Jelly Roll Admits He'd Be "Dead or In Jail" Without Bunnie Xo

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Content warning: This story discusses suicidal thoughts.

Can we get a hard fought hallelujah for Jelly Roll?

The singer won his first-ever golden gramophone at the Grammys 2026, beating out Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Tyler Childers and Eric Church in the Best Contemporary Country Album category with his 2024 LP Beautifully Broken. (Click here to see all the celebrities on the red carpet.)

Taking the stage inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Feb. 1, Jelly Roll (real name Jason DeFord) gave a sweet shoutout to his wife of nearly 10 years Bunnie Xo.

"I would have never changed my life without you," he told her, as the podcaster made a heart sign with her hands. "I would've ended up dead or in jail. I would've killed myself if it weren't for you and Jesus."

He continued, "There was a time in my life that I was broken. That's why I wrote this album. I didn't think I had a chance. There was days that I thought the darkest things."

At the Trevor Noah-hosted ceremony, the 41-year-old also won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for his and Brandon Lake's duet "Hard Fought Hallelujah," as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his "Amen" collaboration with Shaboozey.

And Jelly Roll has undergone quite the transformation since recording Beautifully Broken. After all, he lost over 200 pounds after revamping his lifestyle.

“The biggest change I made was food,” he told E! News in January. “Man, I was on the brink of death."

In addition to his declining health, Jelly Roll's weight at the time also negatively impacted his sex life with Bunnie.

Amy Sussman / Staff / GETTY IMAGES

"I married the kind of woman that makes you smile when you're crying," he professed during a December episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. "And I couldn't even get aroused, I was so big. I was having to play Twister to have sex—left foot here, right foot in the X. ‘Are we in there yet? Tell me if you feel something.’ It was bad."

But now, Jelly Roll feels lighter—both physically and mentally. In fact, the weight loss helped him gain a new sense of confidence, according to Bunnie.

"Battling weight and being called names every day, just living with that burden of the weight on him, that takes a toll on somebody's self-esteem," she told Extra in January. "So, being able to see him look in that mirror and be like, 'Yeah I'm hot,' was cool. I'm proud of him."

For more winners at the 2026 Grammy Awards, read on.

Best Music Video

WINNER: “Anxiety,” Doechii

“Love,” OK Go

“So Be It,” Clipse

“Manchild,” Sabrina Carpenter

“Young Lion,” Sade

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

WINNER: Sinners

A Complete Unknown

F1 The Album

KPop Demon Hunters

Wicked

Best Song Written For Visual Media

WINNER: "Golden," KPop Demon Hunters

"As Alive As You Need Me to Be," Tron: Ares

"I Lied to You," Sinners

"Never Too Late," Elton John: Never Too Late

"Pale, Pale Moon," Sinners

"Sinners," Sinners

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

WINNER: "Defying Gravity," Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

"Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)," HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI

 "Gabriela," KATSEYE

"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars

"30 for 30," SZA featuring Kendrick Lamar

Best Country Solo Performance

WINNER: "Bad As I Used to Be," Chris Stapleton

"Nose on the Grindstone," Tyler Childers

"Good News," Shaboozey

"I Never Lie," Zach Top

"Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson

Best Latin Pop Album

WINNER: Cancionera, Natalia Lafourcade

Cosa Nuestra, Rauw Alejandro

BOGOTÁ DELUXE, Andrés Cepeda

Tropicoqueta, Karol G

Y Ahora Qué?, Alejandro Sanz

Best Rock Performance

WINNER: “Changes Back to the Beginning,” YungBlud

“Mirtazapine,” Hayley Williams

“Never Enough,” Turnstile

“The Emptiness Machine,” Linkin Park

“U Should Not Be Doing That,” Amyl and the Sniffers

Best Dance/Electronic Album

WINNER: EUSEXUA, FKA Twigs

Ten Days, Fred again..

