Unless you have been living under a rock as of late, it is evident that “Save Me” singer Jelly Roll is one of the biggest and best country stars of his generation, sweeping the 2024 CMT Music Awards on Sunday (April 7) with a win in all three of the categories he was nominated for: Video of the Year, Male Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year, all for “Need A Favor.”
Taking the stage to sing “Halfway to Hell” at the award show — as well as on American Idol the following day (April 8) — putting on a performance that was jam-packed with pyro, Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, is seemingly the face of the country music community in more recent months, resulting in a great deal of questions about his life beyond his country music career.
With Hulu making a documentary about the country crooner, fans got to know a bit about Jelly Roll’s past — including his stint in Davidson County Jail, his struggles with drug and alcohol usage, his spirituality, and more — but one frequently asked question remains unanswered: how much does Jelly Roll weigh?
Jelly Roll’s weight loss journey
According to an Instagram post shared in 2018, Jelly Roll weighed more than 500 pounds just three years prior in 2015, detailing that the doctor’s scale only reached 500 at the time, so he was advised to visit a “meat processor or truck stop” instead. Describing this day as “one of the most embarrassing days of [his] life,” the global superstar admitted that he had used food, drugs, and alcohol to cope with his difficult past, sharing in the Instagram post that he was ready to turn his life around almost instantaneously after this “embarrassing day,” ultimately beginning his health and fitness journey once and for all.
“In late 2016, I started fighting to save my own life. I lost roughly 200 lbs. it wasn’t a fast journey, it was actually quite slow. Earlier this year, I began overeating and overdrinking again. I don’t want to blame it on tour, but man, it’s so hard to balance life living out of truck stops and always running late to the shows, never getting adequate sleep, and all the drinking. I am embarrassed to say that I gained 60 lbs back,” he admitted, prior to proclaiming that he was ready to begin yet another weight loss journey.
He continued in the caption of the post, “TODAY is the day I start over and fight my lifelong demon again. I’ve been obese since I was a small child. All I’ve ever known was being fat, and I’m f*****g 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.”
Since this Instagram post, Jelly Roll proceeded to share weekly YouTube videos that detail his progress for the week, weighing himself every Friday in a series called “Fatman Fridays.” Hiring a personal trainer and starting to prep his meals, he seemed to have shed a few pounds at the time, opening up about his health and fitness journey once again heading into 2023.
“I’m going to spend the first couple months of the year just focusing on family and health,” he told Music Mayhem in an interview. “I lost some weight this year in 2022, but in 2023 I wanna finally conquer the demon. I don’t leave for a big tour until about the middle of the year, so I plan on taking the first half of the year to tighten the album up and get some work in.”
While it is unclear how much he weighs exactly, Jelly Roll looks happier and healthier than ever, appearing to have slimmed down before walking the 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet alongside his wife, Bunnie XO, earlier this week.
With his appearance aside, Jelly Roll’s music is nothing short of sensational, and it is sure to tug on the heartstrings of country music lovers all across the globe. With smash hits like “Save Me,” “Need A Favor,” “Halfway to Hell” and more, you can listen to these singles and more of his music on your favorite music streaming service as we speak.
