Jelly Roll — born Jason DeFord — is a rapper-turned-country singer whose rise to fame has been as dramatic as his personal transformation. Known for emotional hits like “Son of a Sinner,” “I Am Not OK,” and “Save Me,” Jelly Roll has built a massive following through his raw, confessional lyrics and his powerful blend of country, rock, and hip-hop. Standing six-foot-one and covered in tattoos, he’s as real as they come — unfiltered, flawed, and deeply human. But behind the fame lies a lifelong struggle with obesity and addiction. At his heaviest, Jelly Roll reportedly weighed over 540 pounds, often joking that his nickname — given to him by his mother when he was a “chubby kid” — became prophetic.
Between 2022 and 2025, Jelly Roll underwent a remarkable weight-loss transformation, shedding more than 100 pounds and inspiring countless fans who followed his journey online. In interviews, he’s spoken candidly about being “fat my whole life,” admitting that he found success in music despite his health struggles. Now, he’s turning that same honesty inward — confronting his physical and emotional battles through both lifestyle changes and his art. His 2024 chart-topping album Beautifully Broken, which includes the hit single “Liar,” captures that evolution perfectly. As Jelly Roll steps into 2025 — healthier, more confident, and still brutally authentic — his story isn’t just about losing weight, but about reclaiming his life.
Jelly Roll’s Weight Loss Journey: Before and After
Jelly Roll’s weight-loss journey really took off in late 2022. After years of joking about needing a huge scale (at one point a doctor sent him to find a truck stop scale above 500 lbs), he announced he was done feeling miserable. He told PEOPLE magazine he had already dropped about 70 pounds by April 2024 through training for a 5K run. Jelly Roll described running “two to three miles a day, four to six days a week” and adding sauna sessions and cold plunges to his routine. By May 2024, he completed that 5K (with wife Bunnie XO by his side) and noted he had lost “70-something pounds” in preparing.
The results quickly became visible. In May 2024, Jelly Roll appeared at the Academy of Country Music Awards looking noticeably slimmer, after having lost more than 70 lbs. By late 2024 he shared with fans on social media that he had shed 100 pounds since restarting his journey – he announced he was “down like 120” pounds from his heaviest weight. In an April 2025 appearance on The Pat McAfee Show he announced, “I started at 540 pounds and I was 357 pounds this morning,” a stunning milestone in which he lost 183 lbs. He still aimed to lose another 100 lbs, joking he’d go skydiving with his wife when he hit his next goal.
(Image Source: People.com)
What’s remarkable is that Jelly Roll insists on doing this publicly. He told his wife he wanted to lose weight “in front of everybody,” so fans could see it happen and root for him. On Bunnie XO’s Dumb Blonde podcast, he explained “I want the world to know … I didn’t become successful because of my weight, I became successful in spite of it.”.
By late 2025, he’s not done – he set a goal to appear on the cover of Men’s Health by March 2026, indicating his commitment to get even healthier. Throughout, he openly discusses the mental challenges too, likening food addiction to substance addiction and admitting “the weight … is the mountain in front of me”.
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Music Career and Hit Songs
While weight loss is front and center, Jelly Roll’s music career provides the backdrop. After a troubled youth and time in prison, Jason DeFord turned to music. He released his debut album The Big Sal Story in 2012, and by 2021’s Ballads of the Broken he gained wider attention. As Celebrity Net Worth notes, Jelly Roll (born Dec 4, 1984) has released 10 solo studio albums (plus dozens of mixtapes and collaborations) spanning hip-hop, rock and country-rock. His discography includes 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel and 2024’s Beautifully Broken, the latter becoming his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
Several Jelly Roll songs have been major hits. His breakout single “Son of a Sinner” topped country radio, and power ballads like “Save Me” (2020) resonated deeply with fans. In fact “Save Me” went platinum and Jelly Roll later re-recorded it in duets with Lainey Wilson and even Eminem. (The Eminem collaboration came in 2024 when Eminem took Jelly Roll’s raw chorus and featured him on an official version.)
