Did Jelly Roll Really Use Ozempic? The Weight-Loss Rumors Explained
Jelly Roll has undergone a complete transformation in more ways than one. Born Jason Bradley DeFord, he's gone from being imprisoned multiple times for crimes like drug dealing and aggravated robbery to winning Grammys as a chart-topping musician. Jelly Roll's time in prison actually gave him a chance to work on his songs, and with the birth of his daughter Bailee Ann DeFord, he turned his life around. Not only has his career done a 180, but so has his physical appearance. Jelly Roll has lost a whopping 200 pounds over a couple of years, and it's led to some rumors that he used Ozempic to help him get there. After all, Ozempic has certainly changed the way lots of other celebrities look. It turns out that Jelly Roll did use a GLP-1 — but just for a bit.
The musician spoke about his weight loss journey in a January 2026 interview with Men's Health. An editor's note in the article confirmed that Jelly Roll used a GLP-1 drug when he started working to drop the pounds, but noted, "he stopped after two weeks." So it would seem as though most of Jelly Roll's weight loss came after he tried and quit using a GLP-1.
Instead, Jelly Roll worked with a medical team at Ways2Well, and founder Brigham Buhler told Men's Health that it was important to the singer not to rely on a weight loss drug for his transformation. "He said, 'When I do this, I don't want an asterisk next to my name, bubba. I want to show people that this is possible.' "
Jelly Roll worked on his relationship with food and started running
A big part of Jelly Roll's weight loss came with an adjustment to how he related to food, something he has discussed his addiction to at length. Along with changing his eating habits with the help of chef and nutritionist Ian Larios, Jelly Roll also got into running. Now he runs every day.
On December 4, 2025, Jelly Roll posted a video on TikTok of himself out on a run, despite it being his 41st birthday. He wanted to let people know how much his life had changed, including with his birthday celebrations — instead of drinking and doing drugs as he'd once done, he was running with a buddy. It was an inspirational message, with Jelly Roll telling his fans that they can change their lives if they work at it.
Speaking of birthdays, Jelly Roll opened up on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast about when and why he decided to make some big changes in his life. It was near his 39th birthday, and he said, "I don't think I've ever met a 500-pound 40-year-old ... It felt like I'd already cheated the game. I'd had multiple heart issues, and I was like, 'Man, I should really start trying to figure this out.' I felt like I could feel myself dying." Now, he's really living, and Ozempic doesn't seem to be part of his life at all.