Jelly Roll has debuted a new look that shocked even him while reacting to a recent milestone moment: receiving three nominations for the 2026 Grammys.
On Thursday, the 40-year-old musician uploaded a vlog to YouTube, marking his “long overdue” comeback to the video style that he used during the early days of his career. The 15-minute clip began with footage on his Nashville farm and ended with Jelly Roll deciding to shave his beard for the first time in over a decade.
He shared that he wanted to shave his beard as he continues his weight loss journey.
“At this point, I’m sure some of y’all are exhausted about hearing about my weight loss. But a lot of things change when you start losing weight. You realize things. One of the things I realized is I don’t know what I look like. I’ve had a beard to try to cover up my double chin,” he said.
Jelly Roll added, “The last time my face was shaved I was fresh out of jail.”
He predicted that he might resemble a Ninja Turtle after shaving, but said he wanted to go through with it so he could surprise his family. He shared that he only told his wife, Bunnie XO, about his plans to shave his beard and that his daughter, Bailee Ann, had never seen him without it.
The “Get By” singer used timelapse editing to show him slowly removing his beard as his wife looked on and filmed the moment on her phone. About halfway through the process, he turned to Bunnie XO, who appeared stunned.
“Oh my gosh,” she said as he laughed. She later gave her stamp of approval when he finished, telling her husband, “I love it.”
He blurred out his face in the shot, saving the reveal for the last minutes of the video. Before he debuted his look to his fans, he showed off his clean-shaven face to his daughter, who instantly responded with laughter.
“Stay over there!” she playfully told her dad. “Oh my gosh, I’m going to cry. I don’t like this! You look like a turtle.”
Then, Jelly Roll finally turned the camera toward himself for the grand reveal.
“By now, you have probably figured out that I look like a Ninja Turtle,” he joked while strolling through a wooded area. “Yeah, this was crazy.”
Taking a more sentimental tone, he continued, “You know, one of the reasons I’d even started growing a beard was because I was so obese, it was just easier to cover up what was happening here.”
He then went on to talk about “the craziest thing” that has ever happened to him: his latest Grammy nominations. When the Recording Academy announced the list of nominees for the 2026 Grammys on Nov. 6, Jelly Roll was one of the many stars who received the coveted recognition. He was nominated for best contemporary country album for “Beautifully Broken,” best country duo/group performance for his collaboration with Shaboozey called “Amen” and best contemporary Christian music performance/song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
In his vlog, Jelly Roll recalled receiving his first Grammy nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024 for best new artist. He said that at the time he never imagined he would be recognized by the Recording Academy again.
“I don’t care what artists say. I don’t care what artists act like. I’m going to tell you the real truth. 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,” he said. “God will take something that’s either normal and make it extremely abnormal or he will take something that’s already incredible and make it absolutely mesmerizing, and that’s the case here.”
He said that now he gets to celebrate this achievement while in “the best headspace.”
“I see all my friends in this category. But then I just see standing there is this album called ‘Beautifully Broken,’” he added. “Man, if that doesn’t represent what’s happening in the world right now. I think more than ever… I think we can find beauty in what’s happening.”
He expressed his gratitude again to the Record Academy and said he wouldn’t have accomplished anything without his faith.
Before signing off, he encouraged his fans to mock his beardless face.
“I thought my chin went at least a half inch further than it actually went. ... Failed science experiment, y’all!” he said.
Jelly Roll uploaded the snippet of his newly shaven face to Instagram, too. Celebrity friends complimented him about his Grammy nominations beneath the post.
Charlie Puth said, “Very inspiring man.”
Country singer Carly Pearce echoed that sentiment, calling Jelly Roll “an inspiration.”
Meanwhile, fans gave their approval of his look.
“Fresh fit and clean faced,” one fan commented.
Another said, “Shut up I love it!!! You look so good!!!!!”
“Hey i love ninja turtles,” a third wrote.
This is the latest dramatic transformation Jelly Roll has shared with his fans. Over the past year, he has also opened up about losing weight.
While on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in April, he said his goal was to be under 250 pounds, before explaining why losing weight is important to him.
“To do all the fun stuff in life, you’ve gotta be under 250,” he told host Jimmy Kimmel before mentioning skydiving, riding a rollercoaster, riding a bull and wrestling an alligator. “I’ve got a list of things I want to do.”
He gave a progress update in August while giving a speech to the Tennessee Titans. “I lost 200 pounds,” he said. “I told coach I’m getting a contract if I lose another 50.”
