Jelly Roll has made remarkable progress in his weight loss journey, shedding over 200 pounds and continuing to maintain a healthier lifestyle. The rapper, who previously served as a mentor on “American Idol” and now serves as a judge on Netflix’s “Star Search,” recently shared the strategies that he’s using to keep the weight off.
Jelly Roll Shares What’s Made the Biggest Difference in His Weight Loss Journey
GettyJelly Roll has been very open about his remarkable weight loss journey and the steps he’s taking to maintain his results. While speaking with E! News on the red carpet at the Netflix premiere of “Star Search” on Jan. 20, the rapper shared an update on how he is continuing to live a healthier lifestyle.
“The biggest change I made was the food,” Jelly Roll began. “Man, I was on the brink of death. I’m not trying to stand on a soapbox, I’m just passionate about it, knowing how upside down our system is with food. And as an addict, it was hard for me to get away from it, so I did a lot of work with food.”
Additionally, the “Wild Ones” hitmaker revealed that his daily non-negotiable for staying in shape is hitting the pavement for a run.
“Running’s been my real healer,” he shared. “[I] wake up and run every day—I mean every day, seven days a week—even if it’s a recovery run, it’s one mile and it’s a 15 minute jog, really slow. I run every day.”
Jelly Roll also didn’t forget to mention the woman who’s been by his side throughout his weight loss journey, his wife, Bunnie XO.
“Bunnie played the [biggest] role to even get me here. Every part of me that gets better is just another attempt to be a better husband and a better father. Losing the weight was the next part of that, but I still gotta find a way to be a better husband and a better father tomorrow. So I gotta keep evolving,” he said.
Jelly Roll Described Being a ‘Prisoner’ to His Own Body
GettyJelly Roll showed off his impressive weight loss on the cover of the January 2026 issue of Men’s Health. While he continues to hit major milestones in his health journey, he opened up to the magazine about the struggles he faced at his heaviest, describing himself as “a prisoner to my own body,” and how his weight also affected his mental health.
“Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me. When I started really looking at the source of why I was eating. What was I eating for?” He shared, adding how it took a toll on his mental health, “It was never-ending sadness. And anger. I was a prisoner to my own body. Dude, wiping my [expletive] was a problem. Washing myself properly was a problem. Getting in cars. Every decision I made in life had to be based on my weight.”
Eventually, with the help of experts that included a medical team, a nutritionist, and podcast host and biologist Gary Brecka, Jelly Roll began getting serious about not just losing weight, but eating right. In fact, he also touched upon how getting healthy tremendously helped in the bedroom, having shared, “I was married to a smoke show, and I was still struggling.”
