NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music star Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, has undergone a remarkable transformation since embarking on his weight loss journey five years ago, shedding 275 pounds and reshaping not just his body but his confidence and intimate life. His wife of nine years, Bunnie Xo, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, shared a candid revelation during the February 17 episode of The Howard Stern Show, teasing that her husband's anatomy has benefited from the change. "It is very true that when a man loses weight, it grows a lot," she said, adding that Jelly Roll's penis has gotten "severely bigger." Bunnie quipped that Jelly would "gonna kill me" for disclosing the NSFW detail, but she expressed full support for his newfound vitality.
Bunnie, a podcaster known for her Dumb Blonde show, emphasized Jelly Roll's deserving of this "hot streak." "He's getting his confidence back and he's peacocking around," she told host Howard Stern. "He's got a little strut in his step, and I think it's just the cutest thing." The 41-year-old Grammy winner, who once struggled with low testosterone levels comparable to those of a "preteen boy," as he recalled in a recent Men's Health interview, has spoken openly about the physical and emotional toll of his previous weight. "I was like, 'That’s my testosterone level?'" Jelly Roll said. "You can’t get it up without T. I was married to a smoke show, and I was still struggling."
Prior to his weight loss, intimacy with Bunnie was a challenge, according to Jelly Roll's accounts. On a December episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, he likened sex to "playing a game of Twister." "Left foot here, right foot in the X," he described. "'Are we in there yet? Tell me if you feel something.’ It was bad." Now, however, the singer reports a "dramatically different world." In the Men's Health piece published last month, he laughed about chasing Bunnie around the house: "I’m like a teenage kid again! I’m like the Pink Panther: I bust out of every corner."
The couple's journey together dates back to August 2015, when they first crossed paths in Las Vegas at the Country Saloon during one of Jelly Roll's early performances. At the time, the musician was far from fame, living in a van and drawing a crowd of about 20 people. Bunnie, then in an unhealthy relationship, described the meeting as cliché but profound. "When I met him, I tell everybody it's the most f--king cliché s--t, but literally my soul was like, 'There you are,'" she recalled on the 2023 podcast Bussin' With The Boys. Despite not being each other's typical types—Jelly Roll even loves Taylor Swift—she felt an instant connection.
They reconnected in October 2015, and by July 2016, their bond turned romantic during a drunken night in Vegas while he filmed videos. Amid the haze, Jelly Roll asked about her five-year plan, leading to a pivotal discussion. "We're like s--t-faced drunk," Bunnie remembered on Bussin' With The Boys. "I'm trying to get it up, get it in, get it on and get it out, and this guy was like, 'What's your five-year plan?'" They committed on the spot, marrying a month later on August 2016 at Las Vegas' Stained Glass Wedding Chapel. Remarkably, they achieved every goal from that conversation, including buying their own house by the fifth year.
Bunnie's transition from the sex work industry in 2019 was a turning point. She launched Dumb Blonde that year, using earnings from her past to support Jelly Roll's career. "I invested in his [2017] Addiction Kills album," she said on Sofia Franklyn's Sofia with an F podcast. She also helped him gain custody of his daughter Bailee, born in 2008 from a previous relationship. Jelly Roll, who was in prison for drug dealing at the time of her birth, has credited Bailee with saving his life. "My daughter saved my life," he said in his 2023 documentary Jelly Roll: Save Me. "She wasn't old enough to even know it."
Bailee entered Jelly Roll's life more fully when she was 2 years old, as he began his music career from a van. Though he admitted to being a "very less-than-present father" initially, Bunnie stepped in during the custody battle against Bailee's mother's addiction issues. "I helped him with that," Bunnie noted. The process prompted self-reflection: "Who was I, us, to take her from her mom and bring her into our house if we're over here just popping pills and doing the same thing?" Bunnie said in the documentary. "I was just like, 'This is it. I'm done.' And I literally never touched a pill again." For Bailee's Sweet 16 in 2024, Bunnie wrote a heartfelt message: "Thank you Papa Roll for giving me the chance to be the mom I never had... Thank you to the sweetest, sassiest 16 year old for teaching me the most healing life lessons ever these past 8 years & letting me be your mama."
God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord! I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father's sins.
About a week before their wedding, in August 2016, Jelly Roll welcomed son Noah with another partner. He shared the news on Facebook, writing the above plea for his children's future. The couple has kept much of Noah's life private but occasionally shares glimpses, like a July 2023 TikTok where Bunnie asked him favorites such as soccer as his sport and playing in the water at the beach. She noted it was "always mama approved first," referring to Noah's biological mother, with whom they maintain a positive relationship. "She’s one stand up chick & we couldn’t imagine our lives without her," Bunnie wrote in a 2023 Facebook post. "She holds it down for baby Noah & us especially because we are on the road so much." In October 2024, after Noah attended one of his dad's shows, Bunnie reflected: "Nothing brings me more joy then getting to watch my bonus babies grow up... I’m not one to get emotional but just being in this little boy’s life since the day he was born is such a privilege."
