Country music star Jelly Roll has achieved another significant milestone in his weight loss journey, announcing he’s shed nearly 200 pounds since beginning his health transformation.
The Grammy-nominated artist shared the impressive update during Pat McAfee’s Big Night Aht live show on April 9, revealing specific numbers that showcase his dedication to this lifestyle change.
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“I started at 540 pounds, and I was 357 pounds this morning,” the 40-year-old musician told the audience, who responded with enthusiastic applause as he celebrated with a brief dance. The “Son of a Sinner” performer didn’t stop there, adding an ambitious new goal: “I’m gonna lose another 100 pounds and go skydiving with my wife in Sweden, baby!”
This latest announcement comes approximately five months after Jelly Roll (born Jason Bradley DeFord) previously disclosed having lost 120 pounds, demonstrating his continued progress. The transformation has already enabled him to participate in activities that were once impossible. “I hiked a mountain the other day. Camelback,” he shared with E! News in February, referring to a trip to Arizona. “There is no way that would have been possible beforehand, so it’s great to see that progress and we still are going.”
The musician has been refreshingly transparent about his weight loss journey, which he intentionally chose to undertake in the public eye. During a December 2024 appearance on his wife Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde Podcast, he explained his reasoning: “I think that people who become as big as I became when they lose the weight, they’re kind of ashamed. They’re so ashamed that they go hide and lose the weight, and then they come back out and they don’t really know how to interact with the world.”
Rather than following this pattern, Jelly Roll opted for openness. “What I want the world to know, and I want people to see… is that I didn’t become successful because of my weight,” he explained. “I became successful in spite of it. I somehow managed to be this successful carrying 550 pounds. That’s insane.”
During the same podcast conversation, the musician revealed another ambitious objective: “I wanna be on the cover of Men’s Health by March of 2026. That’s my new goal. I wanna have one of the biggest transformations.”
His wife has been a supportive presence throughout this process. Bunnie, whose real name is Alyssa DeFord, playfully documented some of the physical changes she’s noticed, writing in a March TikTok video that featured her husband in a low-cut jacket: “I’ve been with this man almost a decade, and he just sprouted chest hairs.”
The singer cites connections with fans as a powerful motivating factor that keeps him committed to his health goals. “The things that motivate me and keep me going are the people I have met along the way,” he told E! News, emphasizing the importance of those relationships in maintaining his momentum.
