Jelly Roll unveils dramatic transformation without signature beard after weight loss

By Lori A Bashian 

Jelly Roll is showing off a whole new look.

The 40-year-old "Save Me" singer, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, took to Instagram on Thursday to share his new look, after shaving off his beard, which he has had for over a decade.

"By now you have probably figured out that I look like a ninja turtle," he said in the video. "Crazy. One of the reasons I even started growing a beard is I was so obese, it was just easier to cover up what was happening here."

Fans flooded the comments section with positive messages for the singer, telling him he is an inspiration. "Somebody call Gillette ‘cause Jelly lookin’ SHARP!" one fan wrote, while another added, "You are so deserving, Jelly. You truly are. 🙏."

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"You are an amazing human. You’ve come a long way in the right direction An inspiration for all be proud Brother 🤘💯♥️," a third fan wrote.

His unrecognizable transformation comes after the 2026 Grammy Award nominations were announced. Jelly Roll received three nominations ahead of the award show, including best contemporary country album and best country duo/group performance.

In the video, the singer gets emotional as he discusses what these nominations mean to him, calling it "probably the craziest thing that's ever happened in my life."

"When I made it to my first Grammy of the year, I had new artist. I thought to myself this is the only time I'll ever be at the Grammys, and to be coming back three years later with more nominations than I've ever had is just... first of all the gratitude."

"I don't care what artists say, I don't care what artists act like, I'm gonna tell you the real truth," he added. "There's not an artist in the world that didn't grow up watching the Grammys when they were a kid and walk in their bedrooms afterwards and rehearse their speech."

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He later held back tears as he embraced his nomination for country album, saying "win, lose or draw, dude, holy f--- we won," referring to him and his team.

Jelly Roll began his weight-loss journey in December 2022, and has been open with his fans about his progress over the years.

In April, he told fans during Pat McAfee's "Big Night AHT" event that he had lost 183 pounds, telling a cheering crowd, "I started at 540 pounds. I'm 357 pounds this morning, baby." He added that he wants to lose another 100 pounds so that he could go skydiving with his wife, Bunnie XO.

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The "Church" singer then spoke with Fox News Digital at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards in May, noting that his biggest challenge when it comes to losing weight is food.

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"If you're really battling obesity, you got to start at the dinner table, man. The walking's great, all the other stuff's great, but you got to fight that addiction at the dinner table," he said.

In September, Jelly Roll celebrated another major weight-loss milestone, sharing with his Instagram followers that he can now fit into designer clothes, joking with his fans to "Pray for my bank account."

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