Jelly Roll says he's down more than 180 pounds amid weight loss journey with huge goal
The heavily tattooed country star appeared on stage Wednesday at Pat McAfee's Big Night Aht live show in Pittsburgh, where he shared about his weight loss journey.
McAfee spotlighted the 40-year-old rapper's physique at the PPG Paints Arena, saying "it looks like you lost a person. Congratulations." Jelly Roll proceeded to groove and flex on stage, smiling as the crowd applauded.
"I started at 540 pounds I'm 357 pounds this morning, baby," Jelly Roll said. "I'm going to lose another 100 pounds and go skydiving with my wife in Sweden, baby."
"Well we are all proud of you," McAfee said. "We need you to survive, brother. You're one of the good ones."
Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, is a Nashville-based music star who mishmashes rap and country music.
Last year he nabbed a Grammy nomination under the best new artist category, a new artist of the year nod at the Country Music Association Awards and three CMT Music Awards for his hit 2021 track "Son of a Sinner."
His music career began in 2011 and has overcome personal challenges before he reached mainstream success, including serving prison time.
Jelly Roll is married to model and entrepreneur Alyssa DeFord, known as Bunnie XO and host of the 'Dumb Blonde' podcast.
The couple met in 2015 when she saw Jelly Roll perform at the Country Saloon in Las Vegas. They married at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas the following year.
In a 2023 Billboard interview, Jelly Roll called his wife "a beacon of change in my life." Last year the couple renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.
In the description of her podcast, she refers to herself as 'the degenerate love child of Dolly Parton & Dr. Ruth,' while her Instagram page (@xomgitsbunnie) calls her 'the Trailerpark Barbara Walters.'
According to Davidson County Criminal Court records in Tennessee, Jelly Roll's first arrest as an adult happened in 2002 when he was 18. Prosecutors formally charged him with two counts of aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and seven years of probation.
After Jelly Roll was released early from the Tennessee Department of Corrections, he was arrested again in 2008 for violating the drug-free school zone act. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of possession with intent to sell cocaine that same year and was sentenced to eight years in prison and another eight years of probation. Prison records show his probation ended on Dec. 16, 2016.
In November 2022, Jelly Roll donated about $250,000 to finance the construction of a recording studio within the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center in Nashville, where he spent time as early as age 14.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jelly Roll says he's down 183 pounds amid ongoing weight loss journey
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