Jelly Roll has opened up about the steps he took to lose 275 pounds or 125 kilograms without relying on weight loss medications.
For the past two years, the artist has consistently updated fans on his health journey, after reaching a peak weight of 540 pounds or 245 kilograms.
In a recent interview with U.S. Men’s Health magazine that was published on Friday, Jelly, whose real name is Jason DeFord, shared that he has now reached his target weight of 265 pounds or 120 kilograms.
Although the Son of a Sinner artist briefly experimented with a GLP 1 medication early on, he said he stopped taking it after only “two weeks”.
Looking back on his physical transformation, Jelly said confronting his struggles with food was the turning point.
“Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me,” the 41 year old told the publication. “When I started really looking at the source of why I was eating. What was I eating for?”
Following a comprehensive medical examination, doctors found that Jelly had high cholesterol and testosterone levels comparable to those of a “preteen boy”.
From there, the Need a Favor star began hormone therapy and enlisted chef and sports nutritionist Ian Larios to help overhaul his eating habits.
“A lot of dudes get to their bottom dollar, and we're like, 'I'm changing! Tomorrow in the morning when I wake up, I'm a different person!' We attack it all at once. 'I'm gonna run! I'm gonna lift! I'm gonna eat right,” he continued. “Listen, man, because I've done this before: Just pick one of those. And you know which one you need to pick? Food. Start there.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Jelly reflected on the emotional toll his weight once took on him, describing a sense of constant sadness.
“I was a prisoner to my own body. Dude, wiping my a*s 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,” the Tennessee native shared.
NEWS
Sharon Osbourne has revealed she is holding early discussions about bringing Ozzfest back in 2027 as a tribute to her late husband Ozzy Osbourne.
The iconic metal festival was last staged as a full standalone event in 2018, followed by a one off New Year’s Eve show in 2019. Sharon now feels interest in a proper return is stronger than ever and says initial talks are already underway with Live Nation. Her vision is for a comeback that is larger in scale, more inclusive in sound and truly international in reach.
Speaking to Billboard, she said: “It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people. We really started metal festivals in this country. It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids.”
Sharon has also made it clear she wants the festival to grow with its audience, suggesting the next version of Ozzfest could reflect modern listening habits by opening the door to a wider range of sounds beyond traditional metal.
She later added: “I’d like to mix up the genres.”
Should the plans come together, Ozzfest would once again travel internationally, recalling its late nineties and early two thousands peak when it became both a launching pad for emerging bands and a major platform for established heavy acts.
In an earlier episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Ozzy, who died in July 2025 aged 76, asked whether the festival could ever return. Sharon responded without hesitation: "Yeah, sure. Of course."
Their daughter Kelly then raised the issue of rising booking fees, suggesting that managers need to be more realistic when negotiating festival appearances.
Sharon responded: "Why is it when it comes to us that everybody thinks that we are trillionaires, and so that every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the trillions they think we’ve got to put on the festival?”
Ozzfest was originally founded by Ozzy and Sharon in 1996, at a time when she was also managing the Black Sabbath frontman, and began life as a two day event.
A year later, the festival expanded into a touring format, although by the time it returned in 2018 it had been scaled back to a single night at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
That final edition featured Ozzy at the top of the bill alongside artists such as Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Korn’s Jonathan Davis.
