Inside Jelly Roll And Bunnie Xo's Marriage
Jelly Roll has become one of country music's hottest stars, topping the charts with such hits as "Need a Favor" and "Save Me." His inspiring origin story has become legendary: a convicted felon with a tattooed face who'd battled addiction, and spent most of his life behind bars before turning his life around and focused his efforts on music. After years spent slogging away in tiny clubs, he finally broke through into the mainstream. That was evident when he announced plans to hit the road in 2024 for the Beautifully Broken arena tour, his biggest concert tour to date
At the center of Jelly Roll's story is Bunnie Xo, a former sex worker (and now superstar podcaster) who's been his wife since 2016. During Jelly Roll's rise from obscurity to stardom, he and Bunnie Xo have always been there for each other, in good times, bad times, and everything in between. Their journey together has been well documented, and it's far from typical. "I'm obviously in it, so I'm a little biased, but I think it's one of the wildest stories that's ever happened in the music business," Jelly Roll said of his unconventional marriage while appearing on "The Howard Stern Show."
So how did an ex-con and former escort become the new king and queen of country music? As Jelly Roll indicated, it is indeed a wild ride, so buckle up for a look inside Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo's marriage.
When they met, Jelly Roll was was living in his van
The relationship between Jelly Roll and his future bride Bunnie Xo began one night in 2015. "[We met] the old-fashioned way," Jelly Roll joked while appearing on "The Howard Stern Show." "We met at a bar."
As the couple recalled during an appearance on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast, Jelly Roll was playing a small Vegas club, performing for about 20 or 30 people, when Bunnie Xo showed up with her then-boyfriend. As Bunnie Xo quipped, there were so few people that Jelly Roll was hanging out at the bar with them. Meanwhile, his living situation at the time wasn't exactly luxurious. "I was like, touring, living in, like, a '97 high-top Southern Comfort van, and was, like, a** broke when I met her," he recalled when interviewed for "The Golden Hour Clips." When they finally did get together, there was another complicating factor: Bunnie Xo's job as a sex worker.
"When we got into a relationship together I told him, I was like, 'You know, you're going to be scrutinized for what I do for a living,'" she recalled during an episode of her "Dumb Blonde" podcast. "And [Jelly Roll] was like, 'You know what baby? I don't give a f***.' He's like, 'I love you, we're going to ride this s*** out together.'"
Jelly Roll made an awkward confession to Bunnie Xo early in their relationship
Jelly Roll would be the first to admit that he wasn't exactly the world's greatest catch when he and Bunnie Xo first came together, given that he was an ex-convict with a lengthy rap sheet who was living in a van, barely scraping by. "I was dead broke, and she just kind of took to me," Jelly Roll recalled when he was interviewed by comedian Bert Kreischer on his "Bertcast" podcast.
Yet, those weren't the only strikes against him. "I have to sit Bunnie down and go, 'Look, I have a kid that you know about that I'm fixing to have to get full custody of,'" he said when he appeared on "Bussin' with the Boys," revealing that he had another uncomfortable confession to make that was even tougher to admit. "'There's also a woman out there that's pregnant with a kid of mine,'" he recalled telling her.
Jelly Roll would not have been surprised if those additional nuggets of information proved to be a dealbreaker that propelled her to cut bait and walk away. However, that's not the way it went down. "Bunnie is just like, 'Whew, man, that's a lot.' She was like, 'But I got you,'" he said.
Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll got married on a whim
During an August night in 2016, Jelly Roll was performing onstage in Las Vegas, while Bunnie Xo watched from the audience. He was suddenly overcome with the realization that she was "the one," and decided then and there to pop the question. Bunnie Xo immediately agreed to his spontaneous proposal, and suddenly the two were engaged. They quickly elected not to have a long engagement; given they were in a city containing more than 50 wedding chapels, they looked at the time and figured they'd better get moving. "I'm like, 'F*** it, let's just go now.' She's like, 'The courthouse is open for like [...] 44 more minutes,'" Jelly Roll recalled when appearing on "The Golden Hour Clips."
Getting married proved to be a pivotal moment in their relationship, which has only grown deeper and richer in the years that have passed.
One of the things that's kept them together since they tied the knot has been their insistence on sharing everything with each other, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. "Open, real, honest communication. We talk about the uncomfortable stuff up front. It's a real important thing in our marriage," Jelly Roll told Fox News Digital. "And also, we don't take nothing too serious. Have a short memory. Laugh as much as you can."
