Not easy when you’re that big. Of course everybody knows the incredible physical transformation Jelly Roll has made over the past couple years. At his highest, the country singer (whose real name is Jason DeFord) weighed around 550 pounds, but he knew he had to make a change. Jelly Roll recently admitted that it got to the point that he was “disgusted” with himself and struggling to do daily tasks: “A little bit over a year ago, I was, I literally struggled to walk down my hill to the mailbox. I mean, it was really bad. And I had let myself get to a point of just being absolutely disgusted with myself.” He even had trouble wiping after using the bathroom: “I would have to put my arm on the wall and turn a little bit, making sure the wall would keep it that way… You have no clue what a 550 lb man has to do to wipe.” And his personal health consultant, Gary Brecka, says that Jelly Roll got to the point that he was afraid he would die in his sleep: “He would say, ‘I have to sleep on my side and wedge myself in with pillows, because if I roll on my back at night, I’ll suffocate. I’ll vomit.’ He was like, ‘I never turn the radio down in the car, because when I pull up to a spotlight, I can hear myself wheezing. So I’ll just turn the radio up to bury the sound of my own breath wheezing. Every morning that he would wake up… he would thank God that he didn’t die that night, because he felt like he was gonna die every night he went to sleep.” Well long story short, two years later Jelly Roll is down 250 lbs and looks like a whole new person. He recently even joked about the hit that his bank account was going to take now that he’s finally about to fit into Louis Vuitton: View this post on Instagram Incredible. Well Jelly recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he discussed his weight loss and some of the other unfortunate effects of being as heavy as he was – including how it affected his performance in the bedroom. “My sex life with my wife was horrible. Dude, I married a f—ing big t–ty blonde, beautiful woman, you know what I mean? I married the kind of woman that makes you smile when you cry. And I couldn’t even get aroused because I was so big. I was having to play Twister to have sex. ‘Left foot here, right foot in the X, are we in there yet? Tell me if you feel something.'” There’s no doubt that Jelly Roll’s wife, Bunnie Xo, is enjoying his transformation as much as anyone. In fact she recently praised him for his progress while joking about people who think Jelly is a “clone” because he looks like a completely different person: @xomgitsbunnie Btw it took him TWO years to lose this weight, not two weeks #jellyandbunnie ♬ original sound – OutofContextFamilyGuy It’s great to see somebody put in the work to make such a positive change for themselves and their family, and to see it pay off the way it has for Jelly Roll is nothing short of amazing. And I’m sure it’s helped in the bedroom too… The post Jelly Roll Gets Brutally Honest About How His Weight Was Affecting Him In The Bedroom: “Having To Play Twister To Have Sex” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was swarmed by leftists shouting slurs at her today as she left her House hearing. They were shouting things like “you are the modern SS & Gestapo.” Watch: . . .

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding a White House press briefing today at 1PM eastern (it’s always late), on the day after the US seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. You . . .

Democrats won campaigns in November by focusing on the economy and cost of living. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump traveled to Pennsylvania to sell his administration’s actions on affordability.

