The end of Bunnie XO And Jelly rollHer nearly decade-long marriage has made headlines, but now attention is shifting to a chapter in her life, long before the country star entered the picture.
While Jelly Roll publicly insists that their divorce remains amicable, one of Bunnie’s former husbands shares deeply personal memories of their relationship, their struggles and the heartbreak that followed.
While fans were stunned 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 paused to discuss 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 on a recent episode of her podcast “Dumb Blonde,” where she described the breakup ending “on the best possible terms.”
Their divorce came as a surprise to many followers who had watched 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.
One source previously claimed that Jelly Roll’s highly visible embrace of Christianity clashed with Bunnie’s frank 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 former husband Francisco “Frankie” Lombardo sheds light on the relationship they shared years earlier.
Lombardo told the 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 was in a hurry to make ends meet and received 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 make love to you.”
Within a week, Lombardo had moved in with her. Although the circumstances seemed complicated, Lombardo insisted there was no cheating and claimed Bunnie and Gilbert had already broken up before their romance began.
After Gilbert’s marriage officially ended, Bunnie and Lombardo were married on Valentine’s Day 2010 in Maui. “We were like, ‘Hey, let’s go to Hawaii and let’s get married.’ And we did it,” Lombardo recalls.
He described their marriage as adventurous and intensely close, and compared their dynamic to that of Bonnie and Clyde. “We’re damn best friends,” he said, looking back on that period of their lives.
Bunnie XO’s lifestyle became a major source of tension
Despite their strong bond, Lombardo said one issue repeatedly caused friction in their marriage.
“When I met her, right out of the gate she said to me, ‘I just want you to know that I have some sugar daddies,’” he recalls.
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 an argument during their relationship.
Bunnie has openly discussed her history with wealthy benefactors in the past, previously revealing that she received “half a million dollars” from sugar daddies who showered her with lavish gifts.
She has also acknowledged that in the early stages of her relationship with Jelly Roll, she was still financially dependent on customers.
“I literally went on tour with him and visited clients at the time just to finance our lives,” she revealed on her podcast.
According to Bunnie, she worked as a high-end escort in Las Vegas and earned significant amounts of money while helping to support their lifestyle.
Lombardo said the reality of that world was often difficult for him, even 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 enormous strain on their marriage.
After his parents lost their home following criminal proceedings, they moved in with them. The arrangement proved overwhelming.
“When everything fell apart,” Lombardo said, he reached the “lowest point” of his life. He believes that these circumstances played a major role in the failure of the marriage.
Another painful issue concerned the couple’s attempts 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 to have a baby,” he explained. The experience mirrors the fertility issues 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 exhausted and that Jelly Roll’s own treatment for low sperm count posed additional challenges.
However, she recently emphasized that despite their divorce, they still plan to become parents.
Bunnie XO’s former 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 divorce. Lombardo said it was “a nightmare” to see her suffer from alleged abuse.
Referring to a figure identified as “Karma” in Bunnie’s memoir, he recalled seeing her arrive at his house 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, although the case was dismissed in 2024. He has denied wrongdoing and stated: “I would never lay my hands on a woman.”
Despite everything that has happened, he believes Bunnie is entering a transformative period. “I think now we’re going to witness her real blossoming and her stepping into herself a little bit more as an individual and not really being in Jelly’s shadow,” he said.
Still, he couldn’t resist giving one last piece of advice to the woman he once thought he would be with forever. “I thought, ‘Just do me a favor. Don’t get married.’ It would be the fourth time. It makes no sense,” he said.
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