Jelly Roll Breaks His Silence on Filing for Divorce From Bunnie Xo: ‘Every Word of It Is the Truth’
Jelly Roll has broken his silence on his divorce from Bunnie Xo after nearly 10 years of marriage.
Speaking on stage, Jelly Roll, 41, publicly addressed his split from Bunnie, 46, at his Saratoga Springs, New York tour leg on Thursday, June 18.
“I wasn’t going to talk about this tonight, but while we’re talking about liars… the internet is a liar,” Jelly Roll said in footage shared via his Instagram. “It’s the only time and the only city I’m going to speak about this so break your camera phones out now.”
The singer used the opportunity to clear up speculation surrounding their split, insisting the former couple are still amicable.
“Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just got off the phone earlier today,” he said.
Related: Bunnie Xo Sings About Heartbreak Amid Shocking Jelly Roll Split
Bunnie Xo made some cryptic Instagram posts hours before news broke that her husband Jelly Roll filed for divorce. On Monday, June 15, Bunnie (real name: Alisa DeFord) posed in lingerie for her Instagram Story and included the intriguing caption, “She’s getting her sparkle back.” In a separate Story, she shared the quote, “Come here, […]“Nobody cheated on nobody. She just did a whole podcast about it. You can go watch it. Every word of it is the truth,” Jelly Roll added, referencing the Thursday episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, where Bunnie denied rumors of a romance with Chad Kroeger.
“That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will ever speak about it,” Jelly Roll continued.
The country star ended with a message for Bunnie directly, thanking her for the time they spent together.
“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,” he said.
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Jelly Roll (real name Jason DeFord) quietly filed for divorce from Bunnie (real name Alyssa DeFord) in Tennessee on May 18, Us Weekly confirmed on Monday, June 15.
Us reached out to reps for both stars for comment.
Hours before news of the split broke, Bunnie posed in pink lingerie in a photo shared via her Instagram Story, adding the caption, “She’s getting her sparkle back.” The podcaster also shared a video of herself lip-synching to Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me,” a song allegedly based on a toxic relationship.
Months before the split news, Bunnie clapped back at rumors of marital trouble.
“Someone said the other day, ‘They used to always be together, and now you never see them together,’” Bunnie said on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast in October 2025. “I’m like, ‘Do you guys not know that for the past six months [that] I’ve been trying to make a baby?’” (Jelly Roll and his now-estranged wife have been open about their IVF and surrogacy journey.)
She continued, “My husband has to work to f***ing bring home the bacon. Luckily, I get the luxury of working from home. He doesn’t. He has to make appearances, but I literally have been on IVF meds for f***ing six months and going through heartbreak and f***ing so much s***.”
Jelly Roll met Bunnie at one of his concerts in Las Vegas in 2015. The pair tied the knot in the city’s famous Little White Wedding Chapel in August 2016.
Related: All the Signs Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo Were Heading for Divorce
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo‘s divorce comes as a shock to many — but there were clues about their split leading up to the news. The pair got married in 2016 before Jelly Roll became a household name. Amid his rise to stardom, Bunnie supported Jelly Roll as he used his platform to candidly address […]The same month that Jelly Roll tied the knot with Bunnie, he welcomed son Noah Buddy with ex Melisa Ann Cowell. (The country singer’s daughter, Bailee Ann, whom he shares with ex Felicia Beckwith, was born during his incarceration for a drug dealing offense in 2008.)
Jelly Roll and Bunnie have been open about the ups and downs in their relationship. In October 2025, the “Save Me” singer got candid about cheating on Bunnie during their marriage.
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Deal of the Day
Amal Clooney’s Makeup Artist Says This 40% off Mascara ‘Visibly Lifts’ The Lashes View Deal“One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife,” he said on the “Human School” podcast. “Because it was the first time that I was like, ‘I really can’t get this right at all. I know I’m in love with this woman.’ It just really, really, really blew me back. … I wish our story would’ve went in the way that it never had an affair. I’m proud of who we are today. I truly am.”
Bunnie also opened up about the cheating scandal in her February memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, and exclusively told Us at the time that it was difficult to move past his “betrayal.”
“I don’t think anybody can just snap out of it. It is a process. You’re literally grieving and you’re heartbroken but you’re still in love with this person. Even though the affair is a part of the book, it’s not our story,” she shared. “It’s literally what catapulted us into who we are today and I think that readers need to definitely consume it, chew on it and think about it. But they also see what we’ve made from that entire situation. It completely changed who we are as humans and how we looked at love.”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