It's been a long, slow climb, but women's sports are finally getting the respect they deserve, thanks in no small part to superstar athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles. And as more and more young girls see themselves competing at the highest levels, the more women's sports will continue to thrive. But there are still some hurdles to overcome. Girls in sports have long been subjected to double standards that men don't have to think about, like being seen as too "pretty" to be taken seriously as athletes, as well as being constantly criticized and underestimated. (All the while, being too muscular or "manly" opens up athletes to a whole different kind of scrutiny.) Serious Simone Biles GIF by Team USA Giphy For too long, girls have been sent the message that they have to be either/or. You're either a girly-girl or a tomboy. You're either into sparkly princesses or sports practices. From a young age, girls need to know that they don't have to choose between feeling beautiful and being badass, that we can be both at the same time.Perhaps that's why a portrait shoot shared by HMP Couture Imagery showing girls dressed up in fancy dresses and sports equipment went insanely viral.The shoot is called "Because you can do it all," and since its posting in 2019, it has been shared over 200,000 times.Heather Mitchell, the photographer from Alabama who ran HMP Couture Imagery, told Upworthy how the portrait shoot came about."My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time," said Mitchell. "We were at practice a few weeks ago and I was talking with the other moms. I was saying that I hoped Paislee learned to love the game because she was athletic. One of the moms told me that she was not athletic, that she was a girly-girl." Baller in a ballgownHMP Couture Imagery/Facebook "I couldn't sleep that night," Mitchell continued. "All I could think was, 'Why does she have to choose?' I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game. So the next day we went to the studio and created her shot."Mitchell said she only spent about three minutes shooting because she knew exactly what she wanted to create. After she posted the photos of Paislee to her personal Facebook page, she got a ton of requests from other parents for the same kind of shoot. After adding two days to the schedule, they sold out in an hour, and the requests just kept on coming.The sparkly-sporty shoots became one of Mitchell's most popular bookings.Mitchell hoped that girls would see these photos and realize that they don't have to choose one identity.The idea that crinoline and cleats can't exist in the same mental space is silly, but common. Girls (and boys for that matter) can love pretty things and kick butt at sports. They don't have to be one thing or the other. You really can do it all. HMP Couture Imagery/Facebook "My parents taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up," Mitchell told Upworthy. "I didn't realize till I was much older that everyone is not that blessed."The photos going viral was not only good for Mitchell's photography business but it helped spread the message far and wide. These images are an excellent reminder to question our assumptions and not place unnecessary limits on anyone—and an empowering example for girls who don't fit neatly into a socially constructed box. After all, even someone like Caitlin Clark likes to wear a fancy dress every now and then. And her athleticism and impact on the sport is not up for debate because of it."I hope that every little girl that sees this series can see that there is no box," said Mitchell. "Whatever their dreams are they can achieve."Mitchell retired from her photography business in 2023 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, her husband announced her passing in 2024 in a tribute, writing, "To know her was to love her. What you saw, was what you got 24/7. What I loved most was that if you knew her, you were constantly inspired and challenged every day in every way to become a better person than you were the day before. She believed in kindness, forgiveness, honesty and valor. That is the ultimate legacy and impact she left on everybody she touched."Thank you, Heather Mitchell, for helping girls feel freer to be their sparkly, sporty selves as part of that legacy. This article originally appeared six years ago. It had been updated.

One of the major differences between women and men is that women are far more likely to be judged on their appearance rather than their character or abilities. "Men as well as women tend to establish the worth of individual women primarily by the way their body looks, research shows," Naomi Ellemers, Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today. "We do not do this when we evaluate men."Ellemers believes that this tendency to judge a woman solely on her looks causes them to be seen as an object rather than a person. "As a result of focusing on their outwardly visible features, we are tempted to overlook their inner states, ignore markers of their intentions, beliefs, and desires, and less likely to empathize with their plight," Ellemers continued.Women in the spotlight are constantly judged more for their appearance than for their performance in their field. Tennis star Serena Williams once won the French Open, yet much of the press focused more on what she wore on the court than on her victory. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been repeatedly criticized throughout her political career for her clothing and hairstyles rather than her accomplishments.Maggie Vespa, a news anchor at KGW-TV in 2019, was criticized by a male viewer for how she dressed, and she brilliantly turned the incident into an opportunity to highlight the double standards women face. — (@) "Just wanted to let you know that the clothes you've been wearing, especially those crazy pants that ride half way up your torso, are not cool looking, in any way!," Jeffrey, a male viewer, wrote to Vespa on Facebook. "You're way too pretty to look so foolish."The next day, he sent her another message: "OMG, you really looked uncomfortably tonight. Try dressing like a normal woman. Doesn't KGW pay you enough for a wardrobe makeover?"Vespa posted about the emails on social media and received hundreds of responses, so she carved out a few minutes on the newscast to address the situation. - YouTube www.youtube.com "Let's just get this out of the way at the top, okay? This is dumb. We know that," Vespa responded. "These are my pants. I like them. I bought them." Vespa said the harassment "hit a nerve" with people on social media who used it as an opportunity to discuss "the pressure women obviously face, especially those in the public eye to embody the epitome of physical attractiveness at all times." "If we don't, it's somehow seen as a sign that we're less credible or less capable and, by and large, guys don't have to deal with this," she continued. "As my awesome male coworkers can and have attested to."Vespa then showed photos of five different pairs of high-waisted pants she wore in the week following Jeffrey's messages. Her colleagues joined in as well, donning their own high-waisted pants to show their support.Maggie Vespa in 2019.via KGW-TV / YouTubeVespa then brilliantly transformed the harassment into an empowering message."Our goal here is to send a message, to women, to girls, to everyone: Dress how you want, look how you want, and if anyone tries to make you feel less than because of that, that's their problem, not yours," she said. "There's no one way for a normal woman to look or be."This article originally appeared six years ago.

