Days after Jelly Roll filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo, the podcaster says they’re still moving forward with an IVF plan to have a baby together and co-parent as friends while their divorce plays out.
Bunnie Xo didn’t wait for the divorce paperwork to settle before talking about the child she says she and Jelly Roll are still planning to have.
On a June 18 episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, the 46-year-old—whose real name is Alisa DeFord—said she and the Grammy-winning rapper—whose real name is Jason DeFord—are “still having a baby together” as they work through their separation.
The divorce itself is now on record. Jelly Roll, 41, filed for divorce from DeFord on May 18 after the pair separated on May 9, according to a divorce filing obtained and reviewed by the USA TODAY Network on June 15.
DeFord said their focus remains the same: co-parenting and building a family around their planned IVF process. “So, we have been the most unconventional couple that you guys have ever encountered,” she said. “We’re going to co-parent together. J is my best friend. Like, this isn’t what you guys think this is. Nobody cheated on the other person. It’s literally just we served our purpose for each other.”.
She framed the next chapter in terms of health and stability rather than conflict. “Being happy and healthy and best friends through this is probably the biggest gift that we could have given each other. ” DeFord said. “He wants the same thing. We’re just going to raise a little nugget as one happy family,” she added.
The couple’s marriage began in 2016 and—despite years of public openness about personal turmoil—has remained a story fans thought they already knew. DeFord pushed back on the idea that the relationship was a performance or a contract. saying their bond would not be replaced. “I know that my husband is a great artist. I know that he is an entity all on himself; I know I am an entity all on myself. but there will never be another ‘Jelly and Bunnie. ’” she said. “What we built together as a team, the reason we are who we are is because of our love story.”.
She continued: “It’s literally built on love. It’s ending with love, and we’re continuing the love because we’re having our little nugget together.”
DeFord has spoken for years about wanting children through IVF, and the details have never been far from the public spotlight. In February, her book “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic” was published; in it, she said she and Jelly Roll had found a surrogate and hoped to have twins.
At the center of the couple’s timeline is a history that includes infidelity. The pair have been frank about both family planning and infidelity during their marriage.
Jelly Roll, after winning a Grammy for best contemporary country album in February, dedicated the trophy to DeFord, who wept and applauded in the audience.
Still, he has also acknowledged the most painful moment in that history. In an October 2025 episode of the “Human School” podcast. Jelly Roll said. “One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife.” He said he and DeFord put in “a lot of work to repair” their relationship and became “stronger than we could have ever been. ” while admitting he “was hanging around a bunch of people that were cheating on their wives.” He did not give additional details about the nature or timeline of the cheating. but he said. “I wish our story would’ve went in the way that it never had an affair. and I’m in a way glad it happened. but man. I’m proud of who we are today. I truly am.”.
In 2024, DeFord told fans on TikTok that the two briefly split in 2018. “We finally committed to each other and did everything we promised each other the first night in 2016,” she wrote. “Our castle in the sand had to crumble so we could rebuild on solid ground.”
Even as the marriage moves into divorce proceedings after a May 9 separation and a May 18 filing. DeFord’s message on June 18 is that the IVF plan and the co-parenting commitment remain part of the story. The facts on the record show a separation and a formal filing underway; her public statements show a parallel effort to keep family plans intact through in vitro fertilization as they settle their divorce.
For fans. the tension is obvious: a nearly decade-long relationship is ending in court. while the couple continues to talk about beginning a family together. DeFord. 46. and Jelly Roll. 41. are now in the unglamorous space between personal rupture and practical next steps—allegedly aiming to keep their bond. and the “little nugget” they planned through IVF. in the same center frame.
Jelly Roll Bunnie Xo Alisa DeFord Jason DeFord divorce filing co-parenting IVF in vitro fertilization Dumb Blonde podcast Grammy