Their marriage faced a significant test two years in, with a separation in 2018. Jelly Roll has publicly acknowledged cheating as the cause. "One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife," he said on the October 2025 premiere of the Human School podcast. "Because it was the first time that I was like, ‘I really can’t get this right at all. Like, I know I’m in love with this woman.’ It just really, really, really blew me back." The couple reconciled later that year, emerging stronger. "I did a lot of work to repair that relationship," Jelly Roll continued. "The repair has been special, man. We’re stronger than we could’ve ever been." Bunnie echoed this in a February 2023 TikTok: "Who knew that us breaking up in 2018, me moving back to Vegas & you coming to get me back - would have put us on this wild journey called life... Our castle in the sand had to crumble so we could rebuild on solid ground."
As Jelly Roll's fame grew, they made their red carpet debut together at the 2022 CMA Awards. "We're like the Addams Family of the country era," Bunnie said in Jelly Roll: Save Me. "We don't belong here, but we're here." In 2023, seven years after their wedding, they renewed their vows. Reflecting on their original ceremony, Bunnie recalled Jelly Roll's promise: "Bunnie, our lives won’t always be like this. You won’t have to do what you do for much longer, we’re going to figure this out. I promise you." She added in a September 2023 tribute: "I had no idea what the world had in store for us, but I didn’t care as long as I had you by my side to conquer it... These past 7 years have been a whirlwind dark fairytale."
Bunnie has inspired several of Jelly Roll's songs, including "Woman" and "Kill a Man." Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about the latter, he explained: "I have attempted to write 1,000 love songs, and I thought all of them were a little corny. So I was like, 'How do I write a love song and keep my manliness but I also can completely open myself to how in love I am?'" He added, "I don't see any other woman on Earth but her, and I wanted to write a song that reflected that and was vulnerable." They co-starred in music videos for "Wheels Fall Off" and "Lonely Road," featuring Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox.
Mutual support defines their partnership. For Jelly Roll's 2024 CMT Music Awards, Bunnie praised him as "my sweet husband the visionary. The maestro of misfits." She highlighted his 20-year grind: "I’ve watched you pour your soul into a pen & write therapeutic hymns for the broken only for those hymns to pour straight into their hearts." On their eighth anniversary, Jelly Roll lauded her: "Watching what you have built on social media and with your podcast is amazing... To see the way you inspire people especially other women makes my heart want to explode with joy."
Bunnie fiercely defends Jelly Roll against online bullying, particularly about his weight pre-loss. On an April 2024 episode of Dumb Blonde, she revealed: "My husband got off the internet because he's so tired of being bullied about his f--king weight... And that makes me want to cry because he is the sweetest angel baby." She stressed the impact: "The internet can say whatever the f--k they want about you, and they say, 'Well, you're a celebrity. You're supposed to be able to handle it.' No, the f--k we're not." Her stance is clear: "Don't bully people... I'm sorry, I'm going to stand up for all the f--king underdogs." Jelly Roll has echoed health struggles, telling The Joe Rogan Experience in December 2025: "I could feel myself dying."
The couple has been transparent about family expansion efforts. In June 2024, Bunnie announced their IVF journey on Instagram: "We had planned on doing this privately, but decided our IVF journey needed to be shared because we've always been so open... We have been meeting w/ IVF doctors & exploring all our options to add to our family." They considered surrogacy due to her health risks. "We don't have a surrogate for any other reason besides the fact that I just cannot carry a child myself," she said on a March 2025 Dumb Blonde episode. "There's too much risk." On a November 2025 episode, she added a philosophical note: "But at the same time it’s like, you just put it in God’s hands. If it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. And if not, we can always adopt."
As Jelly Roll continues his rise—with hits like "Need a Favor" and "Son of a Sinner"—and Bunnie builds her media empire, their story of resilience, love, and reinvention resonates. From van-dwelling struggles to red carpets and vow renewals, they've navigated addiction, infidelity, and public scrutiny hand in hand. Fans see them as underdogs turned icons, with Bunnie calling Jelly Roll "my missing puzzle piece... The man that makes me dance in my feminine energy. My best friend, my hero & the greatest man I’ve ever known." Their ongoing commitment suggests more chapters in this "dark fairytale," potentially including a new family member amid their shared pursuit of healing and happiness.