There are lots of different kinds of service and companion dogs. Some are "seeing-eye" dogs that assist people with visual impairments. People with mobility issues, hearing loss, or who are at risk of seizures might benefit from a service dog to help them and keep them safe. People with autism, PTSD, anxiety, or depression can also benefit from a highly trained canine companion.Regardless of the task, certified service animals must undergo an extremely rigorous training process. Their job is not an easy one, and they need to prove they're capable and not prone to being distracted. No one knows this better than the folks at Double H Canine Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, a training facility for pups.The team at Double H also recognizes that not every dog is suited for a life of service. In a hilarious viral video posted to YouTube, it's abundantly clear that not all dogs are meant to follow orders.Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ryker. He's a Belgian Malinois who was a student at Double H, trying to earn his service dog bona fides (bone-a-fides?). Unfortunately, Ryker flunked out in such spectacular fashion that the team couldn't help but put together a little "highlight" package of his best moments.Ryker really tries his best, but the poor guy just can't help himself. He doesn't want to work; he wants to play. Ryker steals a tennis ball from the bottom of a walker, drags around an entire wheelchair by its handle, and pulls his trainer over trying to go after a fetch ball. There is no piece of equipment that he doesn't want to chew or climb on. There is no leash that can contain him. There is literally not a single distraction that he will not fall for. Perhaps his most extreme fail happens when Ryker tries to open a refrigerator door, and instead ends up dragging the entire thing halfway across the room.Definitely not service dog behavior. Watch his contagious, fun-loving spirit in the video here: - YouTube www.youtube.com The video racked up over 2 million views, and commenters agreed: Ryker may not have passed, but he was definitely a certified Very Good Boy.'Why bring one thing from the fridge when you can bring the whole damn thing""Frankly, I don't understand why he didn't pass. I mean he folded the wheelchair up. He removed the walker from the person after they clearly were done with it. He washed the floor. He moved the fridge. What more could you ask of him?""My family and I adopted a service academy 'drop-out' ten years ago. He's still with us and is the most AMAZING dog I'll ever have.""Being a service dog was not his purpose in life... still a good boy, his purpose was to give us laughs.""On the plus side, if you lose a tennis ball Ryker is your dog!"In Ryker's defense, only about 40-50 percent of dogs enrolled in service dog programs ultimately graduate on average, making his dropout pretty normal. But while he may never be the world's greatest service dog, he continues to provide an invaluable testament to being true to oneself. - YouTube www.youtube.com The list of skills that service dogs can have is astounding. Not all dogs will acquire all of these skills, but some of the basics are:Carrying things for their ownerGuiding their owner safelyWaking their ownerWaking their handler and/or helping them upInterrupting dissociating or freezingFind their owner if lostAlerting bystanders, calling for help, or even using a dog-friendly phone to contact emergency services!And so many more A Belgian MalinoisPhoto credit: CanvaThe fact that Ryker has had any training at all makes him exceptionally well-suited to civilian life. As a family house-dog, Ryker won't need any of the skills above, but his abundance of love and playfulness will serve him incredibly well with his forever family. And his viral bloopers continue to remind us that sometimes, the most meaningful gifts a dog can offer are laughter, presence, and unconditional love. In that sense, Ryker found exactly the life he was meant to live.This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.