Jelly Roll Confronts Scale After Holiday Indulgence
Jelly Roll, the acclaimed rapper and singer, had deliberately avoided stepping on a scale for six months following his Men's Health cover shoot in November, where he weighed 265 lbs. However, last Friday, the 41-year-old artist decided it was time to face the music after what he described as "enjoying the holidays" with "big meals" and going "off the rails." In a candid YouTube vlog, Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, expressed his apprehension, saying, "I am scared too, y'all. I feel really fat. I feel really bloated. I feel like this scale is going to let me down. I feel like I'm going to find out I've gained like 15lbs."
A Reality Check on the Scale
The three-time Grammy winner pointed his camera at his feet, revealing a digital scale reading of 276.2 lbs. "That's our reality right there. So, we're up 12 lbs," he admitted. This weight gain comes after a period where Jelly Roll, who once tipped the scales at 550lbs, had been making progress in his weight-loss journey that began in 2023. His efforts were temporarily halted when he flipped his ATV and broke his collarbone just days before Christmas, forcing a pause in his fitness regimen.
New Goals and Marathon Ambitions
Undeterred, Jelly Roll has set a brand new goal with his fitness coach: to run the 26.2-mile New York City Marathon on November 1. He hopes to shed an additional 40-50 lbs in the process. "This new coach I got has me doing intervals, right?" the singer explained. "So, run five minutes, walk five minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes, and I'll do it for an amount of time instead of an amount of miles. That's been a really cool change of pace for me." On a recent training day, he wore a weighted vest that didn't fit, noting, "It's 2X. I'm not a 2X yet... Dude, that weighted vest was only 11 and 12 lbs and it kicked my a**."
Avoiding Trendy Weight-Loss Drugs
In 2024, Jelly Roll claimed on his wife Alyssa 'Bunnie Xo' DeFord's Dumb Blonde podcast that he transformed his 6ft1in body without using popular GLP-1 agonist drugs. He cited a fear of acid reflux as a side effect, stating, "As a singer, few things scare me more than acid reflux. Like, you'll watch me get up out of a bed, I'll burp and wake up panicked and go take something for it. You know? Because that stuff will just rip the vocal cords."
Upcoming Tour and Personal Life
Jelly Roll is scheduled to serve as the opening act on Post Malone's 85-date Big A** Stadium Tour, starting April 29 at Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. His personal life has seen significant changes; he turned his life around after the birth of his 17-year-old daughter Bailee Ann DeFord and is also father to nine-year-old son Noah Buddy DeFord. In February, he and his wife hired a surrogate for their future twins, described as "the most unselfish, sweetest woman ever."
Past Struggles and Redemption
Jelly Roll's journey includes a troubled past, with 40 jail stints starting at age 13 for marijuana possession, followed by offenses like violating probation and drug-related charges. He vowed to change after his daughter's birth. His wife, who worked as an escort until 2020 and was on OnlyFans until 2023, married him in a 2016 ceremony. They faced challenges, including a 10-month affair Jelly Roll had with an ex-girlfriend between 2017-2018, but are now committed to a monogamous relationship.
