On her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bunnie Xo said her marriage to Jelly Roll may be ending, but their future includes co-parenting—and she insists they’re still having a baby together.
Bunnie Xo didn’t sound like someone processing a clean break.
On Thursday. June 18. the singer—real name Alisa DeFord—used her “Dumb Blonde” podcast to say her life with Jelly Roll is changing. but not shutting down. “We’re still having a baby together. ” she said. adding that she and Jelly Roll are “going to co-parent together.” She also called him her “best friend. ” and stressed that their split wasn’t sparked by betrayal.
“J is my best friend,” DeFord continued. “Nobody cheated on the other person. It’s literally just we served our purpose for each other.”
That statement lands against the formal reality of their divorce filings. Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, on May 18. Court documents list May 9 as their separation date and cite “irreconcilable differences.”
DeFord’s co-parenting message isn’t new to her own story, either. In her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, she wrote that she and Jelly Roll had identified a surrogate. She said she had always wanted children and knew her ex-husband would make “a great father.” She also described the relationship they imagined building after that decision—writing they were “going to raise these babies in love and give them everything we were never given.”.
Their separation story has taken different turns since their romance began. According to Page Six, the two first met backstage at one of Jelly Roll’s Las Vegas concerts in 2015. At the time. both were dating other people. but DeFord recalled feeling “instantly drawn” and noticing he had “the saddest eyes in the room.”.
The friendship shifted into romance, and less than a year after they met, he proposed onstage. They married that same night. Seven years later, they returned to the same Las Vegas chapel to renew their vows.
The couple also faced major pressure points along the way. including 2025. when Jelly Roll admitted to an affair in 2018 and said it was one of the worst moments of his life. DeFord later wrote in her memoir that the infidelity caused her pain and that it took years to overcome. She and Jelly Roll reconciled and spoke publicly about rebuilding trust. even as they dealt with fertility struggles. changes in their intimate life. and Jelly Roll’s dramatic weight-loss journey.
By the time the 2026 Grammys arrived, their appearances together were already reaching a closing chapter. DeFord described the 2026 Grammys as their final public appearances together. Still. despite their divorce. she says their bond remains strong—and that future plans for a baby aren’t part of the breakup’s fallout.
Bunnie Xo Jelly Roll co-parenting divorce Dumb Blonde podcast Alisa DeFord Jason DeFord surrogate Stripped Down memoir Grammys 2026 Williamson County Tennessee