Jelly Roll Breaks Silence On Digesting His Wife’s Memoir

For Jelly Roll, the truth is not an easy pill to swallow.

The country singer shared some insights he got from reading his wife’s new piping hot memoir and how her brave stories reminded him of their journey together, which has not been a completely smooth ride.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO got hitched in 2016, after a year of dating, and have worked their way through several storms so far, including an infidelity episode two years into their marriage.

The 41-year-old caught up with PEOPLE on Tuesday, February 17, where he admitted that it was quite a rollercoaster to go through the pages of “Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,” hismemoir.

Jelly Roll stated that the stories in the book reminded him of such a pivotal period in their lives as a married duo. In the country singer’s words:

“It was rough at times just for me to read it. You know what I mean? We went through a lot of pain and had to go through it together, but reading the whole book and seeing where it ended at is really touching.”

The singer then showered his partner with tons of praise for making vulnerability so intriguing to read. He stated that Bunnie XO has carved a niche for herself when it comes to talking about everything so fearlessly, be it domestic assault, sexual assault, and other sensitive topics. 

The memoir captured Bunnie XO’s grass-to-grace stories while reflecting on the heartbreaks, healing, triumphs, and trauma in her life’s journey. On the book’s cover, the singer’s wife stayed right on theme by appearing topless while a pair of light-washed denim stayed on her lower part, letting her tattoos take center stage.

The media personality justified her reason for taking such a deep plunge into her story, stating that she is an open book and that telling all her business came as a second nature this time around.

She added that it was very seamless for her to pour her heart into the chapters and write about her life, her perspective, and the grit that continues to carry her through life.

Bunnie XO tagged her memoir as existing in her truest, rawest form with no desire to coat the truth from her readers, further helping them to see how she lives her life “raw, unfiltered and in my naked truth.”

As shared by PEOPLE, the author addressed an important part of her marriage to the Grammy winner, which took form when she discovered that he was having an affair two years after they got married.

Bunnie XO confessed that they often invited other women into bed with them, and it did not pose a problem in the marriage, as she felt it was the best way to prevent cheating on Jelly Roll’s part.

She clarified that they had both shunned the idea of monogamy before they got married, and while they are not in an open marriage, they would not turn away a willing third wheeler in the bedroom.

Bunnie XO continued that her husband also gave her the freedom to sleep with other men, and so she initially took it as proof that Jelly Roll never loved her.

“We both live by the motto that we aren’t each other’s possessions and consider our relationship to be free, not open,” Bunnie XO explained, noting that it meant openness in the sexual conduct with each other, too.

In the memoir, The Blast shared that Bunnie XO revealed that she began growing suspicions about Jelly cheating two years into their marriage, although he would always deny it.

The podcaster added that Jelly even moved out of their Nashville home after an argument and also became very upset when she showed up at one of their concerts uninvited.

It was upon her arrival that she discovered he had a former fling waiting for him in a hotel down the street. A close family friend also confirmed the situation to be true, leading Bunnie XO into a dangerous spiral where she considered ending it all.

She revealed that, from grabbing a bottle of pills in a bid to end it all before having a rethink about the situation, discovering Jelly’s infidelity hurt her in ways she did not expect. The author ultimately moved out of their home to Las Vegas until Jelly decided to make a move toward reconciliation.

When the singer stepped on the Grammy stage to proclaim his faith and belief, he sparked a discourse on social media, analyzing just how much of a Christian he has proven to be in the past. Jelly’s old video, where he lashed out at a teen and threatened to beat him for not attending to him instantly, made its way back online.

The singer appeared very displeased in the 2022 video where he noted that he had taken his aged mom to a shoe store and a young store attendant refused to help the 71-year-old out, even after the store manager’s instruction.

He recalled watching the interaction with rage building up inside him at the attendant’s lack of consideration for his mother despite the manager’s efforts. Jelly continued that he, however, did not let it slide, and he addressed the young man immediately after he led the mother out of the store.

He noted that he was mad at the staff in the establishment alongside the manager, who tried to de-escalate the situation, because he felt that if they had properly trained their staff on etiquette, they would not be so rude to his mother.