'Save Me' singer shuts down concerns his 100-pound weight loss would destroy his music career
Jelly Roll sets his sights on a half-marathon after running his first 5K
The country star, 39, told Fox News Digital hes in an "18-month process" of training for the 13.1-mile race.
Jelly Roll is saying goodbye to stress.
The country star made the decision to take a technology break, sealing the deal by throwing his phone into the river.
"This isn't maybe not the healthy way to do it, but I can confidently tell people I'm not going to have a phone all of [2025]," Jelly Roll said on his wife Bunnie Xo’s podcast "Dumb Blonde."
JELLY ROLL SHUTS DOWN CONCERNS HIS WEIGHT LOSS WOULD DESTROY CAREER
Country music star Jelly Roll admitted he felt "overwhelmed" and stressed as he tossed his phone into the river. (Bunnie XO/TikTok)
Jelly Roll made these comments after he asked his driver to take him to the Cumberland River.
"I was getting to a point that I was getting hundreds and hundreds of text messages a day. And I just was overwhelmed," he explained. "And then when I would finally sit down to go back through them, I would just feel like such a bad human for missing them… I was carrying a lot of guilt. This phone was causing me a lot of guilt."
"This isn't maybe not the healthy way to do it, but I can confidently tell people I'm not going to have a phone all of [2025]."
— Jelly Roll
The "Son of a Sinner" singer previously mentioned during interviews that if his "Beautifully Broken Tour" goes well, he vowed to toss his mobile device off the Shelby Street Bridge.
Jelly Roll explained that his phone caused him "a lot of guilt." (Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Jelly Roll)
During the podcast, Jelly Roll’s wife said this was not the first time the musician got rid of his phone. She added that people would reach out to her to try to get in contact with Jelly Roll.
JELLY ROLL LOST OVER 100 POUNDS WHILE FIGHTING FOOD ADDICTION BATTLE
"I've had the same number for almost a decade. My husband has had about 17," she said.
Jelly Roll explained, "I would be missing text messages and know there were so many over there that it was too stressful to go check. So, I would avoid that by mindless scrolling or… I had these news alerts on my phone, and then we become big news stories all the time," he added. "I started getting caught up in that."
During the podcast, Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie Xo said this is not the first time the musician got rid of his phone. (Getty Images)
Jelly Roll’s plan was to use a flip phone in 2025, as he believed, "It's healthy for me. I would use my phone as a way to [dissociate] as well."
The Nashville, Tennessee, native shared that the phone does not help him become the person he wants to be.
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"I wanna be a better husband. I wanna be a better father. I wanna be a better human. I wanna be a better artist."
On Nov. 27, Bunnie shared a video as he FaceTimed her before chucking his phone over the bridge.
"You know how I throw my phone out all the time… mama, I love you, baby, I love you," he said on the phone.
"I'm a little tipsy. I look forward to spending my next couple months with just y'all, with no outside interference… freedom baby."
During the podcast, Jelly Roll, who was born Jason Bradley DeFord, additionally said he would not allow his weight to dictate the amount of success he has in the future.
"I did this publicly for a reason," he told his wife. "I want to be honest about my struggles with it with people. I wore it for so long."
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On his horizon, Jelly Roll had set a new goal for himself: being a cover model. (Getty Images)
"I think that people that become as big as I became, when they lose the weight, they're kind of ashamed," explained the "Save Me" singer, who has lost 100 pounds.
"They're so ashamed that they go and hide and lose the weight, and then they come back out… they don't really know how to interact with the world, looking different or feeling different, you know? And they kind of got to find their whole new way."
On his horizon, Jelly Roll had set a new goal for himself: being a cover model. "I wanna be on the cover of ‘Men’s Health' by March of 2026," he told his wife, who shared in his excitement. "That's my new goal. So I wanna have one of the biggest transformations."
Fox News Digital's Caroline Thayer contributed to this report.
Stephanie Giang-Paunon is an Entertainment Writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
