Bunnie Xo is revealing just how physically devastating her divorce from Jelly Roll became behind the scenes. Speaking on Jenna Bush Hager’s “Open Book” podcast in an episode released September 3, 2026, the podcaster, author, and media personality admitted that the emotional weight of the split left her barely able to eat, caused her to lose 20 pounds, and at times required medical intervention just to keep her functioning. “There [were] moments when my team had to pick me up off the floor and give me IVs,” she said.
The admission comes months after Jelly Roll, the Grammy Award-winning singer whose legal name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from Bunnie in May 2026, ending nearly a decade of marriage. While both have publicly maintained that they remain close friends and plan to continue co-parenting a child via surrogate, Bunnie’s latest comments offer the clearest picture yet of how deeply the breakup affected her physically, even as she projected strength on social media throughout the process. Here is a complete look at what she revealed, the relationship history behind it, and how she says she is now rebuilding.
What Bunnie Xo Said About the Physical Toll of Her Divorce
During her appearance on “Open Book,” Bunnie Xo directly addressed a perception she said many fans had formed about her: that because she had not broken down publicly or cried on social media, she must not have been deeply affected by the divorce. She pushed back firmly on that assumption. “I think that’s why everybody is mistaken, because I’m not crying on my phone on social media,” she said. “My heart was shattered, but guess what? It’s healing, and it’s coming back even stronger.”
She then described just how severe the physical impact became in the weeks following the split. “There [were] moments when my team had to pick me up off the floor and give me IVs,” she said. “Because I wasn’t eating. I was eating baby food to get by. I lost 20 pounds.” She added a dark bit of humor to the admission, saying, “Heartbreak, man, it’s the best freaking diet.”
Bunnie also explained her decision not to process her pain publicly the way she had in the past, saying she deliberately chose a different approach this time. She addressed why she took down an earlier, more emotional YouTube video about the split, telling Hager, “I said what I needed to say. I made a shitload off of it. If I was gonna do it for money, I would’ve left it up. Every time I went to my YouTube, I didn’t want to see that.” She added, “I also don’t want to be the freaking poster child for divorce. There’s nothing hot about that. It’s a very devastating situation that anybody ever has to go through. Families get broken up. Hearts get broken. So it’s time to move on.”
Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll’s Decade-Long Relationship
Bunnie Xo, whose legal name is Alisa DeFord, and Jelly Roll first crossed paths in August 2015 at a Las Vegas venue where Jelly Roll was opening for the Moonshine Bandits. In her memoir, “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,” Bunnie described the encounter as instantly transformative, writing that shaking his hand “felt like every star in the sky collided.” The two married in a whirlwind ceremony in August 2016, with Bunnie becoming a stepmother to Jelly Roll’s two children from previous relationships, daughter Bailee and son Noah.
The relationship was not without significant hardship. In her memoir, Bunnie revealed that she discovered Jelly Roll had been unfaithful in 2018, roughly two years into their marriage, an experience she described as devastating at the time. She ultimately chose to forgive him, though she has said publicly that it took years to feel secure in the relationship again, admitting it took time “to actually feel like this man loved me, that I wasn’t disposable.” The couple renewed their vows in August 2023, a milestone many took as a sign that they had moved past the earlier betrayal.
Alongside their relationship, Bunnie and Jelly Roll spent years pursuing a fertility journey that began around October 2019, after Bunnie learned her fallopian tubes were blocked. The couple eventually turned to a surrogate, and Bunnie began preparing for IVF egg retrieval, with the two publicly expressing hope for twins. Bunnie shared much of this journey publicly, including a June 2025 Instagram update in which she celebrated a major milestone in the process, though she was careful to clarify to fans that it was not a pregnancy announcement.
Timeline of the Relationship and Divorce
August 2015 — Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll meet in Las Vegas, where Jelly Roll is performing as an opener for the Moonshine Bandits.
August 2016 — The couple marries in a whirlwind Las Vegas ceremony.
2018 — Bunnie discovers Jelly Roll has been unfaithful, an experience she later describes in detail in her memoir.
October 2019 — The couple begins their fertility journey after Bunnie learns her fallopian tubes are blocked.
August 2023 — Bunnie and Jelly Roll renew their wedding vows.
June 2025 — Bunnie shares an Instagram update celebrating a milestone in their IVF journey, clarifying to fans it is not a pregnancy announcement.
February 17, 2026 — Bunnie releases her memoir, “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,” detailing the couple’s fertility journey, the surrogate they found, and hopes of welcoming twins.
May 18, 2026 — Jelly Roll files for divorce from Bunnie in Williamson County, Tennessee, according to court records.
June 16, 2026 — News of the divorce filing becomes public. Bunnie posts a since-deleted podcast episode on her “D*mb Blonde” channel explaining that the split followed a Mother’s Day argument and was not mutual, though she insists there was no infidelity involved this time.
June 2026 — Jelly Roll addresses the split during a concert, telling the crowd, “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends,” and confirming that no one cheated.
July 2026 — The divorce is finalized.
September 2 to 3, 2026 — Bunnie appears on Jenna Bush Hager’s “Open Book” podcast, revealing the full extent of the physical toll the split took on her body, including needing IVs and losing 20 pounds.