Bunnie was instrumental in Jelly Roll gaining custody of daughter Bailee
Not only did Jelly Roll's attempt to gain custody of his first child not cause Bunnie Xo to flee their relationship, but she was instrumental in making it happen. Since then, his daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, came to become an integral part of their lives. As Jelly Roll explained when he appeared on "Bussin' with the Boys," all the cards were stacked against him, as a broke convicted felon who was also homeless at the time. That was when Bunnie Xo stepped in, footing the bill for a place to live — with a second bedroom for Bailee — while also paying a lawyer to handle the legal issues surrounding Jelly Roll's custody battle with Bailee's mother. "Bunnie looked at me, and man, it makes me emotional, she said, 'No matter what happens with us, I'm gonna help you get this little girl,'" he said, tears filling his eyes.
Looking back, Jelly Roll still can't believe he was granted custody. "A guy with my rap sheet, and the judge deemed that I was responsible enough?" he said with a laugh while appearing on "The Howard Stern Show."
Since then, Bunnie has become a "mama bear" who's fully embraced her role as stepmother. "You know, Bunnie didn't have kids. And when we got custody of Bailee, it was like something clicked with her, it was like, 'Oh my god, we're completely responsible for this child,'" Jelly Roll said in his "Bertcast" interview.
They have an open marriage
Another contributing factor to the success of Jelly Roll's marriage to Bunnie Xo has been their insistence on maintaining an open relationship. "My wife and I openly invite women into our relationship," he said in a 2018 interview with 247HH. "In Lansing, Michigan, she brought, like three women on the bus."
That openness also applies to Bunnie Xo, who revealed that what's good for the gander applies equally to the goose. "We allow each other to be who we want to be. If I want to sleep with another guy, I can go sleep with another guy. Like, that's not a problem," she said in a 2020 episode of her "Dumb Blonde" podcast, but added, "I wouldn't want another dude in the bedroom with me and Jay, I think that would be so weird."
When Jelly Roll appeared on the "Steve-O's Wild Ride!" podcast in 2024, he revealed that he and Bunnie Xo were still getting up to their shenanigans. "We had a Tinder together," he said, explaining why it was important that they offer each other as much freedom as they want. "We still very much believe in holding a relationship like this," he said, extending his open hand, palm upward, "and not like this," he continued, closing his hand into a clenched fist. "Because I've held too many things like this, and it's just never worked for me. So we're just very open."
They briefly separated after Jelly Roll had an affair
As unconventional as it may be, the marriage of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo has certainly appeared to be a solid union. There have, however, been bumps in the road. As she explained on "The Wife of the Party" podcast, her world was shattered when, early in their marriage, she discovered her husband had rekindled a romance with an ex, and had been having an affair behind her back. "It's the worst feeling in the world," she said of being cheated on, revealing she packed her bags and left.
She went public with their breakup in a YouTube vlog, revealing that they'd separated. "It's been hard," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she revealed she'd hardly been sleeping.
However, she later explained that Jelly Roll had paid her a visit, and came clean about all that had happened. They reconciled, and committed to be totally honest with each other about everything from that point forward, no matter what. "It happened for a reason," she explained while speaking on "The Wife of the Party," "and I'm so thankful that it did because it just made us the best of friends."
They're true partners who've got each others' backs
For Jelly Roll, Bunnie Xo isn't just his wife, she's his everything. "I married my best friend," he wrote in a post that he shared via Facebook. "She is the backbone of my entire existence. I love you mama bear."
The feeling is mutual, and Bunnie Xo has proven on many occasions that she's her husband's biggest supporter, and, when warranted, his biggest defender. That was particularly true when she revealed that Jelly Roll had abandoned the internet due to relentless bullying about his size. "My husband got off the internet because he is so tired of being bullied about his f***ing weight, and that makes me want to cry because he is the sweetest angel baby," she said on an episode of her "Dumb Blonde" podcast. "The internet can say whatever the f*** they want about you, and they say, 'Well you're a celebrity. You're supposed to be able to handle it.' No the f*** we're not."
In the episode, Bunnie Xo cautioned people about the toll that cyberbullying can take on those who are targeted, even celebrities, since those who spread hate and negativity online have no idea about the mental state of those being victimized. "There are a lot of people who are not as strong as me [...] and they don't deserve to f***in' be bullied," she added.
They renewed their vows at the same wedding chapel where they originally got hitched
When Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo tied the knot in a spontaneous 2016 ceremony at a Vegas wedding chapel, the bride had always regretted not being able to say "I do" while wearing a wedding gown. In July 2023, she took to Facebook to reveal that she would be rectifying that when she and her husband renewed their vows. "I'm going to wear a real wedding dress since I didn't the first time we got married in that little chapel in Vegas," she wrote.
