Jelly Roll gets vulnerable as he describes his 100-pound weight loss journey

Jellyroll I couldn't be prouder of the man he has become, although it was certainly hard work.

For the “I Am Not Okay” singer, whose real name is Jason Bradley DeFord, who, before becoming the beloved country artist he is today, spent years in and out of prison, struggling with both , the last few years have been a turning point with addiction and his mental health.

Today, not only has he overcome that, but he also speaks openly about his past and what it took to get over it, as he believes vulnerability was crucial to his growth.

At an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show On Wednesday, October 16, Jelly Roll talked about growing out of his previous “angry” role.

“Vulnerability is kind of a superpower for me,” he said, before explaining, “I was a typical angry, aggressive alpha guy for a long time, and I always had an almost mean attitude about me, and that wasn't the case.” It’s no use to me.”

He continued, “I had no emotions, I was very shallow towards everyone and life,” but noted, “Then my heart changed, man.”

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The rapper has a few key figures to thank for this: God, his wife, Alyssa “Bunnie XO” DeFordwhom he married in 2016, and his daughter Bailee Ann, from a previous relationship.

“I built a relationship with God, I had a child, I married a woman who is simply the greatest woman in the world and instantly soothed my heart and my vulnerabilities,” Jelly Roll gushed.

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He also candidly said, “Everyone says, 'You're the cutest guy ever,' and I'm like, I'm glad you didn't know me in the early 2000s.”

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Host Kelly Clarkson was quick to praise him, noting, “I think that's an important message because I think a lot of people don't believe in change, and I think it's very real.” If someone wants to do that, then I think that's a very “thing that can really happen,” to which he insisted, “I think it also signals to people that you can do it at any age.”

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Reflecting further on how he overcame his addiction and mental health issues, he shared, “It takes a lot of work. I think one of the biggest things was that I started being honest and becoming more vulnerable, and the first step was, I know it's going to sound like an advertisement for a song, but actually sung (as me). “Maybe it's okay that I'm not okay,” referring to his song “I Am Not Okay.”

He also shared that lots of therapy and losing weight definitely contributed. “I realized that it wasn't just what I was putting into my body in terms of diet that was killing me, but also what I was listening to and what I was watching, not allowing my thoughts to sit and close life.”