Jelly Roll, Bunnie Xo; Photo via Instagram
Bunnie XO and her husband, country music superstar Jelly Roll, have experienced a lot of different life chapters since the night they first met at a country bar in Las Vegas. In this phase of their relationship, she is opening up about the role faith has played in guiding both their lives.
The Dumb Blonde podcast host and newly published author recently joined TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones to discuss the deeply personal storytelling in her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, including many of the highs and lows of their relationship.
As they have navigated life and love, she says faith has become a central part of their story, even though both drifted away before finding their way back to God.
“God has always had his hand on our lives, but we strayed from him for the longest time,” she admitted. “We are baby Christians. He grew up in a Methodist household. I grew up Southern Pentecostal, but I also strayed far from him and dabbled in things that I thought would fill that void. And he went down his own path too.”
The couple is in a very different place now than when they first connected. Back then, Bunnie was working as an escort and Jelly Roll was still a little-known artist. Today, they’ve both made space for Jesus in their hearts and as a result feel called to share their journey of faith and redemption with the world.
“We want to tell the world that we love Jesus and we want to show the world that God is working on us and we’re works in progress. We’re not perfect. We are not role models, but we want you guys to know that if God can work through us, he can work through you.”
That faith was on full display on February 1, 2026, when Jelly Roll won three GRAMMYs at the 68th Annual GRAMMY Awards. He was visibly stunned when Lainey Wilson called his name as the winner of Best Contemporary Country Album for 2024’s Beautifully Broken and his speech that followed proved it.
As soon as he took the stage, the “Liar” singer took a moment to credit his faith and his wife for saving him.
“I know they’re going to try to kick me off here, so just let me try to get this out. First of all, Jesus, I hear you and I’m listening. Lord, I’m listening, Lord. Second of all, I want to thank my beautiful wife [Bunnie XO]. I would’ve never changed my life without you. I’d ended up dead or in jail. I’d have killed myself if it wasn’t for you and Jesus, I thank you for that,” he began.
His emotional speech didn’t stop there. Pulling a Bible from his pocket, Jelly Roll proceeded to reflect on the deeply personal inspiration behind Beautifully Broken and the role his faith has played in his journey.
“There was a time in my life y’all 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, I was a horrible human. There was a moment in my life that all I had was a Bible this big and a radio the same size of a 6×8 foot cell. And I believed that those two things could change my life. I believed that music had the power to change my life, and God had the power to change my life.”
The Tennessee native ended his moving delivery by letting everyone watching that “Jesus is for everybody.”
“Jesus is not owned by one political party. Jesus is not owned by no music label. Jesus is Jesus and anybody can have a relationship with him. I love you, Lord,” he concluded.
When Jenna and Sheinelle asked Bunnie XO about Jelly Roll’s heartfelt acknowledgment of her role in his life, she stated that it’s been a mutual journey of healing and growth.
“We chose to heal together. We choose to grow together. We are ever evolving. You guys have seen probably five different versions of us through this decade that we’ve been together, and we’re going to keep changing and we’re going to keep growing. But the main thing is, is that we are always leveling up and trying to be better humans.”
Bunnie’s love story is just a small portion of the journey she opens up about in the memoir. It promises a completely unfiltered look at her life story, from a troubled upbringing and years spent living and working on the streets to overcoming addiction and trauma, and ultimately finding love and stability.
She recently launched her 2026 book tour in support of Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic. The run kicked off February 16 in New York City and continues this weekend with stops in Nashville on February 22 and Los Angeles on February 25, before wrapping things up in Las Vegas on February 26.
