Bunnie Xo’s stepdaughter had the biggest surprise for her and Jelly Roll.
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, Bunnie, whose real name is Alyssa DeFord, shared a Reel on her Instagram and revealed that her stepdaughter Bailee, 17, had thrown a prom for her and the country singer after learning that the two of them had missed their own prom years ago.
In the sweet video, Bailee can be seen ushering in Bunnie, who wears a long dress, and Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, into a large event space. She then announces them prom king and queen, and the two get a moment to dance on the floor alone.
“I learned a powerful lesson as a parent this week. Bailee has always hated school dances. But because J and I never went to ours, we’ve always pushed her: ‘Go make memories. Go have the experiences we missed,’ ” Bunnie wrote over the video.
“This year has been heavy — schedules, mental health, burnout…all of it. We’ve kept to ourselves, and we hate surprises. So when Bailee texted saying she had one for us, I spiraled,” admitted Bunnie. “Especially after we swore there’d be no surprises for J’s birthday. But we showed up for our girl anyway…even with tired hearts.”
“What we walked into stopped us in our tracks — a full room of friends and family…a night she called ‘Under the Stars.’ A prom/birthday party she created for us. She crowned us King and Queen, and we danced and sang like teenagers who finally got their moment.”
Bunnie said the gesture particularly moved her because all Bailee wanted to do was see her parents smile. She said Bailee planned the whole thing herself and even included mocktails for Bunnie.
“And the lesson? Time is the most precious thing we own. Spend it on your people. The memories you make with them will outlive everything else,” Bunnie ended the video.
Bunnie is stepmom to Jelly Roll’s daughter and son Noah Buddy, 9.
Back in October, Bunnie spoke with Today and opened up about what it’s like to raise a teenager. She told the outlet that being a parent to a teenager is “not for the weak.”
“Having a teenager is not for the weak,” she jokingly said. “I tell everybody this: 13 is when the dark goes over their eyes, and you’re just like, ‘Hello? Where are you?’ ”
She added, “13 to 17, that is like a nightmare and then, I swear to God, right at 17 and a half, they become your best friend. Bailee is my best friend. I love her to death.”
