Country music star Jelly Roll has initiated divorce proceedings against his wife, Bunnie Xo. Court documents filed on May 18 in Williamson County, Tennessee, indicate the separation date as May 9, citing irreconcilable differences.
Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason DeFord, and Bunnie Xo, born Alisa DeFord, were married in August 2016 following a ceremony in Las Vegas. Their relationship began the year prior.
The couple, who share Jelly Roll’s daughter Bailee and son Noah, were notably affectionate at the 2026 Grammy Awards held in February. They displayed public displays of affection on the red carpet and within the event. Jelly Roll also publicly acknowledged Bunnie Xo after winning the Grammy for Best Contemporary Country Album.
A Candid Look at Their Relationship
Bunnie Xo has previously detailed the complexities of their marriage in her memoir, “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic.” The book chronicles her challenging upbringing and the emotional journey of her relationship with the singer-songwriter.
In an earlier discussion, Bunnie Xo recounted a difficult period when she learned of an ex-fling of Jelly Roll’s waiting for him. “When I found out about it, I was devastated,” she stated. “I was hurt because I didn’t think he would be the one person to do that. I thought he was different. And at that moment, my heart was broken. But instead of getting mad at him, I asked myself, ‘Why do I keep attracting these kinds of men?’”
She acknowledged that their union was not a conventional one from the outset. “I think a lot of people need to realize that coming into this marriage, we weren’t a traditional bride and groom,” she explained. “I was a working girl, and he was an ex-drug dealer — a gangster-turned-struggling artist. There’s a different set of rules on the street than there are in what I’d call traditional marriages. If you’ve never lived that lifestyle, you’re not going to understand. But of course, cheating is wrong across the board — it doesn’t matter.”
Her memoir also described the moment she learned of the alleged infidelity. “Are you f—ing kidding me?” she wrote. “We had an agreement…. Folks started DM’ing me on social media, telling me that J was with his ex-fling. The pieces started to fit together, and it became easier to disconnect from him…. I went completely silent and didn’t reach out to J or answer any calls.”
This period coincided with the release of Jelly Roll’s 2018 album, “Waylon & Willie II.” Bunnie Xo reflected, “Have you ever listened to those songs? Go give it a listen, and you’ll clearly hear a man smack-dab in the middle of an affair, pouring his guilt into lyrics…. To this day, I still hate most of the songs on that album, and I can’t listen to it all the way through.”
Navigating Past Challenges
Bunnie Xo attributed their early marital struggles to a collective difficulty in letting go of the past. “It’s not so much what was going on in our marriage,” she said. “It was more of my husband had a hard time letting go of the past. I had a hard time letting go of the past. We also didn’t really think the relationship was going to work.”
She further elaborated on the underlying issues of self-worth and past traumas. “I think a lot of it boiled down to self-worth on both parts. My husband didn’t think he’d ever meet a woman who really loved him for him and just wanted to see him succeed without some of them wanting to change him…. And I had brought so much baggage into the relationship.”
Bunnie Xo shared, “I had come out of a really abusive relationship. The first man I ever saw cheat was my father. So I just didn’t really believe in traditional marriage at the same time either. There were just so many factors of why things happened the way they did.”
Seeking Resolution Through Therapy
The couple sought couples’ therapy in an effort to salvage their marriage. However, the sessions reportedly led to intense conflict. “If I could just paint the scene for you, it’s a husband-and-wife marriage counseling couple,” Bunnie Xo recounted. “We’re like, ‘OK, we’re going to come in here, we’re going to learn so much, we’re going to get the tools to have a real relationship.’ We were never taught on either side of our families how to love properly. And we’re like, ‘We’re going to go in here and do this.’ That’s why we got a guy and a girl, because nobody’s going to be able to side with the other person. It’s going to be an equal opportunity employment moment.”
She described the experience as volatile: “We went in there, and this poor couple had no idea what they had stepped into. It was stepping on a grenade. We were just screaming at each other. There was just so much anger, so much hurt, so much pain from both ends. We left that therapy session that day, and I was like, ‘This is it. We’re never going to be together again.’ And I think he felt the same way too.”
Despite the initial confrontation, the couple ultimately decided to recommit to their relationship. “We ended up coming back together,” said Bunnie Xo. “We were like, ‘I want to grow. I don’t want to be this person. I choose you. I’m going to become everything that you’ve ever wanted me to be.’”
She added, “I’m going to be a wife, and he’s going to become everything I ever wanted him to be; a husband and a father to the kids. We just made that decision from then on to just be better humans and to break every generational curse that we had ever inherited. I was ready for a change. So was he. So we set out together to heal and grow together.”
A Commitment to Growth
Bunnie Xo reflected on their journey, stating, “We learned that marriage is not one-size-fits-all. Each person and each relationship is completely different than the next person’s. But you do have to wake up and choose that person even on days that you don’t like them.”
In 2023, the couple renewed their vows at the same Las Vegas chapel where they were married. Bunnie Xo has spoken about their daily commitment to each other, noting the evolution of both individuals within the marriage. “I’ve seen 10 different versions of my husband in 10 years, and he’s seen probably four different versions of me,” she said. “I’ve improved on things that I have wanted to improve personally, but I also think we just love each other for who we are — the good, the bad, the ugly.”
She emphasized their approach to their relationship: “We don’t judge each other. There’s no judgment in this house. I know everything about my husband, and he knows everything about me. No matter how hard it gets, we face things head-on. We call it ‘getting into the foxhole.’ When it’s time, we hunker down and get through life — together.”
