Grammy-winning singer Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie XO, have ended their marriage. The country music star, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce on May 18, 2026, although news of the split didn’t become public until nearly a month later.
Rumors quickly spread about the reasons behind Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO’s (aka Alisa DeFord) breakup. According to celebrity gossip columnist Rob Shuter, the divorce wasn’t due to “cheating or scandal,” but rather it stemmed from Bunnie’s interest in returning to the “adult-entertainment” industry.
Sources told Shuter’s Naughty But Nice that discussions about Bunnie’s career goals became more difficult as Jelly Roll’s fame grew. Eventually, they realized they wanted “very different futures.”
“Bunnie started seriously considering a return, and that created real tension,” one source explained. “She wasn’t talking about her past anymore. She was talking about her future.”
Another insider said, “She’s always been proud of where she came from. For Bunnie, this wasn’t about controversy. It was about business, freedom, and doing something she understood.”
Still, Jelly Roll reportedly “struggled” with the potential impact on his own career. “Nobody was judging anyone,” a separate source noted. “The issue wasn’t morality. The issue was compatibility. They stopped seeing the same picture when they looked ahead.”
Close friends of the pair later revealed that the infamous Mother’s Day fight between them was the “final straw.” While the heated argument didn’t immediately end their marriage, it “exposed problems that had been building for a long time. The real story is that they wanted different lives.”
Bunnie opened up about the dispute on the June 18 episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, admitting it left her “fed up and so tired.”
“I just looked at him, and I said, ‘Well, then file the f—ing divorce papers,’” she recalled. “And in our relationship, that is the one cardinal thing that you don’t say—even though my husband has said it numerous times, ‘cause he’s the runner. But when I say it, it really holds weight because I’m not the type of person who says what I don’t mean.”
Shortly after the argument, Bunnie “packed a bag and left,” and the two didn’t speak for weeks. “During that, he was so mad, and we were so emotional that he ended up doing exactly what I told him to do and filing the divorce papers,” she added.
Despite the divorce, insiders say there’s “still love” between the two. “The marriage is over,” a friend told Shuter, “but the respect remains.”
In an unexpected twist, Bunnie also announced on her podcast that she and Jelly Roll are having a baby together. “And you guys are going to be shocked to hear this, but we’re still having a baby. We’re still having a baby, guys. We’re still having a baby together,” she told listeners. “So, we have been the most unconventional couple that you guys have ever encountered.”
She continued, “We’re still having a baby together. We’re going to co-parent together. Jay is my best friend, like, this isn’t what you guys think this is. Nobody cheated on the other person. It’s literally just… we served our purpose for each other.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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