Bunnie Xo's Life Was Never The Same After Marrying Jelly Roll

The following article includes mention of child abuse, mental health issues, and addiction.

There are many country star wives, but none quite like Alisa DeFord. Better known as Bunnie Xo, she stands out in a crowd with her tattoos and occasional latex gown on the red carpet alongside her husband, 2023's Country Music Association Awards Best New Artist winner, Jason Bradley DeFord, aka Jelly Roll. Despite their unique styles, the pair are country music's new super couple, with, as the singer describes it, "a white trash love story" for the ages. Their love is declared loudly and proudly in the public eye, with regular romantic posts on Instagram, Jelly Roll's songs about her, and their impressive transparency about their most intimate moments.

Considering country music has a history of priding itself on old-fashioned American values, their marriage is outside the norm of famous relationships in the genre. Still, Jelly Roll has become one of the hottest artists of the 2020s and always has his woman by his side. Jelly Roll has opened up about how much his life improved after meeting his Bunnie, "I married my best friend. She is the backbone of my entire existence" (via Facebook). But how has Bunnie's life changed since the future star of country music entered her life?

Bunnie wasn't always a podcast host with a blossoming love life. In her teens, she worked as an exotic dancer. Later, she was a high-end escort with clients who gifted her extravagant luxuries, but didn't necessarily treat her well. "I had really controlling [sugar daddies] that literally [paid me] thousands upon thousands of dollars to argue with [them]," she revealed on her podcast. In 2015, while still working this alternative lifestyle, she met a struggling artist living in a van and the two had an instant connection. His name was Jelly Roll. At first, they were platonic, but they have been inseparable since Jelly Roll accepted her invite to move in (via The Golden Hour).

The rising musician proposed to her during a Deftones concert a year after they got together. Although the two were "drunk" (as Jelly Roll admitted on Instagram) and it was 11 at night, the new fiancés went to tie the knot as quickly as possible, "[Bunnie said] 'The courthouse is open for ... 44 more minutes,'" Jelly Roll recounted to The Golden Hour. "I was like, 'Let's f***ing roll.'" The new bride started posting couples content on her YouTube channel, sharing everything from learning to waltz to makeup sex. Her videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views, something her epic romance with Jelly Roll helped her achieve.

Along with Jelly Roll came his two children, Bailee Ann and Noah Buddy. Bailee Ann's birth mother, Felicia, struggled with heroin addiction and would drink with her underaged daughter (via Whiskey Riff). The dangerous situation inspired the ex-convict to fight for full custody, something that took a turn for the better when Bunnie agreed to pay his legal fees and helped him find a suitable home. "I told him ... 'No matter what happens with us, I will help you get that little girl,'" she said on Wife of the Party Podcast. Jelly Roll shared the same story through tears during Bussin With the Boys. During the battle, Bunnie looked at her drug habits and decided to move on to a sober lifestyle (via Taste of Country). The couple eventually won full custody and Bunnie regularly posts loving TIkToks about her stepdaughter.

Jelly Roll's second child, Noah, has lived a private life per the request of his biological mother, Melissa. It wasn't until 2023 that the 6-year-old appeared in one of Bunnie's TikToks and introduced himself. Bunnie ensured in the comments that she got permission from his mom to post the video. A few days later, the stepmom posted a photo of her and Noah with Melissa, praising the fellow mama, "It takes a village to raise these babies & luckily we have her as [a part] of the family. Love you girl!"

In May 2019, Bunnie shared a vlog about her busy day as a mom and wife and wrapped up the video with a sneak peek of her first podcast episode. "I'm recording this first podcast at my dining room table with my camera on top of a ziplock box," she shared with a smile. A month later, she dropped the 30-minute pilot, "From Threesomes to Babies, Welcome to the Dumb Blonde Podcast," and reached #17 on Apple Music for Fashion & Beauty.

