As well as being a country music star and rapper, Jelly Roll is a family man. The 39-year-old is already a father of two kids, and he has plans of having more with his wife, podcaster Bunnie XO.
This would be the couple's first child together, as his daughter Bailee Ann, son Noah Buddy, are from previous relationships. But the musician, real name Jason Bradley DeFord, has been honest about what the journey to have a third kid means to him.
"My wife and I are talking about having a baby and it really made me realize, at almost 40, I was like, 'That means I've got to live 'til at least 60. I've got to see this kid into college,'" he said on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast as an explanation for his 70lb weight loss.
"My plan was never to be 60. It was to be, like, 55," he continued, "But now I’m like, 'Well, I'd like to see my 60s.' You know what I mean? And that really lit it up."
© Getty Images
As the star gets ready to be a father again, here's all you need to know about his daughter and son.
Bailee Ann, 16
Jelly Roll welcomed his daughter Bailee Ann in May 22, 2008 while he, aged 23, was in prison. He called his daughter's birth a "road to Damascus" moment as he was inspired to change his ways.
The singer and his wife gained full custody of Bailee in 2017, as her mother, Felicia, grappled with drug addiction. Since then, Bailee has opened up about her difficult upbringing as she and her mom work to mend their relationship while she's on her recovery journey.
© Amy Sussman
"I had an extra, interesting, traumatic childhood. Bunnie did, my dad did. They’re important reasons for why my mom is in my life now and is sober," she said on her dad's Hulu documentary, Jelly Roll: Save Me. "As a teenager, I’ve moved on. I’ve worked through my childhood. But that doesn’t make it go away. It made me who I am today."
Bailee has taken after her father and found solace in songwriting, and at the age of 10 she wrote the song "Tears Could Talk", which featured on Jelly Roll's 2010 album A Beautiful Disaster. She has even performed with him onstage.
© TikTok
But Bailee is still just like any other teenager, as her family caught her trying to sneak out not long after her Sweet 16. Bunnie XO shared the funny moment on TikTok, as she was sent home thanks to the high-tech security system and numerous cameras on the property.
Noah Buddy, 7
© Jelly Roll Facebook
Less is known about Jelly Roll's son Noah, who was born on Aug. 23, 2016. "God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord! I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father's sins. I'll post more pics tomorrow", the country singer announced on Facebook.
After announcing the birth in a poignant Facebook post, Jelly Roll has kept his son's life private. But Noah made a rare appearance on his stepmom's TikTok video.
@xomgitsbunnie Replying to @babyknockout45 The sweetest boy #jellyandbunnie
♬ Funny Music - Background Music for Video Edits
"My name is Noah and my favorite color is red," he said in the video, revealing his hobbies were Pokémon and soccer, and he wanted a dog and a cat as pets. Bunnie XO announced afterwards that Noah's mom had approved the video before she posted it.
The family try to respect Noah's privacy, shooting any social media content "around him".
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"With Bailee, I'm the full-time parent, I'm the judge, the jury and the executioner, when it comes to decisions with her," Jelly Roll explained in Taste of Country. "I try not to get in the way of what she [Melisa] is building over there, and I never want to step on her toes, with what she's doing with him, that I want to just respect that boundary.”
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