Bunnie Xo Shares Why She 'Woke Up In Tears' Days Before Memoir's Debut

Bunnie Xo said she “woke up in tears” on Wednesday (February 4).

The Dumb Blonde podcast host is counting the days until she releases her highly-anticipated book, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic. Bunnie Xo said she shed “the happiest tears” after a call from her team, confirming she’d pre-sold 40,000 copies (plus “another crazy turn of events I’ll be able to share later”). She said in a post on Instagram that she’s “just overwhelmed humbly in the most human way.

“I started writing this book in 2019 but there was so much life I still had to live in order to be able to end it. So I just kept it as a journal in the background as life would unfold,” Bunnie Xo reflected. She teamed up with “an incredible ghostwriter,” and although she “did her job perfectly,” the final draft “was well-written, but it wasn’t me. So I rewrote the entire book in two weeks on my iPhone in the notes pad. Every word. Because if I was finally going to tell my truth, it had to be authentically me, and I owe that to you all.”

Bunnie Xo said it was “an emotional ride” to record the audiobook version in her voice, and she’s “nervous in a way I haven’t been in a long time” for her first live show on her book tour( “which is a good thing!”). She’s “still wrapping my head around the fact that this all started with…a little girl in Vegas, who from the start- insisted on doing things HER WAY. …I love being surrounded by women who are literal earth angels.”

Bunnie Xo previously announced tour stops in New York City, Nashville, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, will release on February 17.

“This book is full of bad choices. It’s full of people treating each other badly, either because they’re unhealed in their own journeys or they don’t know any better,” the book’s description reads. “But this book is cold, clear evidence of something greater: No one is irredeemable. Alisa DeFord, known to her millions of fans as BunnieXo, started at the bottom and spent the first part of her life falling even deeper. An abused runaway, she found herself selling drugs and overdosing on drugs against the backdrop of an East Las Vegas trailer park, being left for dead more than once by supposed ‘friends.’ But Bunnie soon learned to reclaim her power and used sex work to claw her way all to the top.

“Now, Bunnie is one of today’s most successful podcasters, producer of her family’s reality show, and founder of Dumb Blonde productions. Stripped Down is the story of how Bunnie rose to the top, how she used her own wiles to reach her goals, how she knew redemption was up to her—and that no one could hand it to her—and a message to anyone who needs advice on breaking their own cycles. Hilarious, earnest, thought-provoking, and occasionally downright shocking, STRIPPED DOWN is a rag to riches story for the social media age, and a message of hope to anyone struggling to redeem themselves.”

Bunnie Xo's husband, Jelly Roll, is among the country artists nominated at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards, returning this spring to Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. See the list of country artists nominated here.

Like in years past, iHeartRadio is letting the fans choose the winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Favorite Broadway Debut, Favorite TikTok Dance, Favorite Debut Album, Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Favorite On Screen, Favorite Tour Photographer, Favorite Soundtrack, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Tour Tradition and Favorite K-pop Collab. Social voting begins on January 8th, and will close on March 19th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Tune in to see which artists will take home an iHeartRadio Music Award on Thursday, March 26th at 8pm ET live (PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations across the country and on the iHeartRadio app.