Jelly Roll Steps Into The Spotlight In Surprising Next Career Move
on Jun 21, 2026
Jelly Roll & Wife Bunnie Xo Split After Nearly 10 Years
Earlier this week, news broke that singer Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) had filed for divorce from his wife of almost 10 years, Bunnie Xo (Alisa DeFord).
TMZ reported that the divorce documents cite “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind the split. The paperwork also revealed that the couple’s separation date was listed as May 9, roughly one week before Jelly Roll officially filed for divorce.
The news came as a shock to fans, since they often gushed about one another in public and on social media. Most recently, they were together at the beginning of May to celebrate Jelly Roll’s daughter, Bailee Ann, going to prom.
Bunnie Xo Addresses The Divorce
In a tell-all podcast about the split, Bunnie Xo addressed rumors and explained where the two actually stand today. Bunnie made it clear during the 54-minute episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast, that she and Jelly ended things on decent terms, calling him her “best friend forever.”
While Bunnie and Jelly don’t share any children, she helped raise Jelly’s now 18-year-old daughter, Bailee. Jelly also has a son from another prior relationship, named Noah.
The couple had previously opened up about their plans to have a child together, with Bunnie revealing in her 2026 memoir, Stripped Down, that they had found a surrogate and were hoping to welcome twins.
You can watch that full episode below.
RELATED: Jelly Roll Makes First Social Media Post Since Divorce News
Jelly Roll Makes New Surprising Career Move
Now, Jelly is moving into a new stage of his career that may come as a surprise to his fans.
The singer will be making his return to late-night television as he joins a lineup of guest hosts taking over “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” while Jimmy Kimmel steps away from the ABC talk show for two months.
During Thursday’s episode, Kimmel announced that he would be taking the extended break “voluntarily” and revealed that a group of guest hosts had been selected to fill in during his absence.
“We have assembled a potent group of hosts to fill in for me,” Kimmel told the audience. “Beginning with Tiffany Haddish, Coleman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, Jelly Roll — and as a special treat for our commander-in-chief, I asked one of his all-time favorites Rosie O’Donnell to be here to keep the hooks coming.”
Jelly previously hosted the late night show for two episodes in July 2025. You can watch a clip of that below.
