The former couple met in 2015 and got married the following year in Las Vegas.

Bunnie Xo tearfully addresses her divorce from Jelly Roll

The former couple met in 2015 and got married the following year in Las Vegas.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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and Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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June 18, 2026 9:37 p.m. ET

Bunnie Xo in Frisco, Texas, in May 2024; Jelly Roll in Los Angeles on May 4. Credit:

Jason Kempin/Getty; PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

- Bunnie Xo is addressing her divorce from singer Jelly Roll.

- The country star filed for divorce from the podcaster on May 18, citing irreconcilable differences.

- The former couple met in 2015 and tied the knot the following year in an intimate Las Vegas celebration.

Bunnie Xo cried as she talked about her split from Jelly Roll.

"I truly feel that my husband was the catalyst for me becoming the woman that I am today," she said through tears Thursday on her *Dumb Blonde* podcast. "And without him, I would not be where I am. And I stand on that."

She added that she truly feels, too, that "my husband would not be the man he is without me."

"Jay and I have been together going on 10 years and he is my best friend," Bunnie Xo said. "He has always been my best friend and I love that man more than life itself. You guys have seen how I ride for that mofo. Even to this day, behind the scenes your girl is still riding for that man. And I always will. And that's just what it is and that's how it is and that's how it will always be."

The problem started, Bunnie Xo said, when the two stopped really talking. Their issues came to a head on May 10.

"On Mother’s Day, we had a little bit of an argument, which I don't think the details are necessary," she said. "And, in that argument, I was so fed up and so tired that I just looked at him and said, 'Well, then file the f—king divorce papers.'"

That had been a big deal.

"In our relationship, that is the one cardinal thing that you don't say, even though my husband has said it numerous times, cause he's the runner," the podcast host continued. "But, when I say it, it really holds weight because I'm not the type of person who says what I don't mean."

She packed a bag and left, and the couple didn't speak at all for weeks, she said.

Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll at the James K. Polk Theater in Nashville on Feb. 22.

John Shearer/Getty

"Was I blindsided? And was this divorce mutual? No, I was not. It was not mutual. Even though I told him to file the divorce papers, I was speaking out of anger and just frustration. But was it necessary for us to have a wake-up call and to actually start having these real conversations? Absolutely."

Bunnie Xo said that, since the split, she's started on hormone replacement therapy, lost 15 pounds, and entered counseling, which is something she thought the couple would have benefited from.

"I was riding with this motherf—er till the wheels fell off. I didn't care,” she said. "I felt like we deserved a chance to go to therapy and figure s— out. He didn't feel that way and I respect it. It took me a month and a half now to respect that." She added she was grateful they're ending their marriage "on the best possible terms."

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She also said the two, who previously worked with a surrogate, are "still having a baby together."

Jelly Roll addressed online rumors at a concert on June 18, and a clip of his comments was posted to his Instagram.

"I wasn't going to talk about this tonight, but while we're talking about liars, the internet is a liar too," Jelly Roll said. "It's the only time, the only city I'm going to speak about this, so break your camera phones out now. 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. That will be my best friend forever. This is the only time I will never speak about it. Bunnie, I love you, baby. Thank you for those 10 years. They were incredible. Thank you for the next 10 years of friendship and 20 beyond that. With that being shared and cheers, everybody. Thanks for coming out tonight."

The country star filed for divorce from the podcaster on May 18, according to court documents obtained and reviewed by **. News broke of their pending divorce on June 15, just months before the former couple was slated to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary.

The date of separation is listed as May 9, and Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, cites "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for divorce from Bunnie Xo, who was born Alisa Andrea Carter.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo met in 2015 backstage at one of his concerts in Las Vegas. The two were engaged and married within a year in a private celebration in Las Vegas in August 2016. Seven years later, the former couple renewed their vows in August 2023 at the same Vegas chapel where they tied the knot.

Bunnie Xo had doubts after marrying Jelly Roll, according to pre-divorce memoir

Jelly Roll was seen without wedding ring in lead-up to Bunnie Xo divorce news

Earlier this year, the former couple publicly supported each other in their respective endeavors. Bunnie Xo joined Jelly Roll at the Grammy Awards, where he won the Best Contemporary Country Album award for his 2024 album *Beautifully Broken*.

He gave Bunnie Xo a special shout-out in his acceptance speech. "I want to thank my beautiful wife," he said.

"I would have never changed my life without you. I would have ended up dead or in jail. I would have killed myself if it wasn't for you and Jesus. I thank you for that.”

Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll in Las Vegas on Feb. 26.

Taylor Hill/Getty

Jelly Roll joined Bunnie Xo on stops of her book tour for her memoir, *Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic*. In the book, she detailed their courtship and marriage. “I was—dare I say—mesmerized?” she writes of when they first met.

“This man was not my type. But shaking his hand felt like every star in the sky collided. My soul recognized his. It was as if I’d been looking for him my entire life.”

She also recalled the tumultuous moments of their relationship. According to her memoir, Jelly Roll had a 10-month affair while they were married. Bunnie Xo would eventually forgive Jelly Roll for his infidelity. but "it would take years to actually feel like this man loved me—­ that I wasn’t disposable."

* *has reached out to a rep for Jelly Roll.

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