Other chart-toppers include “Need a Favor,” “I Am Not Okay,” and “Liar”. Notably, “Liar” was released as a single in August 2024 from Beautifully Broken, and it deals candidly with battling addiction. Jelly Roll often sings about personal struggles, blending country-rock with hip-hop roots – a style that resonated enough to earn multiple CMA and CMT nominations.
His body of work is also genre-bending: he even recorded country-rap collaborations with artists like Haystak and Struggle Jennings early on, and more recently brought in rock and gospel influences. He says he’s always had a knack for “genre-defying” songs, and that creativity kept growing after he cleaned up his lifestyle. In interviews he credits sobriety and mental health stability with helping him write freely – everything from rattling bars about his time in jail to heartfelt country choruses about redemption.
With each new album, Jelly Roll’s songs chart higher: Ballads of the Broken gave him country radio hits, and Beautifully Broken debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard, cementing his status as a crossover artist.
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Tours, Concerts, and Collaborations
Jelly Roll’s transformation also extends to the stage. Even at his heaviest, he was “one of the most in-demand artists in the world,” headlining festivals and arena tours. In 2023 he launched his first headlining tour, The Backroad Baptism Tour, followed by the Beautifully Broken Tour in 2024. Those tours sold out major venues and helped fuel his weight loss by keeping him active. In 2025, his touring schedule got even bigger: he joined Post Malone on the massive BIG ASS Stadium Tour (co-headlining with Malone).
(Image Source: Men’s Journal)
This cross-genre collaboration blends hip-hop and country, and has drawn “massive crowds” across North America. Jelly Roll excited fans by opening stadiums (thus the “Jelly Roll tickets 2025” searches) and being featured in high-profile concerts.
Aside from Post Malone, Jelly Roll has worked with big names in music. In 2023–24 he teamed up with artists like Lainey Wilson and, on the gospel/rock side, Christian singer Brandon Lake. He even appeared on TV competition shows: Jelly Roll wasn’t a contestant, but in 2024–25 he performed on American Idol. In spring 2025 he was announced as the show’s first-ever “Artist in Residence,” mentoring contestants. He also performed on an Idol special episode alongside Brandon Lake and others, titled Songs of Faith.
These collaborations and appearances have kept Jelly Roll in the news as a rising mainstream star. For fans, searching “Jelly Roll and Post Malone” or “Jelly Roll and Eminem” yields tracks and videos: for example, Post Malone’s 2025 hit “Losers” features Jelly Roll, and Eminem’s 2024 single “Somebody Save Me” features Jelly Roll on vocals.
Looking ahead, Jelly continues to tour and release music. He has already been announced to headline the Stagecoach Festival in April 2025, and he’s teased new songs. With each tour and festival, fans eagerly grab Jelly Roll tickets 2025 or look for “Jelly Roll concert” announcements. His shows nowadays highlight not only his musical talent but also his physical transformation: as he promised at a 2024 show, “Next year when y’all see me, you won’t recognize me”. For now, concertgoers see a much healthier Jelly Roll whipping up emotional performances, running up and down the stage – a far cry from the man who once couldn’t walk a mile.
Personal Life: Family, Tattoos, and Public Image
Offstage, Jason DeFord (Jelly Roll) has a supportive family. He married podcast host Bunnie XO (Bunnie DeFord) in August 2016, proposing onstage during a concert. Bunnie has been by his side through thick and thin, even co-hosting the Dumb Blonde podcast where Jelly candidly talks about his struggles. The couple shares two children: Jelly Roll has a daughter, Bailee Ann (from a previous relationship), and they raise a son together. Bunnie frequently posts behind-the-scenes content of Jelly’s tours and health journey, often encouraging his fitness efforts. Their relationship – from a Vegas wedding to workout partners – is a common topic in Jelly’s interviews.
(Image Source: Instagram)
Another aspect of his personal life that fans notice is his tattoos. Jelly Roll was covered head-to-toe in ink (including very visible face tattoos) – and he’s spoken openly about that too. In a 2024 interview he admitted, “I regret 98% of these tattoos… I hate them all.” Many of those tattoos reflected his younger self (gang affiliations, drug references) that he no longer identifies with.
