Jelly Roll's name explained and what he prefers to be called as singer files for divorce from Bunnie Xo
With Jelly Roll's divorce from Bunnie XO dominating headlines this week, It's a good time to revisit one of music's most recognisable names, and the surprisingly sweet story behind how Jason Bradley DeFord became Jelly Roll in the first place.
The short version: his mum called him it as a chubby kid, a one-armed classmate independently arrived at the same nickname, and high school did the rest.
DeFord was born on December 4, 1984, and grew up in Antioch, a neighbourhood just outside Nashville, Tennessee.
It was there that his mother first started referring to her round-faced son by the nickname that would eventually sell out arenas.
Advert
What's the story behind Jelly Roll's name?
"My mother named me that whenever I was a little chubby kid," he explained on The Bobby Bones Show.
"Been fat my whole life. I spent the next 30 years trying to grow into the name. I think I've done it."
That alone might not have been enough to make it stick, plenty of kids get nicknames from their mums that disappear the moment they hit secondary school. But then came One-Arm Clay.
A classmate who went by that name independently decided that DeFord looked like a Jelly Roll, with no idea his mother was already using it at home.
"One-Arm Clay was like, 'We should call you Jelly Roll, I'm One-Arm Clay and you'll be Jelly Roll,'" the singer recalled.
"I was like, 'My mama calls me Jelly Roll.' Then once the high school starts calling you something, that's the kit and caboodle."
What name does Jelly Roll prefer?
Here's the part that might surprise even dedicated fans: Jelly Roll doesn't particularly like being called by his full name.
Speaking on the Taste of Country Nights podcast, he revealed that among people who actually know him, the second word quietly gets dropped.
"I think people call me Jelly. If you know me, or feel like you know me, you call me Jelly," he said.
"I respond to Jelly better than Jelly Roll. If you say Jelly Roll, I kinda go, 'Aww [expletive].' But if somebody goes, 'Hey Jelly!', I think they know me. Delete the Roll, man."
The name has followed him from Antioch through a career that began in rap, he started writing songs around the age of seven, drawn to music after watching it transform his mother's mood during her struggles with addiction and mental health, before his crossover into country with Son of a Sinner made him a mainstream star.
His 2023 debut country album Whitsitt Chapel topped the Billboard Top Rock Albums and Top Independent Albums charts and hit number two on the country chart.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo relationship timeline
August 2015
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo meet at one of the former’s shows at the Las Vegas Country Saloon. This was before Jelly Roll enjoyed mainstream success. He’s living in a van and only around 20 people are at the gig. They talk backstage. At the time, Bunnie is dating someone else.
Later, Bunnie splits from her ex and asks a friend to give her Jelly Roll’s number. Bunnie says Jelly Roll would call and text her for advice about his daughter Bailee, from a previous relationship.
July 2016
The pair’s relationship turns romantic when Jelly Roll travels to Vegas to film a music video and Bunnie offers to put him up at her place.
August 2016
Jelly Roll proposes to Bunnie onstage at a Yelawolf and Deftones concert in Las Vegas. He tells her: “[I wanna know] will your fine a** marry my white trash a** tonight in Las Vegas?” That night, they tie the knot at The Little White Chapel.
August 23, 2016
Jelly Roll welcomes a son, Noah Buddy, with an ex. In 2016, Jelly Roll and Bunnie are also granted primary custody of Bailee due to her mother’s substance abuse issues.
2018
Jelly Roll cheats on Bunnie, and the pair temporarily separate. Jelly Roll later calls the affair ‘one of the worst moments of his adulthood’.
He says he ‘did a lot of work to repair that relationship’ on the Human School podcast. They rekindle their relationship later that year.
2019
Bunnie launches the Dumb Blonde podcast, which goes on to be a massive success, with Dolly Parton and MGK appearing as guests.
2022
Jelly Roll’s music takes off in a big way. His single ‘Son of a Sinner’ hits No. 1 on Billboard's US Country Airplay chart.
March 2023
Bunnie deletes her OnlyFans and leaves the sex industry behind.
August 31, 2023
Bunnie and Jelly Roll return to The Little White Chapel in Vegas to renew their vows.
June 2024
Bunnie reveals on Instagram that the couple have decided to undergo IVF. She writes: “W/all odds stacked against us, it’s always been hard & we have only just begun.”
February 2026
Bunnie says that following Jelly Roll’s 275 pound weight loss, his penis has gotten ‘severely bigger’.
May 2026
Jelly Roll files for divorce.
Topics: Entertainment, Music, Jelly Roll
Thomas Bamford