Hope Bonarcher reflects on the reported divorce of country star Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunny XO, exploring what their journey reveals about brokenness, redemption and the realities of following Jesus. Rather than focusing on celebrity gossip, she argues that their story is a reminder that no marriage is immune to struggle, and that our hope must ultimately rest in Christ, not happy endings.
If one thing had fans rooting for the success of country music power couple Jelly Roll and Bunny XO’s marriage, it was authenticity. With their tattoos, alternative attire, and unfiltered turns of phrase, the duo put forth an image unlike your average person, let alone Christian. But while most of us don’t sport facial tattoos, inked arm sleeves, or 6-inch nails, Jelly Roll and Bunny XO’s outward-facing edginess resonates with a brokenness many mask inwardly. This affinity is what has endeared the couple to fans as Jelly Roll’s meteoric success has crossed over into Christian music.
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We like to think of church as a place for the cleaned-up and put-together, but in truth, when the outwardly religious saw Jesus fraternising with sinners and tax collectors, people they literally deemed scum, the Son of God replied, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, sick people do. I have come to call not those who are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:15–17).
Similarly, when Jelly Roll, an artist who recorded songs alongside the likes of country music black sheep Machine Gun Kelly and Post Malone, teamed up with worship music giant Brandon Lake, known for his prolific collaborations with Bethel Music and Elevation Worship, to record the smash 2025 single “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” both the country and Christian music worlds took notice. Christian audiences welcomed the unlikely praises of the singer sporting an extra 300 lbs and grills, understanding a healthy dose of changed life comes alongside knowing Jesus.
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Not only did the masses open their arms to receive Jelly Roll, a man whose life before music included multiple incarcerations for drug-related offences and robbery, they welcomed his wife, Bunny XO, host of one of the top comedy podcasts on Apple and Spotify, Dumb Blonde, and a confessed former OnlyFans model and escort. Bunny describes herself as “your favorite female shock jock. The degenerate love child of Dolly Parton and Dr. Ruth.”
In her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, she reveals all manner of horrors from her past, looking deeper into the traumatic circumstances that can lead to lives of brokenness for all of us.
In her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, she reveals all manner of horrors from her past, looking deeper into the traumatic circumstances that can lead to lives of brokenness for all of us. Heart-rending experiences of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, abortion, and graphic drug use are all discussed, while on her podcast she doesn’t shy away from admitting her past involvement in witchcraft, which she now claims to be very wary of.
Bunny and Jelly Roll have been honest about their struggles through infidelity, infertility, and substance abuse, the singer still manages other substance addictions with marijuana. They have children they raise from Jelly Roll’s previous relationships, not to mention his recent drastic weight-loss transformation. They have the world on their shoulders and know the Saviour who is their burden bearer, but this alone doesn’t guarantee marital success.
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What must it be like to enter into an already unorthodox marriage: two flawed, trauma-informed people who, on top of all this, embrace following Jesus in front of the world? Born Alisa Carter and Jason Bradley DeFord, beneath the makeup, box dye, sexy clothing, tattoos, and piercings, Bunny XO and Jelly Roll are two fragile humans made in God’s image and, by faith, covered in the blood of Jesus.
Each grew up not dissimilar to many, going to church while at the same time experiencing shattered childhoods that led to the darkest places and, ultimately, to the saving grace of Jesus. Their newest battle, divorce, may endear them even more to their millions of followers, familiar with seeking and brokenness. Pray for Jelly Roll and Bunny XO to finish the race of faith well through every storm and trial, keeping their eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Career success doesn’t save us, perfect marriages don’t save us, vulnerable authenticity doesn’t save us—only faith in Jesus saves. When everything else is shifting sand, on Christ the solid Rock, not shiny, happy marriage testimonies, we will stand.
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