Published August 28, 2026
Jelly Roll has a message for anyone still wondering how he lost so much weight: it wasn’t Ozempic — at least not for the long haul.
The 41-year-old country star, whose real name is Jason DeFord, took aim at the Ozempic rumours while filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
After Fox News host Jesse Watters joked that Ozempic could come with “increased risk of TDS,” Jelly Roll fired back with a punchline of his own.
“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.”
Then came another joke: “But I also kinda feel like a dude who bought the last horse and buggy the day before they started selling cars.”
Jelly Roll has been candid about his transformation, revealing that he once weighed 540 lbs. and struggled with food addiction and obesity.
“It was never-ending sadness,” he previously told Men’s Health. “And anger. I was a prisoner to my own body.”
He eventually hired a chef and sports nutritionist and focused on exercise and healthier habits.
“There’s this magical thing that happens when you start exercising,” he said. “And you get through the absolute misery of the beginning of it.”
Jelly Roll has said he lost the weight through diet and exercise. However, Men’s Health later reported that he briefly tried a weight-loss medication very early in his journey before stopping after two weeks.
Either way, his latest punchline proves Jelly Roll is still serving up jokes along with the pounds he left behind.