Share and Follow
Alyssa ‘Bunnie Xo’ DeFord, recognized widely for her role as the wife of musician Jelly Roll and as the host of the popular podcast Dumb Blonde, has a compelling story of overcoming a tumultuous past.
Born 46 years ago in Las Vegas, Bunnie Xo’s early life was marred by severe child abuse at the hands of her stepmother’s family, prompting her to flee her home by the age of 14.
In a recent interview with People, Bunnie Xo reflected, “No child should have to grow up surrounded by violence. It changes who they become.”
Despite the negativity she faced, Bunnie Xo shared, “I’ve always had this strange optimism. I knew deep down everything would work out, even when others doubted me and hoped for my failure. I thought, ‘Just wait, my moment will arrive.'”
Describing herself as the “Trailerpark Barbie Walters,” Bunnie Xo’s past involved struggles with prostitution, drug addiction, and the harsh realities of life, including an abortion at 16, sexual assault, homelessness, and a series of seven arrests spanning from 1999 to 2006.
‘The last one was when I was 26, arrested for soliciting an undercover cop on a casino floor,’ Bunnie Xo – who boasts 18.08 million social media followers – confessed on Instagram November 4.
Alyssa ‘Bunnie Xo’ DeFord is best known for her marriage to third husband Jelly Roll and for hosting her hit podcast Dumb Blonde, but first she had to escape a violent and checkered past (pictured February 1)
The 46-year-old Las Vegas native grew up in a trailer park where she suffered child abuse so bad from her stepmother’s family she left home by 14: ‘I don’t think any child deserves to grow up around violence. It shapes them into a different human’
‘I can still see the drugs in my skin, the bloodshot eyes, the hollow look that comes when you’ve stopped caring if you wake up tomorrow. I was deep in addiction, lost in survival mode. Add in a splash of perpetual victim mentality and it was a recipe for disaster.’
The former escort – who would rob her customers – continued: ‘But, I got sick. Sick of humiliating myself, sick of always having to start over and sick of who I was as a human. I had to stop pointing fingers and realize, two things can be true: I was the problem & the solution.’
However, Bunnie Xo continued to work as a high-end escort until 2020 and she was on OnlyFans until 2023 – despite being in two abusive marriages and meeting Jelly Roll in 2015 before marrying him in 2016.
‘I really was just searching for the love of my father in so many men, and then it became a career. I thought I was taking my power back from the abuse that I’d been through, but really I was just in survival mode,’ the heavily-tattooed blonde told People.
‘I took situations from my childhood and let them sour me as I got older, and I want to take full responsibility for my actions. It’s important that if you’re going to give somebody your testimony, you give them the good, the bad and the ugly.’
Meanwhile, the 41-year-old ex-drug dealer has been jailed 40 times starting age 13 for marijuana possession followed by more offenses including violating probation, failing drug tests and possessing crack with the intent to resell.
Jelly Roll (born Jason Bradley DeFord) vowed to turn his life around after the birth of his 17-year-old daughter Bailee Ann DeFord, and he’s also father to nine-year-old son Noah Buddy DeFord.
‘It doesn’t matter what you’ve been through. It doesn’t matter where you come from. Believe in yourself, and know that you can change your life at any time and at any age,’ Bunnie Xo said.
The self-described Trailerpark Barbie Walters’ life of prostitution and drug addiction eventually led to an abortion at 16, sexual assault, homelessness and seven arrests between 1999 (pictured) and 2006
Bunnie Xo confessed on Instagram November 4: ‘The last one was when I was 26, arrested for soliciting an undercover cop on a casino floor. I can still see the drugs in my skin, the bloodshot eyes, the hollow look that comes when you’ve stopped caring if you wake up tomorrow’
The former escort – who would rob her customers – continued: ‘But, I got sick. Sick of humiliating myself, sick of always having to start over and sick of who I was as a human. I had to stop pointing fingers and realize, two things can be true: I was the problem & the solution’ (pictured Tuesday)
However, Bunnie Xo continued to work as a high-end escort until 2020 and she was on OnlyFans until 2023 – despite being in two abusive marriages and meeting Jelly Roll in 2015 before marrying him in 2016
The heavily-tattooed blonde said: ‘I really was just searching for the love of my father in so many men, and then it became a career. I thought I was taking my power back from the abuse that I’d been through, but really I was just in survival mode’
The 41-year-old ex-drug dealer has been jailed 40 times starting age 13 for marijuana possession followed by more offenses including violating probation, failing drug tests and possessing crack with the intent to resell
Jelly Roll vowed to turn his life around after the birth of his 17-year-old daughter Bailee Ann DeFord, and he’s also father to nine-year-old son Noah Buddy DeFord (pictured last Friday)
Dey Street Books will publish Bunnie Xo’s 304-page memoir Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic next Tuesday, and she already ‘has 40,000 presales’ (pictured November 4)
‘I’m so thankful, and I’m just at a place of peace.’
Dey Street Books will publish her 304-page memoir Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic next Tuesday, and she already ‘has 40,000 presales.’
The Dumb Blonde Productions founder is scheduled to kick off her four-date Stripped Down book tour next Monday at 92NY in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which is already sold out.
The three-time Grammy winner is next scheduled to headline Mexican music festival La Cura Fest in Hermosillo on March 14 before kicking off The Big A** Stadium Tour with co-headliner Post Malone on April 10 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.