Bunnie XO Defends Sobriety After Italy Wine Controversy

Bunnie XO isn’t letting critics define her sobriety. The podcast host and wife of rapper Jelly Roll sparked debate after posting a video from her vacation in Italy, where she danced with a bottle of wine in hand.

Some fans accused her of “falling off the wagon,” but Bunnie quickly set the record straight.

In a raw and honest podcast episode, she explained her complicated history with addiction and why one glass doesn’t take away years of personal growth.

On the Sept. 15 episode of her “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bunnie XO explained that people had it wrong when they assumed alcohol was her biggest struggle.

She told listeners that cocaine and Xanax were the vices that once controlled her life, while alcohol never had the same hold.

“A lot of people think that I was an alcoholic in my former life, and that wasn’t my drug of choice,” she said per E! News. “Alcohol was just always prevalent because I grew up in Vegas. I never had a problem with that.”

Bunnie reminded fans that she got sober from drugs in 2017, then gave up alcohol the following year.

She admitted she now only drinks “about once every five years” and stressed that everyone’s definition of sobriety is unique.

For her, staying sober was about mental health and keeping harmful substances out of her body.

While Bunnie acknowledged that she can occasionally drink without getting out of control, she warned others not to follow her lead.

She explained that her choice might be dangerous for people battling alcohol addiction.

“Just because I can have a drink does not mean that I fell off the wagon and I’m going to be drinking every night again,” she said.

The media personality pointed out that someone struggling could see her glass of wine as permission to relapse.

In her words, “Whereas somebody who is really battling that demon could see me drinking and be like, ‘Oh, well, if she did it, I did it,’ and then completely wrecked their entire sobriety. Please don’t do that.”

The Instagram clip that sparked the debate was posted on August 26, showing Bunnie dancing with her husband in an Italian bar, a bottle of wine in hand, and the playful caption: “Ya girl drank. When in Rome.”

She told fans she would never mislead anyone about her sobriety, saying she has always been honest about where she stands. “I’m never going to mislead or pretend to be something that I’m not,” she explained.

Some critics accused her of only speaking about sobriety when it fit her and Jelly Roll’s story, but she pushed back against that claim.

“First of all, I’ve been sober since before it was f-cking cool,” the 45-year-old said with pride.

Bunnie stressed that her choices were never about public opinion or controlling others.

According to her, she had never tried to manipulate or persuade people, adding, “That’s never been me. I’ve always just had my own journey.”

Bunnie XO’s revelation comes months after she had fans cracking up after pulling a bold stunt at the Nashville Predators hockey game in May 2025.

As The Blast reported, while her husband was on the ice for a photoshoot, the model got his attention from the stands and then quickly lifted her jersey to flash him, leaving the country star laughing and cheering her on.

The moment was caught on video and Bunnie later shared it on Instagram, setting it to Wheeler Walker Jr.’s cheeky song “Drop’ Em Out.”

In her caption, she joked, “When he’s not paying attention to you, so you have to flop out the knockers.”

Fans flooded the comments, calling the moment “hilarious” and “iconic,” with many saying it perfectly showed the fun, playful bond the couple shares.