Country music star Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, has long been open about his turbulent past and the redemptive power of family. From a life marked by incarceration and addiction, he has risen to become one of the most authentic voices in country music, with his wife Bunnie XO and his two children at the center of his journey. However, the fairy tale has taken a heartbreaking turn: after nearly a decade of marriage, the couple has reportedly called it quits.
For fans who have followed the singer’s emotional transformation, the news of the split came as a shock. Just months ago, the couple appeared stronger than ever at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Country Album and emotionally dedicated the trophy to his wife. Yet beneath the surface, the marriage faced challenges that ultimately proved insurmountable.
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The Marriage and the Divorce
Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO (real name Alisa DeFord) first crossed paths in 2015 at one of his Las Vegas concerts. At the time, Jelly Roll was far from the superstar he is today—he was “broke,” performing $500 shows and living out of a white van. Despite the odds, romance blossomed, and the couple secretly tied the knot in a courthouse ceremony in August 2016. They renewed their vows in 2023 at the same Las Vegas chapel where their journey began.
The marriage was never without its struggles. In October 2025, Jelly Roll publicly acknowledged that he had been unfaithful, calling it “one of the worst moments of my adulthood”. The couple briefly separated in 2018 but reconciled after putting in significant work to repair their relationship. “We finally committed to each other and did everything we promised each other,” Bunnie later reflected.
Despite their efforts to rebuild, court records obtained by TMZ reveal that Jelly Roll filed for divorce from Bunnie XO on May 18, 2026, in Williamson County, Tennessee. The split was reportedly a mutual decision and has been described as a private family matter. Neither party has publicly commented on the filing. The divorce comes amid other professional setbacks for the singer, including concert cancellations and political backlash.
Children: The Heart of the Family
While Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO did not have biological kids together, Bunnie stepped into the role of stepmother to Jelly’s two children from previous relationships. Daughter Bailee Ann was born on May 22, 2008, and son Noah “Buddy” DeFord arrived on August 23, 2016—remarkably, just one week before Jelly Roll and Bunnie exchanged vows.
Jelly Roll has been candid about how fatherhood transformed him. He learned of Bailee’s birth while incarcerated for a drug offense, and the desire to be a better father helped him break free from a cycle of addiction and crime. Today, Bailee Ann is 18 years old and recently graduated from high school—a milestone Jelly Roll celebrated with immense pride, calling her a symbol of breaking “generational curses”. Noah Buddy is now 9 years old and has made rare public appearances with his father at red carpet events and basketball games.
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Bunnie XO embraced her role as a stepmother wholeheartedly. The couple had full custody of Bailee for several years, and Bunnie helped raise both kids. In recent months, the couple had been open about their IVF journey and their hopes of expanding their family through surrogacy, even expressing a desire to have twins. Bunnie wrote in her memoir that they had found a surrogate and were optimistic about the future. Tragically, those dreams will not materialize within the context of their marriage.
As Jelly Roll navigates this difficult chapter, his two children remain the anchor of his life. His weight loss journey has made him a more active and present father, and he continues to celebrate their milestones with visible emotion. The dissolution of his marriage to Bunnie XO marks the end of an era for a couple who once seemed to embody the redemptive power of love. But for Jelly Roll, the story of family is far from over—it simply continues in a new form, with Bailee and Noah at its heart.
