Jelly Roll has been inspiring fans with his significant weight loss journey and motivating aspirations throughout 2024. The 40-year-old “Son of a Sinner” artist (real name Jason Bradley DeFord), was recently featured on an episode of his wife Bunnie XO‘s podcast, Dumb Blonde.
During the conversation, the “Need a Favor” singer shared his dream of gracing the cover of Men’s Health to showcase his transformation and wanting to “be honest” about his weight struggles with his fanbase. This announcement comes a month after he informed his followers that he had shed an impressive 120 pounds.
@xomgitsbunnie Jelly is on the couch this week! OUT NOW for all members or tomorrow for everyone #jellyandbunnie ♬ original sound – Bunnie Xo
Jelly Roll Flaunts 120-Pound Weight Loss and Sets Sights on ‘Men’s Health’ Cover in Podcast Reveal
On December 15th, Jelly Roll told his wife Bunnie XO (legal name Alyssa DeFord), 44, on her podcast that he wants “to be on the cover of Men’s Health.” The “Save Me” crooner added that he hopes to achieve this goal “by March of 2026.” Bunnie XO (who has been married to Jelly Roll since 2016) replied: “let’s go!” Jelly Roll went on: “That’s my new goal. I want to have one of the biggest transformations.”
In October, the “Halfway to Hell” musician revealed on Instagram that he had shed 100 pounds. Last month, Jelly Roll shared on the Pat McAfee Show that his weight loss had reached 120 pounds. On Dumb Blonde, Jelly Roll acknowledged this and explained: “I did this publicly for a reason.” He added: “I want to be honest about my struggles with it with people.”
The Grammy nominee said he wants to "bring people along" with him. The father of two noted: "What I want the world to know and I want the people to see, Bunnie, is that I didn't become successful because of my weight, I became successful in spite of it." He continued: "I somehow managed to be this successful carrying 550 pounds. That's insane."
Last month, the country music star sat down for a fresh cover photoshoot and gave an exclusive interview with People magazine. In the interview, he shared his journey of conquering food addiction and transforming his perspective on food, a struggle that has lasted nearly four decades. “The battle was with the food addiction, changing the way I’ve looked at food for the last 39 years,” he shared.
The "Winning Streak" artist continued: "I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food, so that was the hard part. But once you get into that discipline and commitment, it’s like an avalanche. Once that little snowball started rolling, it was on its way." Jelly Roll also shared with the publication that he believes he's shed between 60 and 70 pounds during his most recent tour.
He also mentioned that he and his team engage in daily basketball games while on tour to stay in shape. Additionally, Jelly Roll has entirely revamped his habits during travel, focusing on exercise and healthy eating. "It’s cool because there was once a time in life that the culture I built on tour was the opposite. It revolved around alcohol and drugs," he explained. "And now our tour culture is around good eating and around exercising and doing emotional check-ins with our crew every day."
Jelly Roll also noted that his battle with food addiction started during his childhood in Antioch, Tennessee. He told the publication: "Nobody in my house ever had [a healthy relationship with food], so that was the hard part, really fighting that demon at first and getting into that discipline and that commitment."
That interview came weeks after Jelly Roll's go-to health expert Ian Larios shared some of the star's favorite snacks and meals that have contributed to his weight loss success. At the beginning of the October Instagram clip, Jelly Roll told fans: “When I see y’all in March … y’all aren’t gonna recognize me. That’s why, next year, when y’all see me, you won’t recognize me. I’m going to get under a pile of weights in a way that I never had.”
