Country singer/songwriter Jason Bradley DeFord, aka Jelly Roll, had a rough life before making it big as a singer. He’s been open about the challenges he faced early in his life and the steps he took to overcome them.
Jelly Roll grew up in the rural neighborhood of Antioch, a rural neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was exposed to drugs at an early age. “I just remember everybody doing drugs. I was in my 20s before I realized that having a drug addict in your family wasn’t normal,” he said in a GQ interview. He was first arrested at just 14 years old and was in and out of prison for the next 10 years for robbery and drug charges. In addition to his battles with drugs and alcohol, Jelly Roll also struggled with his weight.
In an Instagram post in 2018, Jelly Roll shared one of the most embarrassing moments he experienced in his life. In 2015, he weighed more than 500 pounds and during a visit to the doctor, he was told to visit a truck stop or meat processor so he could get his actual weight as the weighing scale at the doctor’s office only reached 500 pounds maximum. In the same post, he wrote he had always been obese since he was a kid and he was miserable.
“I wanna sky dive, bungee jump, ride a bull, parasail, ride roller coasters, I want to LIVE a normal life and have a normal relationship with food. I fight addictions and alcoholism everyday.”
Jelly Roll inspiration for his weight loss
Jelly Roll recalled being in prison and described his past self as “scum of the Earth” and a “horrible, horrible human.” What made him realize that he had to make changes was his first child, Bailee Ann, born in 2008 while he was incarcerated. The then 23-year-old learned the news from a prison guard who let him know that he was a father. “I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different,” he told Billboard. Eight years later, he welcomed son Noah Buddy, and he continues to make better choices for himself and his family. Bailee and Noah are from two previous relationships.
Jelly Roll has been working hard to lose weight and has since lost about 200 pounds in the last couple of years. In Jan. 2024, he was a picture of happiness as he attended the 2024 ACM Awards. In April, he revealed that he lost 70 pounds more while training for a 5K race. “I’m doing two to three miles a day, four to six days a week. I’m doing 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna, six minutes in a cold plunge every day. I’m eating healthy right now,” the singer proudly told People. Jelly Roll completed the race, which was held in May, and was emotional as he crossed the finish line and said he felt motivated.
In 2016, Jelly Roll married Bunnie XO, and the couple revealed that they want to add to their family and are undergoing IVF treatments. The decision further motivated Jelly Roll to live a healthy lifestyle to see his kids grow up. “My wife and I are talking about having a baby. And it really made me realize, at almost 40, I was like, ‘That means I gotta live ‘til at least 60. I gotta see this kid into college,” he said.
