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Bunnie Xo said “the coolest part” about Jelly Roll’s recent transformations is seeing his newfound confidence.
The Dumb Blonde podcast host recently spoke about her husband’s weight loss journey and new beardless look in an interview with Extra TV. Bunnie Xo, who is gearing up for her book release and tour, said in a clip shared on Instagram on Wednesday (January 7): “My husband just shaved his face for the first time in 20 years. In 20 years, he hasn’t been able to see his face. And I think the coolest part of my husband shaving his face was getting to see him look in the mirror at himself and watching my husband fall in love with himself. Because, you know, battling weight and being called names every day, and you know, just living with that burden of the weight on him every day, that takes a toll on somebody’s self esteem. He’s getting comments like, ‘you look so hot,’ or ‘you look so healthy,’ or ‘I’m so proud of you.’ That just lifts his spirits so much. So, being able to see him look in that mirror and be like, ‘yeah, I’m hot,’ it was cool. It was really cool to see. I’m proud of him.”
Jelly Roll revealed his clean-shaven look in November, when he shared a heartfelt reaction to his 2026 Grammy nominations. Jelly Roll is up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Amen” with Shaboozey, Best Contemporary Country Music Album for Beautifully Broken, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah” with Brandon Lake. Jelly Roll said at the time that he felt “honored” and “extremely grateful.”
The soon-to-be Grand Ole Opry inductee’s beardless reveal arrived amid his health and fitness journey. Jelly Roll appears on the cover of Men’s Health’s winter 2026 issue, which published in January, detailing his nearly 275-pound weight loss. The cover was a significant milestone for Jelly Roll, who said on an episode of Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast in December 2024 that he wanted to “be on the cover of Men’s Health by March of 2026.”
Jelly Roll is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.
Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.