Country Star Jelly Roll Doesn't Look Like This Anymore As He Flaunts 200-Pound Weight Loss Transformation

By Favour Adegoke on October 22, 2025 at 11:30 AM EDT

Jelly Roll at The 2024 Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles
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Jelly Roll showcased his dramatic 200-pound weight loss as he arrived in Australia for his first headlining tour.

The 40-year-old singer, who left fans in awe of his new look, has been open about overcoming food addiction and transforming his life.

Meanwhile, Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie Xo, defended herself against online criticism, sharing a heartfelt post about resilience and growth.

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Jelly Roll Shows Off Remarkable Weight Loss As He Kicks Off Australian Tour

Jelly Roll is showing off his impressive weight loss as he touched down in Australia for his first-ever headlining tour.

He was spotted at Sydney Airport on October 21, looking noticeably slimmer after shedding close to 200 pounds since 2022.

The 40-year-old country star's appearance left his fans stunned, with some praising his weight loss and others expressing concern about how he lost the weight.

On TikTok, a person wrote, "It doesn't matter how he lost the weight; he lost it, and I'm sure he feels much healthier. Way to go, Jelly Roll."

"Literally, who cares if it was 'ozempic' or 'weight loss surgery'? He looks healthy, and that's all that matters," another person noted on X.

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The Singer's Goal Is To Be On The Cover Of Men's Health Magazine By March 2026

The "I Need a Favor" singer, who once weighed around 550 pounds, has been open about his ongoing fitness journey and his determination to transform his life.

In a December 2024 episode of his wife Bunnie Xo's "Dumb Blonde" podcast, Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, revealed his ambitious goal.

"I wanna be on the cover of Men's Health by March 2026," he said, calling it the first time he'd ever spoken about it publicly. "That's my new goal. I wanna have one of the biggest transformations."

Part of that transformation, he explained, has been confronting a lifelong struggle with food addiction. Speaking with People Magazine in November 2024, the "I Am Not Okay" singer said he had to completely change the way he "looked at food for the last 39 years."

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Jelly Roll Reflects On His 500-Pound Past And The Discipline That Changed His Life

Jelly Roll at Stagecoach Music Festival 2025
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Growing up in Antioch, Tennessee, Jelly Roll shared that no one in his household had a healthy relationship with food, which made the journey especially difficult.

"That was the hard part, really fighting that demon at first and getting into that discipline and that commitment," he said. "But once you get into that discipline and commitment, it's like an avalanche. Once that little snowball started rolling, it was on its way."

The "Save Me" singer first opened up about his struggles on Instagram in 2018, revealing that in 2015, he weighed over 500 pounds. That was a turning point that motivated him to lose about 200 pounds the following year.

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"All I've ever known was being fat, and I'm f-ckng miserable," he wrote at the time. "I wanna sky dive, bungee jump, ride a bull, parasail, ride roller coasters, I want to LIVE a normal life and have a normal relationship with food."

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Jelly Roll's Wife Claps Back At Critics, Shares Emotional Message About Her Past And Transformation

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo attend the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards
Casey Flanigan/imageSPACE / MEGA

Meanwhile, Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie Xo, is speaking out after facing online criticism over her appearance, and she is standing by her husband while doing it.

The "Dumb Blonde" podcast host shared a heartfelt video on Instagram, cuddled up next to the country star, as a response to negative comments about her image.

One user had written, "I love Bunnie, but her image is trashy for the country music scene," prompting a wave of discussion online.

In her post, Bunnie included a sweet montage of moments with Jelly Roll, along with a powerful message about resilience, transformation, and love.

"Sometimes God uses the most unlikely people to be used as vessels to show what transformation & unconditional love is," she began. "I grew up on the streets of Vegas. A homeless runaway at 14, involved in the adult industry since I was 21, survived abuse, addiction & built my entire life off being the girl who was never good enough. The tr@sh.”

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Bunnie Xo Defends Jelly Roll's Weight Loss and Slams Online Critics: 'Happy People Don't Hate'

Bunnie Xo continued by applauding her husband, emphasizing how far they've both come.

"My husband is an ex-felon who has been righting his wrongs and evolving over the past 10 years. He has completely transformed his life from who he was – physically & spiritually," she wrote, per Fox News. "Y'all think you could say anything to us we haven't already heard before 1000 times?

She ended her post with a confident reminder about kindness and perspective, noting that "happy people don't hate & hating people aren't happy. Never met someone successful ever talking down to someone online."

Earlier this month, the model and singer addressed comments about Jelly Roll's appearance following his dramatic weight loss.

"Girl, your man is so hot now that he lost all that weight," she quoted. "Is he? … Cause he's always had the same face. He's always had the same heart. He's always had the same soul."

Bunnie XO added that the focus should be on health, not looks, and that the appropriate thing for people to talk about is how much "healthier" the country music star looks after his weight loss.

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