The end of Bunny XO and Jelly Roll‘s nearly ten-year marriage has generated plenty of headlines, but now attention is shifting to a chapter of her life long before the country star entered the picture.
While Jelly Roll publicly insists their split remains amicable, one of Bunny’s ex-husbands shares deeply personal memories of their relationship, their struggles and the heartbreak that followed.
While fans were shocked by the news of their divorce, both Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll have made it clear that there is no public war brewing between them.
During a concert in Saratoga Springs, the Grammy Award winner took a break to talk about speculation surrounding the end of their marriage. The singer told fans that despite filing for divorce in May, he and Bunnie remain close.
According to the musician, they are still “best friends” and “will always be best friends.”
Bunnie echoed a similar sentiment in a recent episode of her podcast, “Dumb Blonde,” where she described the breakup as ending “on the best possible terms.”
Their split came as a surprise to many followers who had seen the couple overcome addiction struggles, public scrutiny and even an admitted affair during their years together.
Still, insiders have suggested that the couple’s increasingly different public identities may have contributed to the decision.
A source previously claimed that Jelly Roll’s highly visible embrace of Christianity clashed with Bunnie’s candid discussions about sex and relationships on her podcast and social media platforms.
Bunnie’s ex-husband recalls their unusual beginnings
As Bunnie XO navigates life after Jelly Roll, her ex-husband Francisco “Frankie” Lombardo sheds light on the relationship they shared years earlier.
Lombardo told Daily Mail that meeting the podcast host in 2009 changed his life. At the time, he confided in her about problems with another relationship while she was married to Christopher Gilbert and working as a dancer in Las Vegas.
According to Lombardo, Bunnie struggled to make ends meet and had financial support from several “sugar daddies”. Their connection developed quickly. He remembered meeting both Bunnie and Gilbert together before she unexpectedly whispered, “I want to argue with you.”
Within a week, Lombardo had moved in with her. Although the circumstances seemed complicated, Lombardo insisted there was no cheating involved and maintained that Bunnie and Gilbert had already broken up before their romance began.
After Gilbert’s marriage officially ended, Bunnie and Lombardo tied the knot in Maui on Valentine’s Day 2010. “We were like, ‘Hey, let’s go to Hawaii and get married.’ And we did,” Lombardo recalled.
He described their marriage as adventurous and intensely close, comparing their dynamic to Bonnie and Clyde. “We’re the best of damn friends,” he said, reflecting on that period of their lives.
Bunnie XO’s lifestyle became a great source of excitement
Despite their strong bond, Lombardo said one issue repeatedly caused friction in their marriage.
“When I met her, she told me right out of the gate, ‘I just want to tell you that I have a couple of sugar daddies,'” he recalled.
The arrangement became difficult for him to accept. “I was super jealous,” Lombardo admitted, explaining that he wanted Bunnie all to himself. The situation reportedly led to arguments throughout their relationship.
Bunnie has previously openly discussed her history with wealthy benefactors, previously revealing she received “half a million dollars” from sugar daddies who showered her with luxury gifts.
She has also acknowledged that she was still financially dependent on customers in the early stages of her relationship with Jelly Roll.
“I was literally going on tour with him and seeing clients just to fund our lives at the time,” she revealed on her podcast.
According to Bunnie, she worked as a high-end escort in Las Vegas and earned substantial sums while helping support their lifestyle.
Lombardo said the reality of that world was often difficult for him, though he understood it was part of who she was when they met.
Bunnie and Lombardo faced heartbreak before their divorce
In addition to relationship tensions, the former couple also faced serious personal challenges. Lombardo revealed that his family’s legal troubles put a huge strain on their marriage.
After his parents lost their home after a criminal case, they moved in with them. The event turned out to be overwhelming.
“With everything crashing down,” Lombardo said he reached the “lowest point” of his life. He believes that those circumstances played a major role in the breakdown of the marriage.
Another painful issue involved the couple’s efforts to start a family. Lombardo said both he and Bunnie XO desperately wanted children and pursued fertility treatments together.
“I really wanted to have a baby with her. She wanted a baby,” he explained. The experience mirrors fertility struggles Bunnie later discussed while married to Jelly Roll. On “Dumb Blonde,” she described IVF as “one of the loneliest, darkest journeys.”
She revealed that the process had left her emotionally drained, and that Jelly Roll’s own treatment for a low sperm count created additional challenges.
Yet she recently insisted that they still plan to become parents despite their divorce.
Bunnie XO’s ex-husband thinks her next chapter is just beginning
Although Lombardo admitted that their breakup devastated him, he maintained a friendship with Bunnie over the years.
One of the most painful periods came when she entered into a relationship with another man after their split. Lombardo said watching her endure alleged abuse was “a nightmare.”
Referring to a figure identified as “Karma” in Bunnie’s memories, he recalled seeing her arrive at his home seriously injured and said he preferred not to revisit those memories.
Lombardo’s own life has not been without controversy. He faced domestic battery charges in 2023, though the case was dismissed in 2024. He has denied wrongdoing, stating, “I would never put my hands on a woman.”
Despite all that has happened, he believes that Bunnie is entering a transformative period. “I think we’re going to see her really blossom now and kind of come into her own a little bit more as an individual and not really be in Jelly’s shadow,” he said.
Still, he couldn’t resist giving one final piece of advice to the woman he once thought he’d spend forever with. “I was like, ‘Just do me a favor. Don’t get f***** married.’ It would be the fourth time. It makes no sense,” he said.