This time, the couple planned to do it right. "Seven years ago we stumbled into this little chapel in Vegas black out drunk," Jelly Roll wrote in the caption of a video he posted on TikTok, featuring Bunnie Xo wearing a stunning all-white gown while he sported a dashing red velvet tux. "My only regret was never seeing her in a dress. [Seven] years to the date — in the same chapel — we renewed our vows."
Bunnie Xo likewise commemorated the occasion on social media, posting a photo on Instagram of the not-so-newlyweds exchanging vows while reminiscing about their original wedding. "Who knew a chance encounter in 2015 would lead to our stars colliding a year later in the cutest, tiniest chapel in Vegas exchanging vows of forever when neither one of even knew what forever meant," she wrote.
Bunnie Xo eventually retired from sex work
While Jelly Roll has become the primary breadwinner in the family, it certainly wasn't that way at the beginning of his relationship with Bunnie Xo. As Jelly Roll recalled on the "Bertcast" podcast, at that point he was being paid $100 per show while she was raking in big bucks as an escort. "Like, real money. Like, I didn't know that existed," he marveled, revealing that her clientele was as upscale as it gets. "If she ever writes a book [...] we're talking about, like, CEOs of oil companies," he hinted. "People you know."
Over the course of their marriage, Bunnie Xo expanded her horizons by launching her "Dumb Blonde" podcast, which grew increasingly successful. However, she never did completely give up sex work, which she continued through her OnlyFans account. In March 2023, however, she shut down her account, and the following year posted a message via Facebook to reflect on her retirement. "Awww a year ago I retired from the SW [sex work] industry," she wrote. "I was SO scared to let go of that part of my life & leave behind the money I was making — wasn't sure how I'd make up that part of my business. But I had faith & let God have it & he made sure I made it back 10 fold."
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo regularly open up about their relationship on social media
Not only are Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo candidly open with each other, they've also embraced the same philosophy when it comes to sharing details about their personal lives with their fans. In fact, the couple has opened up about their marriage on numerous occasions, usually when he appears on his wife's "Dumb Blonde" podcast, or in one of the numerous videos she shares on her YouTube channel.
Among these is the ongoing series "Meet the DeFords," in which she chronicles such moments in their lives as taking a trip on a yacht, and getting ready to attend the ACM Awards.
Meanwhile, Jelly Roll has never been shy about singing his wife's praises, something he did enviably in a 2023 Instagram post. "A lot is often said or made about my story, but the truth is, I've never been moved more by a story than the story of my wife," he wrote. "To watch what this woman has overcame and her passion and determination to be something better has inspired me from the moment I met her. She saved me in one of the darkest times of my life."
Jelly Roll is happy when Bunnie Xo outshines him on the red carpet
Since taking the music scene by storm, Jelly Roll has become a fixture at Nashville award shows. As he's made his way from one red carpet to another, Bunnie Xo has been right by his side. When it comes to planning what he'll wear, he steps back and lets Bunnie Xo take the lead. "My wife wore a black dress with these chains things on it, so I was like — you know how we dress ourselves on red carpets now? I say, get the wife whatever she wants and then figure out how I can accent it," he said in a red carpet interview with "Entertainment Tonight" while attending the 2023 CMA Awards. "I'm like an accessory piece. I'm like an extra earring."
The couple shook things up when they attended the 2024 edition of the CMT Awards; Bunnie Xo, for the first time, was not there to accompany her husband, having scored a gig interviewing stars as a backstage correspondent. "The coolest moment I've had this entire process is ... when I walked out, they had a placard with my name for where my seat was and then her placard," Jelly Roll proudly proclaimed when interviewed by Billboard. "I was like, 'You're not a plus-one no more, baby! You're a seat!'"
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo turned to IVF in hopes of having a baby
It's no secret that Jelly Roll is the father of two — his daughter, Bailee Ann, was raised by him and Bunnie Xo, while his son, Noah Buddy DeFord, is the result of a brief relationship before he met Bunnie Xo.
In June 2024, Jelly Roll revealed that he and Bunnie Xo were hoping to have a baby together. He shared the news during an appearance on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast, explaining why he'd been focusing on improving his health and losing weight. "My wife and I are talking about having a baby, and it really made me realize that at almost 40, I was like, it means I got to live to at least 60. I got to see this kid into college," he said.
Bunnie Xo shared video of that portion of his interview in an Instagram post, along with confirmation that they were indeed trying for a baby. "Papabear dropped a surprise on this pod today," she wrote, revealing that they had started IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatments in order to conceive a child. "We had planned on doing this privately, but decided our ivf journey needed to be shared because we've always been so open," she wrote. "And w/all odds stacked against us, it's always been hard & we have only just begun," she added, signing off by writing, "God Willing- Baby DeFord 2026."