Bunnie Xo says she’s never asked her husband Jelly Roll‘s teenage daughter, Bailee Ann, to call her “mom.”
But she also points out that she’s earned the right to call herself a parent.
On TikTok, Bunnie responded to a commenter who wrote, “She’s your stepdaughter. Remember that.”
In one way, Bunnie agreed with the comment. “You’re right — I’m NOT her mom & would never want to be. Her mom isn’t a mom,” she replied.
“I fiercely protect this little girl, I teach her how to be a woman, I have always picked up the pieces of her broken heart alongside her dad, every time her real mom shatters her heart,” she continued.
“I’m the one she gets mad at because I tell her no & actually parent her,” Bunnie added.
She concluded by saying that it was Bailee’s choice to call Bunnie her mom. “I never asked her to call me that,” she says.
How Did Jelly Roll + Bunnie Xo Get Custody of His Daughter Bailee?
Bailee was born to Jelly and his ex, Felicia Beckwith.
By the time Bunnie and Jelly started dating, Jelly was working to gain full custody of a then-eight-year-old Bailee, as Beckwith fell into a deep spiral of drug addiction.
He’s said that Bunnie bankrolled that custody fight, even though their relationship was new.
She helped him rent a condo so that he had a safe place for his daughter to live, even though, as a felon, it was difficult for him to sign a contract.
At the time, Jelly was also preparing to welcome a second child — a son named Noah — with another woman, and Bunnie wasn’t fazed by that, either.
Read More: Meet the Mother of Jelly Roll’s Son Noah
In a 2023 interview, Bunnie explained that Bailee’s story resonated with her own experience of growing up as a “product of an addict.”
“When we went over to Bailee’s mom’s house — and this was in the mist of all this — I walked in and Bailee didn’t even have a bed. She was sleeping on a chair,” Bunnie recalls.
“And she was there taking care of her two, two or three little cousins, making them food,” she says. “Literally all she was doing was making them bread with peanut butter on it. And it broke my heart.”
What Have Jelly, Bunnie and Bailee Said About Her Mom Felicia?
Jelly has occasionally spoken or sung about Felicia’s struggles. His song “She” was partially inspired by her, along with his mother.
In 2020, Jelly celebrated Felicia’s sobriety with a Facebook post.
But in a 2024 appearance in Washington, D.C., as he testified to lawmakers about his experience with the opioid epidemic, he implied that she had relapsed.
“Every single day I have to wonder, me and my wife, if today will be the day I have to tell my daughter that her mother became a part of the national statistic,” he said during that speech.
In February 2025, Beckwith was arrested on felony drug charges in Tennessee.
Bunnie hasn’t said much about Beckwith directly, though she has alluded to holding back criticism of her decisions for Bailee’s sake.
Read More: Jelly Roll’s Daughter Details Her Mother’s Dark Drug Relapse
In a 2024 appearance on Bunnie’s Dumb Blonde podcast, Bailee said Beckwith “manipulated” her into using drugs during a reconciliation period between them, when Bailee was just 14 years old.
The teen separated from her mom once again and stopped using drugs, but the emotional wounds were painful and long-lasting.
More recently, Bailee is focusing on normal teenage milestones, including her senior year of high school, a homecoming dance and her relationship with her boyfriend. Both she and Bunnie frequently document those moments on social media.
Jelly Roll: 27 Stunning Facts About the ‘Save Me’ Singer
Jelly Roll is country music’s most fascinating character. His life has taken dozens of wild twists and turns, and he’s been honest about all of it. Here are 27 facts about the “Save Me” singer and his family.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