Eventually, Bunnie would move from the dining table to a studio with a sparkly backdrop and a neon "Dumb Blonde" sign. Months after she started her weekly show, she reached 97,000 downloads, "That's not including plays," she wrote on Facebook. "Do you know how hard it is to get someone to download a podcast to their phone?!" Seven seasons later, the podcast's Instagram has over 260,000 followers, 6,000 reviews on Spotify, and, according to Crossover Media Group, over 1 million monthly downloads. She's interviewed the likes of makeup mogul Jeffree Star, former WWE wrestler Gabbi Tuft (formerly known as Tyler Reks), and rapper Mod Sun.

"Dumb Blonde" often covers more risqué topics, but personal family issues are sometimes addressed. She's had Bailee Ann as a guest to address struggles with her birth mother and mental health and, of course, her husband Jelly Roll to talk sex, hardship, and relationships.

When she was three months old, Bunnie's mother left her to be raised by her father and eventual stepmother, a woman Bunnie did not get along with. At 14, she made the daring decision to leave home, something she's been open about on her podcast. Eventually, she set out to find her birth mother, and they finally connected online. For 15 years, they corresponded from afar until 2020, when they finally met in person, which was documented in an emotional video posted on Bunnie's social media accounts.

Though Bunnie reconnected with her mom before she met her husband, Jelly Roll was featured on the Joyner Lucas song "Best For Me," a track addressing watching a loved one battle drug addiction. The song touched Bunnie's heart, and she used it as the backing track for a post honoring her mother two years after her passing. In the video, the two are having a muted conversation, with Bunnie's mother in a wheelchair with breathing tubes. Bunnie wrote, "My mom and I never had a relationship because of her addiction ... I spent most of my life being mad at her ... not understanding that her one lesson she was sent here to teach me was in her death ... Rest easy Mama, forgiving you was the best thing I ever did."

Bunnie and Jelly Roll have been very open about the 44-year-old's life as an adult entertainer and sex worker. In 2023, she announced she was retiring from the profession that had sustained her for years. This decision surprised and confused fans, as some of them didn't understand how she could be married and do sex work. She clarified in a Facebook post that she didn't want to rely on the success of her partner financially, "[Jelly Roll] knew how important it was to me to make my own money. But he did always say, 'One day baby, you won't have to do this anymore.'" She credited sex work for why she was able to start her brand, Bunnie Xo, in 2018.

Until 2020, Bunnie had been earning money from sugar daddies and clients but chose to shift to OnlyFans, an impressively profitable choice. "It was crazy to see the amount of money that site made me in such a short time." In 2022, her brand was raking in more money than the age-old profession, and she decided to close her NSFW site and retire from the lifestyle, "Best decision I ever made." And although her husband never asked her to quit, she did joke on Facebook, "I also didn't want to be the only wife in the country music scene whose butthole was on the internet." A year later, she reflected on the decision without remorse and thanked her fans for their support.

It's no coincidence Bunnie titled her podcast "Dumb Blonde." Highly decorated country music sensation Dolly Parton opened her first album with a song titled (can you guess?) "Dumb Blonde" where she challenged stereotypes about blonde women. Parton has advocated for women's self-expression throughout her seven decades in the industry. She is one of Bunnie's greatest inspirations made evident by her style and regular posts about Parton. The "Jolene" singer took inspiration for her look from "the Town Tramp," she told The Guardian. "She had bright red lipstick, long red fingernails ... high-heeled shoes ... I just thought she was beautiful," she said.

Like Bunnie, Parton has gone through many eras in her life, and even ventured outside of the country genre with a release of a rock album aptly named "Rockstar." At an event celebrating the album, dozens of celebrities attended, including one of her biggest fans, Bunnie. Afterward meeting her idol, Bunnie said meeting Parton was great. "I learned that you never tell Dolly Parton that she is your Lord and savior," Bunnie laughed, "She will slap you and say don't say that."

