After years struggling with his weight, Jelly Roll is celebrating the upcoming Grammys a whole new man.
The country star, 41, has dropped a dramatic 300 pounds these last few years and is up for three Grammy awards at this year’s ceremony.
The results of all his hard work were on display at the pre-Grammy Gala at The Beverly Hilton on Saturday evening.
Clad in a smart black suit, the Grammy nominee looked slimmer than ever as he arrived to the bash with his wife Bunnie Xo on his arm.
Jelly – real name Jason Bradley DeFord – once tipped the scales at 540 but dropped hundreds of pounds in recent years after committing himself to his health.
Now down to 265 pounds, Jelly happily showcased the results of all his hard work at the star-studded celebration.
A whole new Jelly Roll hit the red carpet of the pre-Grammy Gala in Beverly Hills on Saturday
His glamorous wife, Bunnie Ox, was by his side
Jelly, pictured 2021, once tipped the scales at 540 pounds
After years struggling with his weight, it was a very different country singer who was posing up a storm on the red carpet.
His glamorous wife Bunnie Xo was on his arm, flashing a proud smile.
She wowed in a curve-clinging metallic dress with a fashionably messy updo.
Jelly is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for Hard Fought Hallelujah, Best Contemporary Country Album for Beautifully Broken, and Best Country Duo/Group for Amen.
His vocals were put on display inside the bash, where he paid a musical tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, performing his track Mama I’m Coming Home, according to Billboard.
He was introduced by his Lonely Road collaborator, Machine Gun Kelly, who also paid tribute to Osbourne by singing Don’t Wanna Stop.
Once weighing over 500 pounds, Jelly’s world revolved around his size.
In an interview with Men’s Health, Jelly said prior to his transformation, he was a ‘prisoner’ to his own body.
‘It was never-ending sadness,’ he said. ‘And anger. I was a prisoner to my own body. Dude, wiping my a** was a problem.
‘Washing myself properly was a problem. Getting in cars. Every decision I made in life had to be based on my weight. If it could hold me, facilitate me, or fit me — people don’t think about every facet of “I still want to be able to do that and I can’t.” I was so inspired by that kind of stuff.’
Jelly really started getting serious about his weight loss back in 2021, a goal he achieved by from the inside out.
The musical artist looked slimmer than ever in a black suit at the star-studded event
He hit the stage with Machine Gun Kelly, his collaborator on the song Lonely Road
The country star enlisted Ways2Well, a chef and sports nutritionist, and even a therapist – who helped him tackle his food addiction – after tipping the scales at an estimated 540, according to Men’s Health.
The scale wasn’t designed to measure weight above 520, meaning the 540 pounds is just an estimate.
‘The needle went past 520, but it didn’t blow it down,’ he explained to Men’s Health. ‘And I would play with it—I would teeter the foot up, like, how low could I get it? I was mad optimistic. So it could have been 560, it could have been 528.’
Now Jelly is reveling in his improved health and slimmed down body.
Jelly’s dramatic transformation earned him the recent cover of Men’s Health magazine
Bunnie Xo wowed in a curve-clinging metallic turtleneck dress and a messy yet fashionable updo
The couple have been married since 2016
Jelly, pictured 2021, weighed 540 pounds at his heaviest
The inspiring weight loss even earned him the Winter 2026 cover of Men’s Health magazine.
His Men’s Health cover marks the realization of a dream he had long wanted to fulfill – not only had Jelly been vocal about wanting to appear on the cover, but he was inspired by the stories featured in the magazine while serving time in jail years prior (he faced troubles with the law for a robbery and drug-related offenses).
During a fitting, Jelly was reminded of just how much bigger he was at the Country Music Awards in 2024.
‘Your waist was a 65. And you’re close to a 42 now,’ his stylist told him.
‘That’s crazy,’ Jelly said. ‘That’s a whole human.’
