There’s a type of celebrity divorce that always goes the same way. Secret Instagram posts. Tabloids are hearing whispers from people close to one side. A public war that starts slowly and is fought through carefully worded statements and unfollows. Next, there’s what Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO did, which seems to be something completely different.
They broke up earlier this year after being together for almost ten years. In May, Jelly Roll asked for a divorce, saying that they could no longer be together. When all the paperwork was finally turned in in Williamson County, Tennessee, the two had already moved quickly and calmly through the legal system in a way that seemed almost planned. There should be no bad back and forth. There were no competing stories sent to competing outlets. There were only two people ending their marriage, and they seemed to keep most of their dignity.
Stranger still is what the court documents show, which makes it more interesting. The divorce agreement shows that both people had separate lawyers talk to them about how complicated the law is when it comes to reproductive materials, especially their ongoing IVF plans. Their lawyers told them that this area of the law was changing and suggested that they get advice from genetics and reproductive rights experts outside of their lawyers. Both Bunnie and Jelly Roll agreed with this suggestion. Then they said no to following it and went ahead anyway. That could mean that they are tired of the process. It could also mean that they trust each other in a way that most divorced couples would find hard to keep up.
After the breakup, Bunnie confirmed that her plans to become a parent hadn’t changed. She had been very open on her podcast about how hard it was emotionally to go through IVF. She said that they had talked about being co-parents even after they got divorced. It’s not a small thing to agree on. In a broad sense, co-parenting makes sense. When you’re co-parenting with someone you’re not married to and both of you are seeing other people, you need to make sure that the arrangement is practical, low-key, and focused on the future.
In that situation, the part of the divorce agreement that says you can’t say bad things about the other person makes some sense. Neither side can talk about private, sensitive issues in public or say bad things about the other. Real estate, cars, intellectual property, bank accounts, and even an airplane are all covered by the confidential property settlement. The division of assets happened quietly, and there was no public list of complaints. People whose relationship has been a part of their public image for years should really think about that choice.
Since then, photos have shown Bunnie kissing reality TV star Dylan Wolf while celebrating the Fourth of July in Nashville. The video, which was taken at Jelly Roll’s own Goodnight Nashville venue, had the quality of something that couldn’t be hidden, even if someone tried. It didn’t look like she was too worried. From what I’ve heard, Jelly Roll has also started dating again. During a livestream on TikTok on July 19, his daughter Bailee Ann addressed the rumors about her father directly. She told viewers that no one cheated and asked them to stop messaging her about it.
People who are close to this situation seem to be sick of the noise, not the sadness. No matter what form the grief takes, it seems to have been dealt with in private.
The public can only see a split that seems, if not simple, at least thought out. Celebrity divorces have had non-disparagement clauses and private property settlements for a long time. What’s different about this is the tone: it sounds like these two people decided before it got official that they weren’t going to make things worse than they had to be. It’s not clear if that’s true. Seeing how things are going now, though, it’s hard not to notice that more care has been taken than usual.