On January 19th, 2024, Bunnie shared one of their photos and wished Parton a happy birthday, "Happy Birthday Mom ... To my birthday cusp twin, the woman I named my podcast after ... I hope your birthday is as beautiful as you are."

Bunnie Xo isn't only Jelly Roll's wife but also his muse. According to a social media post, his bride has inspired at least three songs. In the post, Bunnie is sitting behind Jelly Roll while he's rubbing her heel, accompanied by his song "Comfort Zone" from his third album "Addiction Kills." Bunnie wrote, "Fun fact: this was the third song he wrote for me."

The singer confirmed his wife's inspiration with Entertainment Tonight: "I have attempted to write a thousand love songs." He smiled, "How do I write a song and keep my manliness, but I can also completely open myself to how in love I am? I don't see any other woman on Earth but her. And I wanted to write a song that reflected that." The song that came from that effort was "Kill A Man."

Bunnie is also featured in the "Suicide" music video, one of his most popular releases. The two star as outlaws, with Jelly Roll professing he wouldn't be alive without his lover. He commented on the video, explaining the song and the visuals were designed to show how much they'd gone through as a couple.

Bunnie has been backstage for many of Jelly Roll's biggest moments. On Instagram, the "Save Me" singer wrote a romantic caption about his wife's support after a milestone in his career: "A hooker and a convict held hands on one dark night in the desert and made a decision to change our lives together ... This week, we stood hand in hand as I made my television debut." Jelly Roll writes songs about his girl, takes her on the road during tours, and always has her by his side on the red carpet. From feeling up her latex gown and carrying the train of her dress to dancing and kissing on the carpet, this duo has no problem expressing their love in public.

As his success has grown, Bunnie has been in the front row of so many epic occasions. She met Reba and Wynona Judd, watched her husband perform with Eminem, and got to stand alongside him at RodeoHouston, one of his biggest concerts to date. The two kissed while the roar of 75,000 fans shook the room. At the end of the night, they rode off and waved to the thousands of viewers. On Instagram, Bunnie described the event as "a legendary and iconic night. It will go down in our lives as one of the top 5 most memorable moments."

In 2019, Bunnie announced that she was going to undergo breast explant surgery. In a series of vlogs following and explaining the procedure, she opened up about her struggle with body image, "My boobs are entirely too big for my body," she shared, "I want [my breasts] out because I want to see if it makes a difference in my anxiety." Bunnie was going to undergo two procedures: one to remove the breast implants and another to lift her natural breasts. 

Although confident in the decision, she was terrified of the potential dangers, "I'm so scared of going under anesthesia," she confessed in a second video. "I'm so scared of not waking up. I am just freaked out to the max." Luckily, Jelly Roll was by her side the whole time. He drove her to the hospital, comforted her while they waited, and was at her bedside when she woke up. Bunnie handed her husband the implants to feel their weight, to which he said, "I can't say I'm gonna miss 'em."

Three years later, Bunnie went viral for posting a video of her 16-year-old implants growing mold and filled with floating bacteria and encouraged women to make an educated decision about breast augmentation. In May 2024, she also shared a cautionary tale about liposuction and how most cosmetic surgeries have been harmful to her in the long term. Thank goodness she has such a supportive partner by her side!

Bunnie is a proud stepmama to her husband's two children, but she's looking to become a biological mother at 44. While on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast, the father of two unveiled why he worked to lose over 60 pounds, "My wife and I are talking about having a baby and it really made me realize that at almost 40 ... I gotta live to at least 60. I gotta see this kid into college" (via Instagram). 

Bunnie reposted the interview to her Instagram and added another surprising detail to the story: The two planned to undergo in vitro fertilization, aka IVF, to help her get pregnant. Similarly to her transparency about her cosmetic surgeries, she felt inclined to share the choice to go forward with IVF to honor the couple's openness. She captioned the video, "God willing – Baby DeFord 2026." Wishing the couple the best of luck on this new journey!

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