Colt Ford and Jelly Roll Discuss Weight Loss and Public Image Challenges

Country star Colt Ford shared that he and Jelly Roll were able to bond over what it's like to be the "big guys."

During a recent interview with People, Ford revealed that he and Jelly Roll hung out backstage at one of the "Save Me" singer's concerts, where they discussed the complicated feelings that come with trying to live a healthier lifestyle when so much of your public image is associated with weight.

"Jelly has lost a bunch of weight," Ford told the outlet. "You start to think when you're a big guy like that and people love you, 'What if I lose weight? Are they going to still like me?' And I'm like, 'No, bro. I thought that for so long. No, no, no. As long as you're who you are, and you're authentic and good to people, s---, they don't care.'

Ford, who once weighed 340 pounds, began his health journey in 2022, after he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness, dropping to 250 pounds.

Following a near-fatal heart attack in April 2024, Ford committed to an even bigger lifestyle change, revealing he has since given up fried food and soda, and has begun walking more.

"There's much easier diets," he said. "But when I tried to lose weight before, when you're as heavy as I was... you feel like you're working hard and you still look in the mirror and go, 'This sucks. I'd rather just go back to [fast-food chain] Zaxby's.'

Ford went on to share that he has not had a sip of soda or eaten any fried chicken since his health scare, explaining, "I'm eating a lot healthier. It's nice to feel good and be able to tell people like Jelly that."

"You start to think when you're a big guy like that and people love you, 'What if I lose weight? Are they going to still like me?'"

-- Colt Ford

In a previous interview with People, Ford shared that he knew he had successfully given up his fast-food addiction when he was able to turn down his wife's offer to go to Waffle House to celebrate his 55th birthday.

"When I woke up, my wife Megan goes, 'I'll take you to Waffle House,'" the singer said. "And I said, 'Nah, I don't want to go.' That's when I knew I had won. I broke the habit."

Jelly Roll has also been open about his journey to a healthier lifestyle, sharing in November 2024 that he had lost 110 pounds. He debuted his slimmer appearance at the 2024 CMA Awards, where he walked the red carpet alongside his wife, Bunnie XO, and his 15-year-old daughter, Bailee Ann.

He went into detail about what the process has been like for him on a December 2024 episode of his wife's podcast, "Dumb Blonde," explaining he went through it "publicly for a reason."

"I think that people that become as big as I became, when they lose the weight, they're kind of ashamed," he said. "They're so ashamed that they go and hide and lose the weight, and then they come back out, and they don't really know how to interact with the world, looking different or feeling different, you know? And they kind of got to find their whole new way."

The "Church" singer also wants people to see that his success in the music industry is not dependent on his size, saying he "became successful in spite of" his weight, somehow managing "to be this successful with carrying 550 pounds."