Jelly Roll’s daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, has spoken out after news broke that the country star filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo, calling the public reaction to the split a “private family matter.”
Jason and Alisa DeFord, better known as Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo, have ended their marriage after nearly 10 years together. Court records show Jelly Roll filed for divorce in Williamson County, Tennessee, on May 18, with May 9 listed as the couple’s separation date and irreconcilable differences cited as the reason.
As the breakup continues to draw attention online, Bailee Ann has made it clear she does not want strangers speculating about her family life.
On TikTok, the 18-year-old wrote: “I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in a very clearly private family matter. It’s fkn crazy.” She added, “Gon somewhere yall. Worry bout your house- not mine.”
Bailee also hinted that she may address the situation later, but not yet, writing: “I’m not speaking on it – yet.”
Bailee is Jelly Roll’s daughter from a previous relationship with Felicia Beckwith. Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo have long spoken about having primary custody of her, and Bunnie has described herself as the main disciplinarian in the household.
In past comments, Bunnie has said she tries to check in with Bailee before discussing family matters publicly. She has also made clear that the teenager is still adjusting to the change in the home she has known for years.
“You guys need to remember she’s 18. Freshly just turned 18, the only woman she has had consistently in her life, she feels, is being taken from her and it’s a weird transition that we’re gonna have to navigate.
“Of course she’s mad at me, because I was always the f***ing disciplining parent in the relationship because he’s f***ing fun dad all the time.”
Bunnie also said she is giving Bailee space to feel however she needs to feel during the divorce.
She added: “This is what we’re dealing with right now and I don’t care. That’s my baby. I love her.
“If she wants to be mad at me for f***ing two years, I’ll deal with it. But when she’s ready to come back, I will always be there for her.”
The former couple’s relationship began years before Jelly Roll became a mainstream name. Bunnie first met him at one of his shows at the Las Vegas Country Saloon, when he was still living out of a van and performing for a small crowd. At the time, she was with someone else.
After later splitting from that partner, Bunnie got Jelly Roll’s number through a friend. She has said he would regularly call and text her for advice, including about Bailee.
Their friendship eventually turned into a romance when Jelly Roll returned to Las Vegas to shoot a music video and stayed with Bunnie.
He later proposed during a Yelawolf and Deftones concert in Las Vegas, asking: “[I wanna know] will your fine a** marry my white trash a** tonight in Las Vegas?” The two then married that same night at The Little White Chapel.
Jelly Roll also has a son, Noah Buddy, from a previous relationship. In 2016, he and Bunnie were granted primary custody of Bailee amid her mother’s substance abuse struggles.
The marriage later weathered a major setback when Jelly Roll was unfaithful, leading to a temporary separation. He has since described the affair as one of the lowest points of his adult life.
Reflecting on it during the Human School podcast, he said he “did a lot of work to repair that relationship,” and the pair eventually reconciled.
During the years that followed, both saw their public profiles rise. Bunnie launched the Dumb Blonde podcast, which developed into a hit show featuring guests including Dolly Parton and MGK.
Jelly Roll also saw his music career surge, with ‘Son of a Sinner’ reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s US Country Airplay chart.
Bunnie later closed her OnlyFans account and stepped away from the sex industry. The couple also returned to The Little White Chapel to renew their vows in Las Vegas.
She later announced on Instagram that they were pursuing IVF together, writing: “W/all odds stacked against us, it’s always been hard & we have only just begun.”
At another point, Bunnie joked that after Jelly Roll’s 275-pound weight loss, his penis had become “severely bigger”.
According to the divorce filing, the listed separation date became a key turning point. Bunnie has since said the pair had a heated argument during which she told him: “Well, then file the f**king divorce papers.”
After that, Jelly Roll packed a bag, and the two went weeks without speaking. He ultimately filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
Attorney Holly Davis, who is not involved in the case, told People: “It’s a very neutral and agreement-oriented filing. It doesn’t look like a contested divorce filing.”
Bunnie later addressed the breakdown of the marriage on Dumb Blonde, saying there had been no cheating and that she and Jelly Roll still planned to have a child through IVF and raise that child together.
She also said the IVF journey had taken a heavy toll on her wellbeing, explaining that it “wrecked me emotionally, spiritually, physically”.
She added: “It was not mutual. Even though I told him to file the divorce papers, I was speaking out of anger and frustration. But was it necessary for us to have a wakeup call and to actually start having these real conversations? Absolutely.”
Bunnie also said Jelly Roll is already seeing other people, while she is “excited to discover myself single”.
That same night, Jelly Roll addressed the speculation from the stage in Saratoga Springs, New York, telling the crowd the internet “is a liar”.
He added: “Me and my wife are best friends, we will always be best friends. I will love her. She will probably be the only woman I’ll ever love the way I loved her.”