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Jelly Roll teased “all the piping hot tea” — with a “plot twist” — about his divorce from Bunnie Xo in the vlog he shared over the weekend.
The Grammy-winning artist, 41, filed to divorce the Dumb Blonde podcast host, 46, on May 18 in Williamson County, Tennessee, ending the marriage after nearly 10 years. They’d been separated since May 9. Jelly Roll said as he opened his newest vlog on Friday (June 19), days after news broke of the filing: “What’s up, YouTube? Guess who’s back? I bet y’all didn’t think y’all were going to hear from me this week, did you? I bet y’all were like, ‘there’s no way we’re going to hear from Jelly Roll this week. He’s in the middle of a divorce. There’s no way we’re going to hear.’ You’re going to hear about the divorce at the end of this vlog.”
Jelly Roll went on to share an inside look at surprising New Zealand singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell at the Country Music Association’s CMA Fest earlier this month in Nashville, Tennessee. The vlog also showed Jelly Roll manifesting, “my dream would be if they would let me open the new Nissan Stadium,” and adding later in the interview, “how cool would it be if they did a country music Super Bowl again?” The Beautifully Broken star relived his own surprise performance at CMA Fest — his last night playing at Nashville’s current stadium — reflected on sweet moments with fans, and more.
“Alright, y’all. I told y’all I was going to give you all the piping hot tea about the divorce,” Jelly Roll said at the end of the vlog. “I know y’all been waiting. Y’all been waiting. You ready for it?” Jelly Roll held up his phone. “Mama bear, tell them where to find it.”
On speaker, Bunnie Xo directed people to the newest episode of her podcast: “Alright, guys. Head over to my YouTube, Dumb Blonde Pod. Watch the divorce podcast and all of your questions will be answered.”
“Yeah, y’all thought we were gonna hate each other, didn’t you? Plot twist, b****es! Love you, baby,” Jelly Roll said. Bunnie Xo returned, “love you.”
The bestselling Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic author, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, spoke about the divorce for the first time on an episode of Dumb Blonde. Throughout the episode, Bunnie Xo spoke about the argument that led to the filing, her IVF journey, confirmed “we’re still having a baby together,” shared that Jelly Roll is dating again, clarified that “nobody cheated on the other person,” and more. She said she and Jelly Roll “are ending this marriage on the best possible terms that you could ever have a divorce.”
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, spoke about the split during a recent performance, and shared the video on Instagram shortly after Bunnie’s podcast episode arrived.
“I wasn’t gonna talk about this tonight, but while we’re talking about liars, the internet is a liar, too,” said Jelly Roll, who included the single “Liar” on his 2024 studio record. “It’s the only time, and the only city I’m gonna speak about this, so break your camera phones out now. Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just got off the phone earlier today. Nobody cheated on nobody. She just did a whole podcast about it. You can go watch it. 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. Thank you for those 10 years. They were incredible. Thank you for the next 10 years of friendship, and 20 beyond that.”
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo met in 2015. Bunnie previously said that they remained “strictly platonic” friends in the beginning; however, she knew they were “so drawn” to one another. The couple said “I do” in a spontaneous wedding in August 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They returned to the same venue to renew their vows in August 2023. If Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo move forward with plans to have a baby together, the baby will join big siblings Bailee Ann, 18, and Noah Buddy, 9, Jelly Roll’s children from previous relationships. Bunnie Xo embraced her role as stepmother to the children.
Watch Jelly Roll’s vlog here (warning: language), and find Bunnie Xo’s full podcast episode on iHeartRadio here (warning: language).