Fancy That, PinkPantheress

Inhale / Exhale, Rüfüs du Sol

F*** U SKRILLEX U THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3, Skrillex

Best Dance Pop Recording

WINNER: “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga

“Illegal”, PinkPantheress

“Just Keep Watching (From F1 The Movie),” Tate McRae

“Midnight Sun,” Zara Larsson

“Bluest Flame,” Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco

Best Alternative Music Album

WINNER: Songs of a Lost World, The Cure

SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver

DON'T TAP THE GLASS, Tyler, The Creator

moisturizer, Wet Leg

Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, Hayley Williams

Best Music Film

WINNER: "Music by John Williams," John Williams

"Devo," Devo

"Live at the Royal Albert Hall," Raye

"Relentless," Diane Warren

"Piece by Piece," Pharrell Williams

Best R&B Song

WINNER: “Folded,” Kehlani

“Yes it Is,” Leon Thomas

“Overqualified,” Durand Bernarr

“It Depends,” Chris Brown

“Heart of a Woman,” Summer Walker

Best R&B Album

WINNER: Mutt, Leon Thomas

Beloved, Givéon

Why Not More?, Coco Jones

The Crown, Ledisi

Escape Room, Teyana Taylor

Best Rock Album

WINNER: Never Enough, Turnstile

Private Music, Deftones 

I Quit, Haim

From Zero, Linkin Park

Idols, Yungblud

Best Rap Performance

WINNER: "Chains & Whips," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams

"Outside," Cardi B

"Anxiety," Doechii

"tv off," Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay

"Darling, I," Tyler, The Creator ft. Teezo Touchdown

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

WINNER: A Matter of Time, Laufey

Wintersongs, Laila Biali

The Gift of Love, Jennifer Hudson

Who Believes in Angels?, Elton John & Brandi Carlile

Harlequin, Lady Gaga

The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2, Barbra Streisand

Best Country Song

WINNER: "Bitin' List," Tyler Childers

"Good News," Shaboozey

"I Never Life," Zach Top

"Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson

"A Song to Sing," Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

WINNER: “Amen,” Shaboozey & Jelly Roll

“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” George Strait, Chris Stapleton

“Love Me Like You Used to Do,” Margo Price & Tyler Childers

“Trailblazer,” Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert & Lainey Wilson

“A Song to Sing,” Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton

Best Americana Album

WINNER: BIG MONEY, Jon Batiste

Bloom, Larkin Poe

Last Leaf on the Tree, Willie Nelson

So Long Little Miss Sunshine, Molly Tuttle

Middle, Jesse Welles

Best R&B Performance

WINNER: “Folded,” Kehlani

“Heart of a Woman,” Summer Walker

“MUTT (NPR Tiny Desk),” Leon Thomas

“It Depends,” Chris Brown

“Yukon,” Justin Bieber

Best Rap Song

WINNER: "tv off," Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay

"Anxiety," Doechii

"The Birds Don't Sing," Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring John Legend & Voices Of Fire

"Sticky," Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne

"TGIF," GloRilla

Record of the Year

"DtMF," Bad Bunny

"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter

"Anxiety," Doechii

"Wildflower," Billie Eilish

"Abracadbra," Lady Gaga

"Luther," Kendrick Lamar with SZA

"The Subway," Chappell Roan

"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars

Album of the Year

DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny

Swag, Justin Bieber

Man's Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter

Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

Mayhem, Lady Gaga

GNX, Kendrick Lamar

Mutt, Leon Thomas

Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator

Song of the Year

"Abracadbra," Lady Gaga

"Anxiety," Doechii

"APT.," Rosé, Bruno Mars

"DtMF," Bad Bunny

"Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)," HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI

"Luther," Kendrick Lamar with SZA

"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter

"Wildflower," Billie Eilish

Best New Artist

WINNER: Olivia Dean

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

Best Pop Vocal Album

Swag, Justin Bieber

Man's Best Friend, Sabrina Carpenter

Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus

WINNER: Mayhem, Lady Gaga

I've Tried Everything But Therapy [Part 2], Teddy Swims

Best Pop Solo Performance

"Daisies," Justin Bieber

"Manchild," Sabrina Carpenter

"Disease," Lady Gaga

"The Subway," Chappell Roan

"Messy," Lola Young

Best Rap Album

Let God Sort Em Out, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

Glorious, GloRilla

God Does Like Ugly, Jid

WINNER: GNX, Kendrick Lamar

Chromakopia, Tyler, The Creator

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers, composer

Wicked, John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers

WINNER: Sinners, Ludwig Göransson, composer

Severance: Season 2, Theodore Shapiro, composer

How To Train Your Dragon, John Powell, composer

Best Musical Theater Album

WINNER: Buena Vista Social Club

Death Becomes Her

Gypsy

Just In Time

Maybe Happy Ending

Watch the Grammys 2026 Sunday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

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