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American singer, rapper, and songwriter from Antioch, Tennessee, Jelly Roll is easily one of the greatest talents in the entertainment industry. Besides his unparalleled appearance featuring tattoos all over his face and his awe-strucking vocals that had him gaining mainstream prominence by 2022, he is also incredibly famous for his physical transformation journey.
Over the years, the 39-year-old musical juggernaut, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, has brought to the tables some really epic pieces including his 2022 masterpiece singlesSon of a SinnerandNeed a Favor. But harmonious victories weren’t all that he had been achieving and acing so far, since he has gained tremendous fame over his weight loss as well.
For one who was quite literally an obese figure in the entertainment industry who, at one point, weighed even more than 500 pounds, Roll aka DeFord has successfully managed to undergo a more than 100-pound weight loss. And while the journey to pulling off this jaw-dropping feat has unarguably not been easy, hard work and consistency really pulled the singer through.
Of course, there has been considerable hype surrounding the same, especially since Jelly Roll recently promised that he would be pretty muchunrecognizableby next year. That said, here’s all you need to know about DeFord’s unbelievable 120-pound weight transformation and all that he has publicly confessed about his struggles and problems with the same. Without further ado, let’s dig in.
Jelly Roll Made a Commitment and Lived Up to It: His 120-Pound Weight Transformation
During a recent interview withThe Pat McAfee Show, Jason Bradley DeFord came clean about his iconic physical transformation, revealing, “I’m down like 120 (pounds) now. It’s crazy.” This weight loss journey originally started raising eyes in May 2024, when the singer was seen in his svelte new toned-down look at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
This weight loss journey was kickstarted by running. A few weeks prior to his appearance at the CMAs, Jelly Roll ran his first 5K race in recent years — the 2 Bears 5K in Los Angeles. Being out of shape, training for the 5K wasn’t easy either, and Roll found himself “really emotional” because he “couldn’t walk a mile” in January, let alone complete the 3.1 miles he did in May.
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In mid-April, he revealed in an interview withPEOPLEthat, for training for the run, he was “doing 2 to 3 miles a day, four to six days a week. I’m doing 20 to 30 minutes in the sauna, and six minutes in a cold plunge every day. I’m eating healthy right now.” He further added, honestly and proudly, “I’ve been really kicking a–, man. I’m probably down 70-something pounds.”
That said, being able to pull it off had him motivated as well. “So the fact that we got three point whatever it was done today, I feel really, really good about it. I left here feeling really motivated,” the rapper admitted. Training for the race and finishing it off had Jelly Roll losing around ‘50 to 70-something pounds,’ as he shared withEntertainment Tonight.
Talking about the race, he said,
I feel great, man. I’m a little tired. A little bit harder than I thought it was, but it’s awesome, man. […] I think the coolest thing is how many people stopped to tell us that they were motivated by us, other big guys. It was just really cool to see — what an eclectic group of people. There was a man running in a bear suit.
Just these tiny yet commendable feats felt so encouraging to Roll that he continued to share in the interview how it made him want to continue doing it. He said, “I feel really good. I was thinking, I plan on losing another 100, 100-and-something (pounds). If I feel this good down this weight, man, I can only imagine what I’m going to feel like by the time I go on tour.”
Unsurprisingly enough, with his level of grit, determination, consistency, and hard work, the multi-genre entertainer even managed to pull it all off and is celebrating his wins currently on hisBeautifully Brokenworld tour.
Jelly Roll is Currently Rocking His 100+ Pounds Weight Loss
During his interview with Pat McAfee, Jelly Roll went on to share how he, with the help of his nutritionist Ian Larios, has quite literally beenkicking a–on his tour with his lost weight. “I’ve been kicking a– on this tour. I brought out a nutritionist, Ian Larios … And he’s been really helping me. We’ve been shooting basketball. We’ve been walking. We’ve been working,” Roll said.
Thisworkthat they have been doing includes Larios swapping out some of Roll’s favorite dishes for some healthier options while the rapper has been busy “walking the arenas, playing basketball, and boxing.” To be more precise, the nutritionist has been working on having Roll lean into high-protein meals, as he explained in the clip shared onInstagram.
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Adding to this, he also admitted how cool it all was, shedding light on how unhealthy his culture on tour used to be. “It’s so cool, Pat. Because my culture on tour used to revolve around cocaine and alcohol. But now we’re all in our late 30s and 40s so now we’re like shooting old man basketball and having lattes for lunch afterward. Yeah, dude. We’re living, man. It’s cool,” he added.
While that was that, Jelly Roll isn’t done slaying and leaving fans absolutely baffled with his physical appearance just yet. In the Instagram video shared on Jul 28, 2025, to celebrate his losing more than 100 pounds, he said, “You won’t recognize me.” All of this being said, it’s praiseworthy how far Jelly Roll has come from all the weight struggles he has been facing since childhood.
Jelly Roll Struggled with Weight Issues, Obesity, and Addiction
Over the years, Jelly Roll has had a really hard time struggling with obesity and addiction and has been quite vocal about it all as well. For one , in anInstagrampost shared back in 2018, he detailed that not only did he once weigh over 500 pounds – calling the day he realized this“one of the most embarrassing”of his life – but he also tried to lose weight back in 2016.
Back then, he succeeded in shedding 200 pounds, working super hard to achieve his goal. However, things took a turn downhill when he began overeating again in 2018, resulting in him once again gaining around 60 pounds back. Writing about all of these struggles he faced, Roll detailed his heartbreaking feelings in his Instagram post back then:
I’ve been obese since I was a small child. All I’ve ever known was being fat, and I’m f—–g miserable. I wanna sky dive, bungee jump, ride a bull, parasail, ride roller coasters, I want to LIVE a normal life and have a normal relationship with food. I fight addictions and alcoholism everyday.
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At the same time, he once again committed to leading a healthier lifestyle, giving it his all to become the best version of himself. Taking to hisXhandle in early 2023, he shared that he was “doing my part —I’m working out daily… praying and meditating …. Eating better – losing weight. Making sure I bring the best version of me on my new album and this tour… this is what growth and gratitude look like in real-time.”
Since then, Jelly Roll hasn’t once hesitated to leave his fans baffled with his weight loss progress. And, for the record, he isn’t done just yet, as he confidently told Entertainment Tonight: “Next year, half marathon. We’re saying it right now. I’m going to speak for them — we’re gonna do the 2 Bears 5k again, but we’re going to do a half-marathon before.”
Well, y’all better watch out, for the king is on his way to steal the show.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