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Why Bunnie Chose to Speak Out Now
Bunnie’s decision to reveal the physical severity of her post-divorce struggles months after the split became public reflects a deliberate shift in how she has chosen to process her pain. Rather than continuing to address the breakup in real time, as she had with her initial, since-deleted podcast explanation in June, she waited until she had reached a point of visible recovery before sharing the darker details of what she went through.
This approach appears consistent with the broader message she conveyed throughout the “Open Book” interview: that strength does not require public displays of suffering, and that healing can happen privately even when it is not visible to an audience that expects constant emotional transparency from public figures. Her comment that she does not want to be “the poster child for divorce” suggests a conscious effort to avoid having her identity defined by the breakup, even as she remains willing to discuss its impact candidly when she feels ready.
The Couple’s Ongoing Surrogacy and Co-Parenting Plans
One of the more unusual elements of Bunnie and Jelly Roll’s split is the couple’s continued commitment to their surrogacy journey despite ending their marriage. Both have publicly confirmed that they intend to move forward with having a child via their surrogate and plan to co-parent going forward, describing their relationship as one built on partnership regardless of their marital status.
This decision reflects the extensive emotional and logistical investment the couple had already made in the process before their divorce, including years of fertility struggles, the discovery of Bunnie’s blocked fallopian tubes, and the eventual decision to work with a surrogate after Bunnie underwent IVF stimulation to retrieve her eggs. Rather than abandoning those plans amid the split, the two have chosen to treat the surrogacy arrangement as a separate commitment from their romantic relationship, a decision that has drawn significant public attention given how uncommon it is for divorcing couples to continue an active surrogacy process together.
Industry Reaction
Jelly Roll has addressed the divorce publicly on multiple occasions since it became known in June 2026, consistently echoing Bunnie’s characterization of the split as amicable and free of infidelity on his end. During a June concert, he told the audience directly, “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends. We just got off the phone earlier today. Nobody cheated on nobody. She just did a whole podcast about it. You can go watch it. Every word of it is the truth.”
Media coverage of Bunnie’s September interview has largely framed her comments as a rare and candid look behind the curtain of a high-profile celebrity breakup, with several outlets specifically highlighting the contrast between her composed public persona since the split and the severity of what she has now revealed about her private struggles during that same period.
Social Media Reaction
Bunnie’s comments about needing IVs and losing significant weight generated substantial engagement across social media platforms following the release of the “Open Book” episode. Many fans expressed surprise given how composed she had appeared publicly throughout the summer, while others praised her for eventually being transparent about the true difficulty of the experience rather than maintaining an entirely polished public image.
Her line about heartbreak being “the best freaking diet” also circulated widely, with reactions split between those who appreciated the dark humor as a coping mechanism and others expressing concern about the underlying health toll she described.
Interesting Facts About Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll’s Story
Bunnie Xo’s memoir, “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,” was published by Dey Street Books in February 2026, just three months before Jelly Roll filed for divorce, and included candid details about the couple’s earlier struggles with infidelity and their years-long fertility journey.
The couple’s fertility journey began in October 2019, nearly seven years before their divorce, reflecting a long and difficult road toward parenthood that included blocked fallopian tubes, hormone treatments, and the eventual decision to work with a surrogate.
Despite the divorce, both Bunnie and Jelly Roll have continued to describe their relationship as a close friendship, with Jelly Roll confirming publicly that the split did not involve infidelity on either side, a notable contrast to the affair Bunnie disclosed from earlier in their marriage.
Jelly Roll, whose legal name is Jason Bradley DeFord, previously underwent a dramatic weight loss transformation, losing approximately 275 pounds from a peak weight of 540 pounds, a journey Bunnie has spoken about extensively on her own podcast.
Bunnie initially addressed the divorce in a podcast episode that she later deleted from YouTube, explaining to Hager that she removed it because continuing to profit from and revisit the content did not align with how she wanted to move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Bunnie Xo say about her divorce from Jelly Roll?
Bunnie Xo revealed on Jenna Bush Hager’s “Open Book” podcast that her divorce from Jelly Roll took a severe physical toll on her, saying her team had to help her off the floor and give her IVs because she was not eating and had lost 20 pounds.
Why did Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo get divorced?
Jelly Roll filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo in May 2026 following a heated argument on Mother’s Day, after Bunnie told him to file the papers out of anger and frustration. Both have said the divorce was not the result of infidelity on either side.
Did Bunnie Xo lose weight after her divorce?
Yes. Bunnie Xo said she lost 20 pounds in the aftermath of the split, explaining that she had stopped eating normally and was surviving on baby food during the most difficult period, at times requiring IV hydration support from her team.
Are Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll still having a baby together?
Yes. Despite finalizing their divorce, the couple has confirmed they plan to continue their surrogacy journey and co-parent the child they hope to welcome together, treating the arrangement as separate from their romantic relationship.
When was Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s divorce finalized?
Jelly Roll filed for divorce in May 2026, and the divorce was finalized in July 2026, roughly two months later.
Did Jelly Roll cheat on Bunnie Xo?
Jelly Roll was previously unfaithful to Bunnie in 2018, an experience she disclosed in her 2026 memoir. However, both Bunnie and Jelly Roll have stated publicly that infidelity was not a factor in their 2026 divorce.
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Last Updated on September 4, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
