Bunnie Xo Says She Doesn’t Want to Be the “Poster Child” for Divorce After Devastating Split From Jelly Roll
For Bunnie Xo, the months following her divorce from Jelly Roll have been filled with heartbreak, healing and a very deliberate effort to move forward.
The 46-year-old podcaster recently opened up about just how difficult the split became for her, revealing that there was a period when she could barely eat, lost 20 pounds and needed IVs to keep going.
Now, as she begins building a new chapter of her life, Bunnie says she does not want to remain defined by the divorce.
“There’s nothing hot about that,” she said of becoming the “poster child” for divorce.
Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s marriage came to an end after nearly a decade
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce from Bunnie, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, on May 18, 2026, in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Court documents listed May 9 as the couple’s date of separation and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds for divorce. In Tennessee, irreconcilable differences are a no-fault basis for ending a marriage.
The couple had married in Las Vegas in August 2016 and renewed their vows there in 2023. Their relationship had been unusually open with fans, with both Bunnie and Jelly Roll regularly discussing the highs and lows of their marriage.
Their split came as a surprise to many people, particularly because they had appeared together publicly as recently as the 2026 Grammy Awards.
The divorce was finalized in July. Court documents showed that the former couple reached a settlement covering assets including homes, cars, an aircraft and their intellectual property. Jelly Roll also agreed to make a confidential one-time payment to Bunnie, with no alimony claims involved.
The breakup took a serious toll on Bunnie
Bunnie has been candid about the emotional impact of the divorce, particularly during the early stages.
During an appearance on Jenna Bush Hager’s Open Book podcast, she described a period when the heartbreak became so overwhelming that she stopped eating properly.
“There was moments when my team had to pick me up off the floor and give me IVs,” Bunnie said. “I was eating baby food to get by. I lost 20 pounds.”
She summed up the experience with a darkly humorous observation about heartbreak being “the best freaking diet,” but the story behind the comment was considerably more serious. Her comments were also reported by multiple outlets following the interview.
The couple had been going through another major life change at the same time. Before their separation, they had been pursuing IVF and hoping to have a child together. Bunnie has continued to say that becoming a mother remains something she wants, even after the end of her marriage.
She wants people to understand that the pain was real
From the outside, Bunnie has appeared to be enjoying herself since the divorce.
She has openly discussed dating and has been seen with Netflix personality Dylan Wolfe. She has also begun making major changes to her life, including purchasing a new home in California.
But Bunnie wants to make one thing clear: looking happy does not mean she was never hurting.
She explained that she has simply been trying to make the best of a painful situation rather than allowing the divorce to consume her.
“That’s all you can do,” she said. “When life hands you lemons, make freaking lemonade.”
Bunnie also pointed out that she had already allowed her audience to see how badly she was struggling through her own podcast.
“Yeah, it hurt,” she said. “And I talked about it and I let viewers in and I let them know on my podcast.”
Why Bunnie deleted the podcast episode about the split
One of the most revealing moments of Bunnie’s divorce story came through an episode of her Dumb Blonde podcast.
The episode was eventually deleted, although it remained online long enough for portions of the discussion to generate widespread attention and headlines.
Bunnie has previously explained that she removed it because she did not want her most painful moments permanently living online.
During her conversation with Jenna Bush Hager, she made clear that money was not the reason she originally shared the details, even though she acknowledged that the episode ultimately earned her a substantial amount.
“I said what I needed to say,” Bunnie explained. “I made a s***load off of it. If I was gonna do it for money, I would’ve left it up.”
There was another reason for taking it down. Every time she went to her YouTube page, she did not want to be confronted with the experience all over again.
“I didn’t want to see that,” she said.
“I don’t want to be the freaking poster child for divorce”
Ultimately, Bunnie says she has no interest in allowing the end of her marriage to become the defining story of her life.
“I also don’t want to be the freaking poster child for divorce,” she said.
“There’s nothing hot about that. It’s a very devastating situation that anybody ever has to go through. Families get broken up. Hearts get broken. So it’s time to move on.”
Her comments reflect a shift in how she is approaching the aftermath. Bunnie has been willing to talk openly about what happened, but she does not want to spend the rest of her life reliving it.
That distinction has become particularly important as she begins establishing an identity separate from her marriage.
Building a life on her own
Bunnie has long emphasized her independence, and she says she intends to carry that same mindset into whatever comes next.
“So I don’t see why I couldn’t continue to stand on my own two feet and not have to dwell in that space of emotion,” she said.
That new chapter has already begun to take shape.
Bunnie has revealed that she purchased a new home in California, signaling plans to spend considerably more time on the West Coast. She also made a major purchase following the divorce, showing off a new Rolls-Royce Cullinan reportedly valued at around $500,000.
The luxury SUV arrived shortly after the divorce was finalized, adding another visible sign that Bunnie is moving into a different phase of her life.
Still, the purchases and public appearances tell only part of the story.
Behind the new house, new car and glimpses of a more carefree Bunnie is someone who has acknowledged just how deeply the breakup affected her.
She has made room to grieve, spoken openly about the experience and then made the decision to stop living inside it.
For Bunnie, moving forward does not mean pretending the divorce did not hurt. It means refusing to let that pain become the permanent headline of her life.