Red Flags For Jelly Roll And Bunnie Xo's Relationship

It's hard to know what's really going on in the lives of our favorite celebrities. Some are notoriously private, while others are careful to show the world a strategically constructed P.R. persona. Even when it comes to stars touted for authenticity — like country-music star Jelly Roll and his wife, podcaster and influencer Bunnie Xo — we can only extrapolate from clues and try to read between the lines.

Take the relationship dynamic between Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo. Many fans hail them as #couplegoals, leaving supportive comments on Bunnie Xo's TikTok videos — for instance, "I love seeing y'all together. Y'all are a beautiful couple," or, "Can't love Jelly without Bunnie." However, the road to love can be a bumpy one, and even celebrated relationships may have warning signs buried in their depths. In the case of Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll, it seems like there are several red flags that will need close management to keep the marriage in one piece, from their whirlwind beginning to an infidelity-fueled separation early in their marriage. 

Throwing caution to the wind, Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo sped through the early days of their relationship. After meeting backstage at a Jelly Roll show in 2015, their friendship progressed to something more when Jelly Roll crashed at Bunnie Xo's home during a music video shoot. Barely a year later in 2016, the couple got engaged and married on the same day, exchanging impromptu vows in a Las Vegas chapel.

"We got married kind of randomly. It was a Yelawolf-Deftones concert, and I went on stage and asked her to marry me," Jelly Roll revealed on the "King and the Sting" podcast. "It was Vegas, right? So it's like 11 o'clock ... and I'm like, f*** it, let's just go now ... I think I was doing coke or Xanax or something." 

This impulsivity could be a red flag. A 2016 study in the Journal of Personality Disorders examined the impact of impulsive behavior on marriage. The results were not encouraging, indicating that both husbands and wives in straight relationships experienced setbacks as a result of their impulsivity, including "lower levels of satisfaction" and "higher levels of problems." While these traits may not spell doom for all relationships, it's important for free spirits like Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll to keep a close eye on their tendencies — for better or for worse.

Two years after their quick decision to tie the knot, the marriage between Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo hit a serious speed bump. Their problems — tied to infidelity on Jelly Roll's part — ran so deep that the couple publicly separated. "We got married in 2016. The affair was started with an ex in 2017, and then I think I found out about it in 2018," Bunnie Xo later told the podcast "Wife of the Party." She also chronicled the breakup in tearful YouTube videos as it happened, showing fans each heart-wrenching step of the separation.

Some relationships can come back from cheating, and, sure enough, the couple eventually reconciled. But this breach of trust — and having things reach such a boiling point — should be a red flag that both Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll keep in mind as their relationship continues to evolve.

For now, it seems that things are holding steady. In a March 2024 TikTok video, Bunnie even put a positive spin on the ordeal. "Who knew us breaking up in 2018, me moving back to Vegas, and you coming to get me back would have put us on this wild journey called life," Bunnie Xo wrote. "Our castle in the sand had to crumble so we could rebuild on solid ground." Hopefully, this is an indicator that there will be no more breaks — or cheating — in the future.

Poor communication has been cited as the reason most relationships fail. So it's no wonder that Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo have emphasized the importance of communication in their partnership. In a June 2020 Facebook post, the "Son of a Sinner" singer opened up about the importance of communication in his marriage to Bunnie Xo. "Somebody asked me what's the secret to our marriage the other day ... It's simple. We are comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, we prioritize communication, we have learn[ed] to laugh at the small s***, and, above everything, we don't take anything too seriously."

However, this hasn't always been the case. During their 2018 separation, it became clear that the couple's communication still had a long way to go. Bunnie Xo posted a YouTube video documenting her move back to Las Vegas, quite literally leaving her life with Jelly Roll behind. Recording as she drove, Bunnie revealed deep cracks in their relationship. "We had agreed to have a three-month separation ... then figure out what we're gonna do. Mind you, this man has not sat down with me one time since we decided to separate. I can't have conversations with him, he's blocked me on all social media." 

This take on the silent treatment is a major red flag. To ensure their marriage doesn't hit the rocks again, both Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo must keep putting in the work and avoid backsliding into unhealthy communication patterns.

Adding extra complexity to their life together, both Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo have admitted to substance addiction. "When I first met Bunnie, I drank a lot of codeine. Like, I was in a constant state of almost drooling myself," Jelly Roll revealed on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast in 2023

It was only after their marriage that the duo began changing their substance use. "In 2017, I stopped taking Lortabs, and Xanax, and cocaine ... then drinking was 2018," Bunnie Xo recalled about her sobriety journey. Jelly Roll added that it became a matter of priorities and triage. "I was certain that pills and codeine [were] going to kill me ... She was certain that the cocaine and the pills were gonna kill her. So we got rid of the things we thought were gonna kill us, first."

These first steps were critical, but recovery wasn't quick or easy for either spouse. Jelly Roll remembered Bunnie's struggles, saying, " ... she didn't appreciate alcohol without cocaine ... She got so drunk that she'd puke and get sick." It's remarkable that Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll have come so far since then, but this shared history of addiction is a red flag they'll have to watch for the rest of their lives. According to WebMD, people treated for substance abuse are still prone to a relapse rate of up to 60%. So to protect the well-being of their health and their marriage, Bunnie and Jelly will need to stay strong and take each day as it comes.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

First things first, there are definitely ways to introduce polyamory into your life and relationship without blowing the whole thing to pieces. But think about the difficulty of communication in any partnership, then multiply that exponentially by every other person who gets involved. In short, it takes a lot of work to do it right. That's why venturing into an open relationship, especially if you're a celebrity under constant scrutiny, is a red flag that requires extra attention and care. (To be clear, there's nothing wrong with open relationships — they simply require extra effort.)

It's particularly a factor that Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll should keep in mind, as the couple publicly admits to bringing other partners into their marital bed. "My wife and I openly invite women into our relationship," Jelly Roll told 247HH in 2018. It's worth noting that this is the same year that the couple separated, though it's hard to specifically say how the extra challenges of an open relationship may have contributed to their struggles during that time.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo have continued their open ways post-reconciliation. In a 2020 episode of Bunnie's own "Dumb Blonde" podcast, she said, "We allow each other to be who we want to be. If I want to sleep with another guy, I can go sleep with another guy. Like, that's not a problem." Handled carefully, Bunnie and Jelly may be able to make this balance work. But it will require more than basic communication — it'll take honesty, patience, and compromise to ensure that no one feels jealous, left out, or overshadowed in the relationship.