Jelly Roll says that parts of his wife Bunnie Xo‘s new book were painful to read, but he’s proud of her for being so “brave” in telling her story.
“It was rough at times just for me to read it. You know what I mean?” the singer admits to People. “We went through a lot of pain and having to go through it together, but reading the whole book and seeing where it ended at is really touching.”
Read More: Bunnie Xo’s Book: 8 Bombshell Revelations From ‘Stripped Down’
Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, which released this week, presents readers with a full timeline of Bunnie’s life. It documents the abuse she suffered in childhood, the horrific physical violence she endured at the hands of various romantic partners, her friendships and her work in the sex industry.
Of course, it also talks about her love story with Jelly, and their process of obtaining custody of Jelly’s then-7-year-old daughter Bailee.
What Did Bunnie Xo Say About Jelly Roll in Her Book?
All things considered, Jelly comes off as a pretty sympathetic character in Bunnie’s book. When she met him, he quickly became the most caring and loving boyfriend she’d ever had.
But her narrative doesn’t gloss over the hard parts of their relationship, either.
Frazer Harrison, Getty Images
Specifically, one chapter is dedicated to the long-awaited full story of Jelly’s affair. The couple had talked about that time in bits and pieces before, but Bunnie gave a blow-by-blow of how it happened: Including the fact that Jelly continuously lied to her about his cheating and who it was with, and how she ultimately only got confirmation of the affair from another singer’s wife.
Those passages were undoubtedly difficult for Jelly to read.
Another hard part of their relationship, which came as more of a surprise to readers, was her retelling of the time when they’d finally gotten custody of Bailee. When the reality sunk in of suddenly being responsible for a malnourished, abused child, Bunnie briefly freaked out and abandoned the family.
“Sitting there with that sick baby and her father, I started to feel closed in,” she writes in that section, admitting that this part of the story “brings me to tears.”
Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images
She took off and drove from Nashville back to Las Vegas, despite Jelly’s pleading text message asking her to stay.
Another portion of the book also recounts the unexpected death of Jelly’s best friend, Chizzle, in 2020.
Jelly Roll Couldn’t Be Prouder of Bunnie Xo For Writing Her Book
Of course, most of Bunnie’s book is about her life before she met Jelly Roll. She’d already endured a lot of pain, trauma and growth by the time they got together.
Read More: Bunnie Xo Addresses Rumors About Her Marriage to Jelly Roll
The book shares new (and often, very painful) revelations about her childhood, including how her mother abandoned her on a stranger’s doorstep at 3 months old, and how her stepmom’s teenage sister abused her by forcing her to drink wine and watch pornographic movies when she was just a little kid.
Those sections, along with her longtime battles with drugs and terrifying experiences with partner violence and sexual abuse, would be difficult for anyone — especially someone who loves Bunnie like Jelly does — to read.
Monica Schipper, Getty Images
Still, the singer says he’s proud of Bunnie for writing the story of her life, which is ultimately a gritty, inspiring redemption narrative.
“I’m just proud of her for telling her story so unapologetically,” Jelly explains. “I mean, she talks about everything fearlessly, from domestic violence to sexual assault. She’s so brave.”
Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic is out now.
8 Bombshell Revelations We Learned From Bunnie Xo’s Book
Bunnie Xo’s memoir, ‘Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic,’ lays out a full timeline of her life and answers burning questions that fans have been asking for years. Below, we’ve rounded up the most shocking anecdotes and revelations from the book. Consider this your spoiler alert!
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
