Becoming the father he always dreamed of being. Jelly Roll has always been an incredible parent; there is no denying that. He and his wife, Bunnie Xo, stepped up to be there for his daughter, Bailee Ann, ensuring that she was raised in a stable home. Jelly has spoken at length about how learning of his daughter’s birth while he was in jail was the real reason behind his getting his act together and walking a straight and narrow line after years of being a criminal. Jelly Roll has also opened up about how he’s made sure that he and Bunnie are able to be there for Bailee Ann because her mother has chosen not to act as a mother, as she’s continually struggled with addiction. Jelly Roll shared on The Pivot Podcast last year that he is constantly heartbroken seeing how Bailee Ann’s mother’s actions hurt her. “You know, my child’s mother has struggled with drug addiction, since my daughter’s been born, pretty much. I’ve seen the effect that it had on her. Like I’ve got a 16-year-old, almost 17-year-old upstairs, that it’s truly affected her life.” View this post on Instagram Jelly Roll has always made sure that his Bailee Ann has emotional support whenever she sees that her mother has returned to jail or is struggling with other hardships of being a teenager. He and Bunnie Xo have truly given Bailee Ann a loving, safe, and supportive childhood home. But now Jelly Roll has shared that he feels like an even better father after losing a significant amount of weight. 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.” Flash forward to 2026, and Jelly Roll is now looking nearly unrecognizable. Jelly Roll also reached his goal of being on the cover of Men’s Health in 2026 and is still on track to continue losing weight and improving himself. View this post on Instagram While Jelly Roll began his weight-loss journey for himself, he’s found it has had a positive effect on those around him. Like his youngest child, Noah. Jelly Roll’s son remains out of the public eye for the most part, unlike Bailee Ann, but Jelly Roll shares some tidbits about Noah’s life now and again, including that he’s about to begin coaching his basketball team. During a red carpet interview at the live premiere of the new Star Search on Netflix, he said losing weight has made him a better father. The interviewer asked Jelly Roll how his weight loss has impacted him physically and emotionally, to which Jelly Roll replied: “Every way, and spiritually. I’ve gotten closer to God. I’ve gotten closer to myself, I’m a better father, I’m more present for my children. You should see it, dude, I’m coaching my son’s basketball team this year. It’s like they’re a bunch of little… They’re kids. It’s not like I’m coaching a competitive team or anything here.” The interviewer then asks whether his decision to coach Noah’s basketball team was because he felt physically better. Jelly Roll wholeheartedly agreed with that interjection. “I just feel physically better, and I feel like I can physically (do it). Dude, when you’re 550 pounds, you wonder if they have a seat big enough for you somewhere. You know what I mean? You definitely don’t think about coaching a team: you wonder if there’s a bench big enough for you to sit on. So for God to make that big of a difference, just to have the weight off, literally 300 pounds, I’m a whole different human.” Jelly Roll says he’s now 300 pounds down and feels like a whole different human being. I’m sure that Coach Jelly Roll is getting these kids into great shape and building a team unlike any other. In the fall of 2025, Jelly Roll went viral for giving Noah’s flag football team an incredible pep talk. Bunnie XO, who is Noah’s step-mother, took a video of the pep talk that Jelly gave to the team, which is called the “Tigers,” after they suffered a loss on the field: “Hey listen man, this is part of it, baby. You have good days, and you have bad days, but above everything, you have fun, and you stick together. Y’all remember, y’all are a team, and y’all figure out how to get tighter and be better together, right? That’s all right, though.” Jelly Roll went on to help the young team reframe their defeat. It looked like he held the attention of the kiddos throughout his speech, and the rapper-turned-country-artist praised their effort and abilities while encouraging them to come back better than ever in their next contest: “Well, it was a good day in the sun as far as I’m concerned. The philosophy we have from this day forward: the Tigers don’t lose, the Tigers learn. Is that a deal? Take the time first to pat yourself on the back for what you do, showing up in a hundred-degree heat… and then think about what you can do a little better next time. But most importantly, tell your teammates you love them, and you’re proud of ’em, and you’re going to come back next week and kick somebody’s a**.” @xomgitsbunnie My heart #jellyandbunnie ♬ original sound – Bunnie Xo I bet Noah’s basketball team will get many speeches similar to this one. These kids will learn to win and lose gracefully, be resilient, and understand that their hard work will pay off on the court.The post “I’m Coaching My Son’s Basketball Team” – Jelly Roll Reveals How His Weight Loss Has Made Him A Better Father first appeared on Whiskey Riff.