Bunnie XO Says She Funded Jelly Roll's Early Career Through Sex Work as Divorce Details Emerge
Bunnie XO disclosed on her "Dumb Blonde" podcast that she financed Jelly Roll's early music career by working as a high-end escort, traveling on tour with him and seeing clients to cover bills, legal fees, and travel expenses. The revelation came as the podcaster, whose legal name is Alisa DeFord, addressed the communication breakdown and failed IVF treatments she said drove her split from the country singer, born Jason DeFord. Jelly Roll filed for divorce in Tennessee courts on May 18, listing May 9 as the separation date and citing irreconcilable differences.
Bunnie XO disclosed on her "Dumb Blonde" podcast that she financed Jelly Roll's early music career by working as a high-end escort, traveling on tour with him and seeing clients to cover bills, legal fees, and travel expenses. The revelation came as the podcaster, whose legal name is Alisa DeFord, addressed the communication breakdown and failed IVF treatments she said drove her split from the country singer, born Jason DeFord. Jelly Roll filed for divorce in Tennessee courts on May 18, listing May 9 as the separation date and citing irreconcilable differences.
Early Career and Financial Realities
Bunnie said she and Jelly Roll were "two kids who literally had nothing" when they got together, pushing back on a narrative that she was bankrolling him from a position of wealth. She acknowledged having arrangements with sugar daddies at the time but clarified the couple was still financially precarious. "I was turning tricks to pay our bills and to get lawyers and to travel and to go on tour," she said on the podcast. She described accompanying him to shows that drew as few as 20 people, with crowds doubling over the first three years of their relationship.
A Relationship Under Strain
Bunnie said communication deteriorated over the prior year and a half and that she had felt like the relationship's emotional anchor. She described herself as the "chaser" to Jelly Roll's "runner" in what she called a twin flame dynamic, and said she ultimately stopped pursuing him as she felt the reciprocity disappear. A source cited by People confirmed the couple "always had a complicated dynamic," adding that Jelly Roll "has changed a lot" and is now focused on his health and long-term future. He began a weight-loss journey in December 2022 and made his first red carpet appearance after losing 100 pounds at the 2024 CMA Awards.
IVF Losses and Emotional Toll
Bunnie said their attempts at in vitro fertilization proved devastating, describing the experience as "one of the loneliest, darkest journeys." She said the couple lost multiple embryos and that she suffered several miscarriages, leaving her feeling like "a shell of the person I was" for the past year and a half. "It completely wrecked me emotionally, spiritually, physically," she said. She added that she believed the shared hardship, combined with Jelly Roll's rapid rise in country music beginning around 2022, left the couple "trauma bonded" rather than connected.
Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll married in Las Vegas in August 2016, roughly a year after meeting. She became stepmother to his daughter, Bailee, and son, Noah. Both parties have denied cheating allegations that circulated after news of the split broke publicly.