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Jelly Roll at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images

Jelly Roll praised by famous peers for good looks at CMAs after opening up about 'food addiction'

The "I Am Not Okay" singer received a sweet shout-out from CMA hosts Lainey Wilson, Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
November 21, 2024
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Jelly Roll will never shy away from getting candid about his past struggles, addictions, and the work he is doing to lose weight.

The "I Am Not Okay" singer has come a long way from his difficult childhood and early adult years spent in and out of jail, and now his focus is his family, career, and leading a healthy life.

That includes so far shedding a whopping 110 pounds, and he is opening up about how he has done it.

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Speaking with People, Jelly, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, admitted: "The battle was with the food addiction, changing the way I've looked at food for the last 39 years."

"Nobody in my house ever had [a healthy relationship with food], so that was the hard part, really fighting that demon at first and getting into that discipline and that commitment," he explained about growing up in Antioch, Tennessee.

"But once you get into that discipline and commitment, it's like an avalanche. Once that little snowball started rolling, it was on its way," he added.

Jelly Roll and Cody Johnson attend the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee© Getty
Jelly at the CMAs with Cody Johnson

He also credits his time touring, which though he admits can be largely associated with a lot of partying and drinking, in his case, it has helped him prioritize physical activity, like playing basketball with his crew, and making healthier eating choices.

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"It's cool because there was once a time in life that the culture I built on tour was the opposite. It revolved around alcohol and drugs," he said, however "now our tour culture is around good eating and around exercising and doing emotional check-ins with our crew every day."

Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning speak onstage during The 58th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 20, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee© Getty
The co-hosts gave him a shout-out

Jelly showed off some of that weight loss at the 58th annual Country Music Association Awards, country's biggest night, on Wednesday, November 20 in Nashville, Tennessee.

MORE: Jelly Roll makes bold statement after 100 lb weight loss: 'Next year you won't recognize me'

Musical guest Jelly Roll performs on Saturday Night Live© NBC
The singer has been candid about his weight

Though he didn't appear to take photos at the red carpet, when the night kicked off, it didn't take long for some of his peers to comment on his good looks, with co-hosts Lainey Wilson, Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan giving him a shout-out from the stage.

Jelly Roll attends Nashville Chapter's In The Mix: Nashville Rap at Hard Rock Cafe Nashville on June 23, 2011 © Ed Rode
Jelly in 2011

Jelly later took to the stage himself to present an award; among other presenters and performers were Noah Kahan, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Shaboozey and more, plus Jamey Johnson, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Lainey joined forces for a special tribute performance to honor George Strait with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

To keep up to date with all the exciting wins and moments from the night, check out our live updates here, and see some of the best looks from the red carpet here. 

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