
Jelly Roll may be divorcing Bunnie XO — but her previous husband suggests he would take her back in a second.
“We talk every day,” Frankie Lombardo told Page Six on Friday, before adding he “wouldn’t say no” to rekindling their romance if she was interested.
“She was the only woman who ever broke my heart. I feel like there’s a lot of unfinished business between us, but I might be the only one who feels that way. I love her very much. I will never do anything to hurt her. I don’t think that’s ever going to go away.”
Lombardo, 43, of California, posted multiple TikTok videos on Wednesday and Thursday, not long after news of the celebrity couple’s split broke, in defense of Bunnie — real name Alisa DeFord — and insisting their bond remains strong despite their long-ended marriage.
“I will always love that girl. I can’t get away if I tried,” he said in one clip.
Lombardo also hinted at inside knowledge of the current situation, writing, “I know too much lol.”
He told Page Six: “We have an interesting friendship. Sometimes she still talks to me like she’s my wife and reprimands me.
“Bunnie is my best friend,” he said.
Jelly Roll, 41, himself said the same thing during a Thursday concert in Saratoga Springs, NY: “Me and my wife are best friends. We will always be best friends,” the country superstar said onstage, noting that she will “probably be the only woman I will ever love the way I loved her” and that “nobody cheated on nobody.”
Lombardo said on TikTok that he has never met Jelly Roll but “heard he’s a nice fella.”
Bunnie XO, 46, was married to Lombardo from 2009-2015. She then married Jelly Roll — né Jason DeFord — in 2016.
The Grammy winner was a convicted felon and served time for robbery and drug offenses before becoming a chart-topping artist and advocate for second chances. Bunnie, a former sex worker and recovering drug addict, has openly discussed her own criminal history and even shared old mugshots with fans ahead of a book tour last year.
Lombardo has his own troubled history. One woman who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Post she was in a relationship with him until late 2024 and alleged that he subjected her to repeated violence.
During one incident in December 2023, both the woman and a neighbor who witnessed the disturbance called 911, according to a police report obtained by The Post.
Lombardo was arrested and taken to jail, where he was charged with domestic battery by strangulation.
“It should be noted that while en route to the jail, Frankie stated that he should’ve beat her ass, beat the st out of her, and beat the dog st out of her,” a police officer wrote in the report.
The case was dismissed in 2024, and Lombardo has denied the allegations. “I would never put my hands on a woman,” he told Page Six.
Now, his repeated attempts to cast himself as one of Bunnie’s closest confidants have raised eyebrows among people who know the two.
A source familiar with the situation accused Lombardo of attempting to leverage his connection to the “Dumb Blonde” podcast star following her high-profile split.
“He’s the kind of person who uses women … until they can’t take anymore,” the insider told Page Six.
But, according to Lombardo, “that’s all bulls–t”.
Last month, multiple sources told The Post that Jelly Roll and Bunny’s carefully crafted image was being threatened by “violent thugs” in their inner circle who had collectively amassed dozens of criminal charges and allegedly “make bad things happen.”
There is no suggestion that Jelly Roll or Bunnie were involved in any of the alleged incidents involving their friends or associates, including Lombardo.
Lombardo has frequently referenced his friendship with Bunnie online in recent years, referring to her as “the boss” in several TikTok posts. Bunnie has likewise spoken publicly about their ongoing friendship on her podcast.
In recent days, Lombardo’s posts about Bunnie have ramped up as the DeFords’ marriage unravels.
The country star filed for divorce on May 18, Page Six confirmed Tuesday, with court documents showing the pair officially separated on May 9.
Sources previously told Page Six the split followed years of growing tension, with Jelly Roll embracing a more faith-centered lifestyle while Bunnie continued building the outspoken, graphic brand that made her famous.
On Tuesday, Jelly Roll appeared to acknowledge the breakup by deleting references to Bunnie from his Instagram bio, which now simply reads: “Music Man.” A day earlier, moving trucks were spotted outside the couple’s Nashville-area home, though it remains unclear whose belongings were being moved.
And on Thursday, Bunnie discussed the split on her podcast, blaming it on long-brewing resentments.
“On Mother’s Day, we had a little bit of an argument, which I don’t think the details are necessary. And, in that argument, I was so fed up and so tired that I just looked at him and said, ‘Well, then file the f–king divorce papers,’” she said.
The pair overcame numerous challenges during their relationship, including a brief split after Jelly Roll admitted to cheating early in their marriage.
They later reconciled and frequently discussed their struggles on Bunnie’s podcast while co-parenting his two children from prior relationships, Bailee Ann, 18, and Noah Buddy, 9.
Bunnie said on her podcast this week that she and Jelly Roll had struggled with infertility — and still plan to have a baby together.
“In the last two years when we decided to have a baby, I had to do IVF. My hat goes off to any woman, family, couple who is going through IVF because let me tell you something dude that is one of the loneliest, darkest journeys you will be on,” she said, noting that process “completely wrecked” her.