He even joked about his face ink in a humorous Uber Eats Super Bowl ad: seeing himself with cartoonish face tattoos, he exclaimed “What the f—?!” and tried to scrub them off, calling them “horrible”. (After that ad aired, Jelly Roll told PEOPLE there was “some truth” to his comments – essentially, he’s over his old tattoo phase.) So while he’s not literally getting them removed on screen, Jelly’s attitude toward his ink is basically that he’s done adding more and would rather cover up old mistakes.
Other personal details: Jelly Roll is 40 years old (born Dec 4, 1984), and he lives in Tennessee. He often mentions faith and gratitude as important to him now – he even got baptized at Whitsitt Chapel (the site that inspired his 2023 album title). You might see him on People, Rolling Stone, or music magazines discussing his Sobriety and recovery.
Indeed, as a former jail inmate who turned his life around, Jelly Roll now uses his platform to advocate for addiction recovery and mental health, advising fans that “it’s not easy” but that support and perseverance work. Through candid interviews and songs, his message is clear: a tough past doesn’t define you, and real change is possible.
Jelly Roll Net Worth 2025: From Rags to Riches
As Jelly Roll’s career continues to soar, his bank account has followed suit. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his 2025 net worth at around $16 million, up from roughly $12 million just a couple of years ago. His fortune comes from a mix of album sales, sold-out tours, streaming royalties, merchandise, and brand partnerships — including collaborations with Uber Eats, a tequila company, and several clothing lines. Not bad for a man who once had “nothing,” as he often says in interviews.
His success story is the definition of rags-to-riches. Both Billboard and Country Living have spotlighted how Jelly Roll went from incarceration and addiction to headlining massive arenas and topping country charts. What makes his financial rise remarkable is that it’s built on authenticity — fans see him as one of their own, a man who turned pain into purpose and struggle into success.
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Jelly Roll’s Achievements: Awards, Hits, and Musical Legacy
Alongside financial success, Jelly Roll’s achievements as an artist are stacking up fast. In 2024, he earned multiple Country Music Association (CMA) awards — including Best New Artist and New Male Vocalist — cementing his place in the country scene. His heartfelt songs like “Son of a Sinner,” “Save Me,” and “Liar” have topped country charts and earned him Grammy nominations. These accolades mark his transformation from an underground rapper to a respected crossover country-rock star.
Even outside award shows, Jelly Roll songs continue to dominate playlists and streaming platforms. His 2024 album Beautifully Broken stayed on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart for months, and his live performances — packed with emotional storytelling — consistently trend online. The singer’s influence stretches far beyond Nashville; his message of redemption resonates with millions who see their own struggles in his lyrics.
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Jelly Roll Today: Tours, News, and What’s Next in 2025
In 2025, Jelly Roll is busier than ever — headlining the Beautifully Broken Tour across North America and Europe. The Jelly Roll Tour 2025 includes over 60 stops, with tickets selling out within hours of going on sale. Fans can find Jelly Roll tickets 2025 online through Ticketmaster and Live Nation, where his shows promise emotional performances, gospel-inspired choruses, and anthems like “Save Me” and “Liar.” His concerts have become a celebration of recovery and resilience — audiences often sing every word back to him, creating a powerful sense of connection that few artists can replicate.
In the latest Jelly Roll news, the singer continues to make headlines for his fitness journey, tattoo removals, and evolving image. After sharing his plans for additional tattoo removal treatments in 2025, fans started buzzing about the “new Jelly Roll without face tattoos.” The transformation goes far beyond ink — as of 2025, Jelly Roll has lost over 100 pounds, documenting his workouts and lifestyle changes on social media to inspire others battling obesity and addiction.
Combined with his remarkable weight loss transformation, this rebranding marks a new era for the artist — one focused on health, family, and longevity. He’s also hinted at new collaborations with Brandon Lake and possibly Eminem, showing his versatility across genres. Whether you follow him for his music, his motivational story, or his larger-than-life personality, Jelly Roll today stands as a symbol of second chances and relentless perseverance.
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