Lead
Bunnie Xo, 46, says she and husband Jelly Roll, 41 (born Jason Bradley DeFord), have a surrogate and will begin IVF stimulation as they move to expand their family. The couple — married in 2016 and co-parenting Jelly Roll’s children Bailee Ann, 17, and Noah Buddy, 9 — first began their fertility journey on Oct. 31, 2019, she writes in her memoir Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic. In the book and in past interviews, Bunnie describes the emotional weight of IVF and the relief at finding a selfless woman willing to carry for them. They say their intention is to raise children “in love,” and they are hoping to welcome twins.
Key Takeaways
- Bunnie Xo (Alisa DeFord), 46, and Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord), 41, began fertility efforts on Oct. 31, 2019, according to Bunnie’s memoir.
- The couple, married in 2016, share custody of Jelly Roll’s two children: Bailee Ann, 17, and Noah Buddy, 9.
- Bunnie reports they have secured a surrogate and that she will soon start IVF stimulation (medication to produce multiple eggs).
- The couple has expressed a specific hope to have twins, citing advances in IVF and the surrogate’s willingness.
- Bunnie has previously discussed IVF on her Dumb Blonde podcast and frames the decision as part of long-term emotional and financial stability.
- The announcement comes in the context of public conversations about fertility, surrogacy and celebrity family-building choices.
Background
Bunnie Xo and Jelly Roll have been candid about fertility struggles and assisted reproductive technology for several years, mentioning procedures and feelings publicly on social media and in interviews. Bunnie has spoken about IVF on her Dumb Blonde podcast and now expands on that narrative in her memoir, offering a personal timeline and emotional context. The couple married in 2016 and have spent the intervening years healing from past traumas and stabilizing both emotionally and financially, which Bunnie cites as reasons they feel ready now. Jelly Roll already has two children from prior relationships; the pair have emphasized a blended-family approach and have publicly discussed custody arrangements for Bailee Ann and Noah Buddy.
Surrogacy and IVF are common paths for couples with fertility challenges or medical reasons to avoid pregnancy, and high-profile disclosures like this one often shape public conversations about reproductive options. Bunnie’s account ties their decision to both personal history and the technical advances in reproductive medicine. By naming dates and describing steps — such as starting ovarian stimulation — the memoir offers specific checkpoints rather than abstract plans. That level of detail makes this announcement both a personal update and a contribution to a broader cultural dialogue about modern family-building.
Main Event
In Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, Bunnie recounts that the couple’s fertility journey formally began on Oct. 31, 2019, a date she characterizes as fitting given the couple’s self-deprecating sense of humor. She writes that, after years of emotional work together, they have found a woman willing to act as a surrogate and that she will soon begin the IVF stimulation phase. IVF stimulation (or “stims”) uses hormones to encourage multiple egg production, increasing the number of embryos available for creation and transfer.
Bunnie describes the surrogate as “the sweetest woman ever” and uses the word selfless to explain why the match felt right for them. The couple’s plan, as described in the book, is to proceed with egg retrieval and embryo creation, then have embryos carried by the surrogate — with the expressed hope of implanting two embryos to achieve twins. Bunnie frames the decision as restorative: she and Jelly Roll want to give to their future children what they feel they lacked growing up.
The announcement follows public discussion of fertility on platforms where Bunnie has already been open about the emotional highs and lows of treatment. The memoir passage that disclosed the surrogate and the forthcoming stims appears to be the most detailed public accounting they have given to date. By placing the update in a published book, the couple provides a durable record of timing and intent that fans and journalists can reference.
Practically, the next steps for the couple will include ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization in the lab, and embryo transfer to the surrogate. Each of those stages carries medical decisions, timing considerations and legal/contractual arrangements with the surrogate — elements Bunnie indicates they have been preparing for as part of a long-term plan to expand their family.
Analysis & Implications
This announcement intersects with several ongoing trends: rising public openness about assisted reproduction, increasing use of surrogacy by couples and individuals in the public eye, and broader debates about access, cost and ethics. For celebrities, such disclosures can normalize fertility treatments for fans while also highlighting disparities — most patients pay significant sums and navigate complex legal frameworks to access the same services. Bunnie’s mention of improved financial stability underscores how cost and resources factor into timing for many prospective parents.
Clinically, the couple’s plan to pursue IVF stimulation and use a surrogate is a well-established pathway, especially for people who cannot or choose not to carry a pregnancy themselves. Hoping for twins by transferring multiple embryos remains common, though many clinics and professional societies now counsel single-embryo transfer to reduce risks associated with multiple pregnancies. Those medical trade-offs — between the desire for siblings or twins and maternal-fetal health risks — will likely shape their clinician conversations.
At a social level, the story may influence fans and public conversations by placing a positive frame on surrogacy and IVF: Bunnie emphasizes gratitude toward the surrogate and the emotional importance of growing their family. That framing can encourage empathy but also invites scrutiny about privacy, compensation norms for surrogates, and how celebrity narratives differ from the experience of typical patients. The couple’s transparency will probably prompt both supportive reactions and questions about long-term medical and legal logistics.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Marriage | 2016 |
| Fertility journey began | Oct. 31, 2019 |
| Bunnie Xo age | 46 |
| Jelly Roll age | 41 |
| Jelly Roll’s children | Bailee Ann (17), Noah Buddy (9) |
This concise table summarizes the dates and ages disclosed by Bunnie Xo. Compared with typical IVF timelines, the period between initial efforts (2019) and public confirmation of a surrogate (2026) is not unusual for people who pause, seek stability, or pursue multiple treatment cycles. The couple cites both emotional healing and improved finances as factors aligning now to move forward.
Reactions & Quotes
Public and personal responses emphasize gratitude and emotional meaning. Bunnie’s memoir passages combine candid detail with a message about family and love.
“We’re going to raise these babies in love and give them everything we were never given.”
Bunnie Xo, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic (memoir)
The book also notes practical next steps and the surrogate match.
“J and I have a surrogate, the sweetest woman ever, and soon I’ll be starting my IVF stims.”
Bunnie Xo, Stripped Down (memoir)
Fans and followers reacted across social platforms with support and questions about timelines; the couple has not released a formal medical schedule beyond the steps described in the memoir.
Unconfirmed
- Exact medical timeline for stimulation, egg retrieval, embryo creation and transfer has not been published beyond the statement that stims will begin soon.
- No public confirmation of a projected due date or embryo transfer window is available at this time.
- The surrogate’s identity, location and compensation details have not been disclosed and remain private.
- Whether the clinic will recommend single-embryo transfer or multiple-embryo transfer to achieve twins has not been publicly stated.
Bottom Line
Bunnie Xo’s announcement that she and Jelly Roll have secured a surrogate and plan to begin IVF stimulation marks a significant, concrete step in their long-standing effort to have children together. The disclosure anchors timing (beginning fertility work in 2019, married in 2016) and personal intent (hoping to raise babies in love and aiming for twins) in a way that earlier public comments had not.
Their narrative will likely reinforce public interest in surrogacy and assisted reproduction while raising practical questions about medical choices and safeguards for multiple pregnancies. For fans and observers, the central takeaway is personal: the couple frames this next chapter as a culmination of years of healing and resource-building, and they say they are moving forward with gratitude toward the surrogate and cautious optimism about the outcome.
Sources
- Yahoo Entertainment — entertainment news report summarizing the memoir and interviews.
- Parade — original publisher noted in reports (news/entertainment).
- People — referenced outlet that previously covered the memoir and related interviews (media).