Jelly Roll said he feels like “a whole different human” after his 300-pound weight loss transformation.

The 2026 Grammy nominee caught up with Extra at the premiere of the new Star Search show. Jelly Roll serves as a judge alongside Chrissy Teigen and Sarah Michelle Gellar. He said in his red carpet interview that he feels “incredible” after his health journey. Jelly Roll said his wife, Bunnie Xo, called him her “hall pass,” and he’s coaching his son’s basketball team.

Jelly Roll said “his health journey has changed him in “every way. In every way — spiritually, I’ve gotten closer to God. I’ve gotten closer to myself. I’m a better father. I’m more present with my children. You should see it, dude. I mean, I’m coaching my son’s basketball team this year. …Dude, when you’re 550 pounds, you wonder if they have a seat big enough for you somewhere. You know what I mean? You definitely don’t think about trying to coach a team. You wonder if there’s a bench you can sit on, you know? So, it’s like, for God to just even make that big of a difference…to have the weight off, literally the weight, 300 pounds. I’m a whole different human.”

Jelly Roll said he achieved his weight loss transformation by making changes to his diet, “and a lot of running, man. I love running.” The country megastar said he tried running because he “hated” it, and he didn’t want to take the easy way out. Now, he’s achieved his “unreal” goal of being on the cover of Men’s Health. He said on an episode of his wife’s podcast, Dumb Blonde, in December 2024 that he wanted to “be on the cover of Men’s Health by March of 2026.”

The soon-to-be Grand Ole Opry inductee also spoke about Bunnie Xo’s upcoming book, his voice acting debut and more. Find his full Extra interview here.

Jelly Roll is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.

Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.

Bob Delmont