Jelly Roll’s family ties deepen as divorce filing emerges

From the day Jelly Roll learned he’d become a father while serving time, to his marriage with Bunnie Xo and the custody journey with daughter Bailee Ann, his family story has always been tied to survival and stability. Now, with news that he filed for divorce

When the music stops and the spotlight moves on, Jelly Roll’s family story has been shaped by one thing: how quickly life can change.

In 2008, he welcomed his first child, daughter Bailee Ann, with ex-girlfriend Felicia. At the time, Jelly—whose real name is Jason DeFord—was serving a prison sentence for a drug dealing conviction. Years later. he recalled the moment fatherhood landed mid-crisis. telling Billboard in June 2023 that a guard knocked on his cell door during lockdown and said. “You had a kid today.”.

“I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now,” he added.

He promised himself he would be there for Bailee. Eight years later, that commitment took on another form when he welcomed his son, Noah Buddy, with ex Melisa. That same month, Jelly married Bunnie Xo.

While Jelly and Bunnie do not share children. he credits her with helping him become a better father—especially through the custody situation involving Bailee. Speaking to Billboard. he described the effort as something more than support. saying Bunnie came in. took a child soon to be born. and also helped with the period when he and his family had full custody of Bailee.

“You’re talking about a woman that came in and took a child that was soon to be born and a child that [we were] soon to have full custody of,” he said. “I would have never got custody of my daughter without her. I wouldn’t have had the stability or the money.”

Now, nearly 10 years after marrying, the stability Jelly described is being tested.

In June 2026, news broke that Jelly had quietly filed for divorce from Bunnie after nearly 10 years of marriage. The paperwork was filed in Tennessee in May 2026, and Us Weekly confirmed the following month. In the filing. Jelly listed their date of separation as May 9. 2026. and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Us Weekly also said it reached out to reps for Jelly and Bunnie for comment.

The timeline of their marriage has never sounded ordinary. Jelly met Bunnie in 2015 at one of his shows in Las Vegas. The following year, the couple eloped at the city’s famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

Jelly later praised her publicly. In May 2020. he shared a Facebook post alongside a photo of Bunnie with his daughter. writing: “It takes a special kind of woman to raise a kid that isn’t her child and still treat the child as if she was. Bunnie is that special woman. outside of the social media. outside of the podcast. and all the business endeavors she does and helps me with. Bunnie is a beautiful soul.” He added that she is “kind. patient and caring. ” and described watching Bunnie’s relationship with Bailee “blossom into this beautiful mother daughter bond.”.

That bond, and the custody chapter behind it, has been part of Jelly’s public story for years.

In 2017, Jelly and Bunnie got custody of Bailee while her mother struggled with drug addiction. Bailee later spoke about what it was like living with her mom during that time. opening up on her stepmom’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast in a February 2024 appearance. Bailee recalled that she was “still smoking a lot” and “doing whatever” but said she wasn’t using harder drugs anymore because her mom wasn’t around.

“I was still smoking a lot and doing whatever but I wasn’t doing coke anymore because my mom wasn’t around,” she said, while Bunnie noted that Bailee didn’t have access to harder drugs when her mother wasn’t present. “Why would I? Didn’t have access, didn’t have need,” Bunnie added.

Jelly has also kept Bailee close in the way that counts—publicly, when it mattered. During a performance at Stagecoach in April 2024, he brought his daughter out on stage for her birthday. He told the crowd. “I don’t wanna put her on blast. but my baby girl is 15 years old. and in like 10 days. she’ll be 16 years old.” He then joked as he looked out at fans: “I see some of y’all little cowboys getting smiles. stop it. I’m looking at you. I see you.”.

The family story extends beyond Bailee, too.

Noah Buddy arrived in August 2016. Jelly announced the birth on Facebook, writing: “God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord!” He added, “I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father’s sins. I’ll post more pics tomorrow.”

Seven years later, Noah made his debut on Bunnie’s social media page. Bunnie later shared that she got permission from Noah’s mom to put the little one on camera. In a July 2023 TikTok video, Noah introduced himself simply: “My name is Noah and my favorite color is red.”

The set of facts now sitting together—custody battles. stability built through marriage. and a divorce filing after nearly a decade—creates a tense contradiction in the public narrative Jelly helped shape. For years, he described Bunnie as a stabilizing force for both his daughter and his family’s future. In 2026, those same ties are now being rearranged through court paperwork filed in Tennessee.

The next chapter will depend on what comes after the separation date of May 9, 2026, and how the family’s bonds—written in custody agreements and birthdays on stage—survive the moment the marriage does not.

Jelly Roll Jason DeFord Bunnie Xo Bailee Ann Noah Buddy divorce filing Tennessee Stagecoach Dumb Blonde podcast Little White Wedding Chapel custody