Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo's split may have shocked fans, but insiders claim it has been brewing for a while. The country star, 41, filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo, 46, on May 18, citing irreconcilable differences and listing their date of separation as May 9, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
Bunnie Xo's Social Media Response
On May 16, two days before Jelly Roll's divorce filing, Bunnie hit out at her exes in a video on Instagram. The clip shows her in a black tube top and black flared pants walking down a driveway as the camera zoomed in on blue garbage bins behind her. The text on the video read, "I hate when my exes ruin a good shot," captioning the post with a trash emoji.
Faith vs. Sex Work
A source close to the Son of a Sinner star told People that the pair have "always had a complicated dynamic," noting that when they first met, Jelly was struggling financially and Bunnie made her living as a sex worker. They acknowledged that since Jelly's career took off, as well as how he is overhauling his outlook on life and health having recently lost nearly 300 pounds, the singer has "changed a lot."
Some say that religion may have played a part in the couple's split, as the Dumb Blonde podcast host's lifestyle has reportedly been clashing with the Save Me singer's faith for some time. "There is just such a conflict in what's going on. He's preaching this Christian way of life. She's posing mostly naked and talking about porn and penises on her podcast," a source told the Daily Mail. "At every turn she's just kind of embarrassing him and wrecking every PR narrative that they're trying to create," the insider continued. "This is the talk of the town (in Nashville)."
Is It All an Act?
In his acceptance speech for Best Contemporary Country Album at the Grammys in February, Jelly — real name Jason DeFord — first credited Jesus before turning his attention to his wife for saving his life. "First of all, Jesus, I hear you, and I'm listening, Lord. I am listening, Lord," he began. "Second of all, I want to thank my beautiful wife. I would have never changed my life without you. I would have ended up dead or in jail. I would have killed myself if it wasn't for you and Jesus. I thank you for that."
However, another source admitted they were wary of the singer's born-again Christian "act," but whatever the case, it appeared Bunnie wasn't fully on board with the transition. "He saw a lot of money in this market and told Bunnie to get it together. But she wouldn't stay in line and it is destroying his brand," the source told the outlet. Bunnie, born Alisa Carter, simply wants to be her authentic self. "She just wants to be what she is," the source told the Mail. "She's been an escort and in porn and gets her validation and audience from being in a G-string. That's been her life but now, suddenly, he's a preacher and she's a preacher's wife."
Their Daughter Breaks Silence
Jelly Roll's daughter Bailee Ann has weighed in on the reaction to her dad's divorce from her stepmom. "I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in a very clearly private family matter," the 18-year-old wrote on her TikTok on Tuesday. "It's fkn crazy." She added: "Go on somewhere yall. Worry bout your house—not mine." That said, she did hint that she might share her thoughts on divorce publicly in the near future: "I'm not speaking on it — yet."
Perhaps Bunnie Has Too?
Also on Tuesday, the podcaster posted a video on Instagram of her lip-syncing along to Nickelback's How You Remind Me, specifically the part where the lyrics are: "It's not like you didn't know that I said, 'I love you,' and I swear, I still do / And it must have been so bad / 'Cause living with me must have damn near killed you."
