“I got in shape before the GLP-1 craze started,” the country star said
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NEED TO KNOW
- Jelly Roll joked that Ozempic is the only drug he hasn’t tried, crediting diet and exercise for his weight loss
- The country star lost 275 lbs. after weighing 540 lbs. at his heaviest, overcoming obesity and food addiction
- He has been open about his transformation, sharing how exercise and nutrition changed his life dramatically
Jelly Roll is shutting down Ozempic rumors with humor.
The country star, 41, has been filling in for Jimmy Kimmel this week and guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!. After cracking a few jokes about President Donald Trump during Monday night’s show, the “Need a Favor” singer — whose real name is Jason DeFord — teased that he caught the attention of “the gang over at Fox News.”
During his opening monologue for the Wednesday, Aug. 26 show, he played a clip of Fox News host Jesse Watters delivering his “Trump Derangement Syndrome Tuesday” report.
“Next up to bat, Jelly Roll,” Watters said. “They should put a warning label on Ozempic. Side effects can include increased risk of TDS. If you notice signs like irritability, depression, and trouble sleeping, please see a doctor.”
Jelly Roll clapped back and boasted that his dramatic weight loss was natural.
“Okay, first of all Jesse, I’ll have you know Ozempic is the only drug I haven’t tried. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I lost weight the old-fashioned way: cocaine,” he joked. “No seriously, I got in shape before the GLP-1 craze started. And I’m kind of proud of the fact that I did it through diet and exercise.”
“But I also kinda feel like a dude who bought the last horse and buggy the day before they started selling cars,” he quipped.
Jelly Roll has been transparent with fans about his weight-loss journey.
In January, in a documentary short from Men’s Health, the musician opened up about making “one of the biggest transformations” and dropping 275 lbs. He weighed 540 lbs. at his heaviest, admitting that obesity and his food addiction left him with a lot of shame.
“It was never-ending sadness,” he told the outlet. “And anger. I was a prisoner to my own body. Dude, wiping my ass was a problem. Washing myself properly was a problem. Getting in cars. Every decision I made in life had to be based on my weight.”
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“I was killing myself, literally. I mean, I was eating myself to absolute death….I can’t talk about one area of my life it was not affecting,” he said. “I’m ashamed of it.”
After several failed attempts, the Grammy-nominated artist successfully lost weight by hiring a chef and a sports nutritionist and prioritizing movement.
“There’s this magical thing that happens when you start exercising. And you get through the absolute misery of the beginning of it. This thing happens in the middle of your workouts where it just sucks, and all of a sudden, it opens up and you feel incredible,” he said at the time.
“I’m loving my body…I’ve worked really hard and lost the weight the right way,” Jelly Roll added. “Just a dramatically different world.”
While Jelly Roll maintains that he did not use Ozempic to lose weight, Men’s Health later reported that he briefly tried weight-loss medication very early in his journey, but stopped after two weeks.
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