this week that Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, quietly filed for divorce in Tennessee last month after nearly a decade of marriage.
Sources close to the former couple said their relationship had always been complicated, dating back to when they first met.
At the beginning of their romance, Jelly Roll was struggling financially while Bunnie earned a living as a sex worker.
"When they first got together, they were both in a very different place in their lives," a source claimed. "There was a lot of chaos, ups and downs, and they built a life together through all of that."
Despite their split, Bunnie's comments suggest the pair remain on good terms as they move forward separately.
Since country music star Jelly Roll, 41, announced his divorce from his wife, influencer and podcast host Bunnie Xo, 46, he has stayed fairly silent until announcing a bombshell “plot-twist”.
The couple, with a combined 8.3 million followers on Instagram, had been married for almost ten years and renewed their vows just three years ago.
In a video released on his YouTube channel called “The Divorce Vlog," Jelly Roll showed behind-the-scenes clips of life on the road with his and Post Malone’s Big A** Stadium Tour, as well as promising “piping hot tea” about his sudden breakup was about to be announced.
Towards the end of the video, he called Bunnie, who joined over the phone to remind his fans to tune into her podcast, Dumb Blonde, if they want the full story.
The former couple laughed at the camera while Jelly Roll said: “Yeah, ya’ll thought we were gonna hate each other.”
Bunnie then swiftly chimed in with: “Plot twist b***hes.”
In an unusual move from a couple going through a divorce, they signed off their call by telling each other that they loved each other. Jelly Roll initiated the niceties by saying: “Love you, baby,” to which she responded: “Love you, bye.”
During his show last week, Jelly Roll publicly declared his love for his partner of over a decade. He told the audience at his show at Saratoga Springs, New York: “This is the only time and the only city I’m gonna speak about this, so break your camera phones out now.”
Jelly Roll, real name Jason Bradley DeFord, even claimed: “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends,” and declared that Bunnie will “probably be the only woman I will ever love the way I loved her.”
Despite TMZ reporting that the separation was a "mutual decision by the two and a private family matter", the pair have previously been open about their up-and-down relationship.
The documents filed for the divorce cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for ending their marriage.
Jelly Roll had previously admitted to a historical affair, though the couple had worked through it at the time and remained together for several more years.
In response to a fan asking why she did not end the marriage over the adultery, she said: "It actually takes a stronger woman to face pain head-on, do the work, and rebuild with the man she loves — instead of running or gossiping."
Bunnie Xo has revealed what she is getting from her divorce settlement.
The 46-year-old revealed on her Dumb Blonde podcast that she and Jelly Roll have managed to divide their assets quickly and remain on remarkably good terms despite their split.
"My husband and I are ending this marriage on the best possible terms," the host, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, said.
Explaining that the 41-year-old country star filed for divorce last month, she added: "We're literally settling our divorce. We've done it in two weeks, three weeks."
One of the biggest assets involved is a property the former couple purchased last year.
Bunnie disclosed that Jelly Roll has agreed to let her keep the compound, which includes three homes and has been a passion project for her.
"J is so f***ing sweet that he's giving me that compound in the divorce," she said, "because he knows how special it is to me."
She also hinted that financial support is part of the settlement arrangement.
"I joke around with him," she said. "I'm like, 'Well, you didn't take care of me in the marriage, but you're taking care of me in the divorce.'" She added: "We stan a f***ing king."
Despite the legal proceedings, the influencer made it clear there is no animosity between them.
"That's my f***ing best friend, dude," she said.
Her comments echo comments Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, recently made while addressing the divorce publicly for the first time during a concert in Saratoga Springs, New York.
The 'Save Me' singer denied speculation that infidelity played a role in the breakup, telling the crowd: "While we're talking about liars, the internet is a liar too... nobody cheated on nobody.
"Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends," he continued, adding that Bunnie is "probably the only woman I will ever love the way I loved her."
He then promoted her podcast episode about the divorce, saying: "Every word of it is the truth. That will be my best friend forever.
"This is the only time I will ever speak about it. Bunnie, I love you, baby," he concluded.
While their marriage may be ending, Bunnie revealed the former couple is still planning to have a child together following their difficult IVF journey.
"We're just going to raise little Nugget as one big happy family," she previously said.
She also noted that she and Jelly Roll will continue co-parenting his children, Bailee, 18, and Noah, nine.
"We have been the most unconventional couple that you guys have ever encountered," she said.
Although Bunnie has now embraced the changes in her life, she admitted the divorce wasn't what she initially wanted.
"I felt like we deserved a chance to go to therapy and figure s**t out," she said. "He didn't feel that way and I respect it. It took me a month and a half now to respect that."
She believes the split forced both of them to have conversations they had been avoiding.
"Was it necessary for us to have a wakeup call and to actually start having these real conversations? Absolutely," she said. "This was like a resurrection of my soul, because I literally feel like a different human than I was a month and a half ago - and I'm so thankful."
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