News recently came out that Nelly and Ashanti would be producing and starring in their own reality TV show about their lives.
But is it a good idea?
Will Nelly And Ashanti Fall Victim To ‘The Reality TV Curse’?
People are in two minds about whether the couple has made a mistake by allowing cameras into their home.
Celebrities getting their own shows and then breaking up afterward has become such a common pattern that it’s now known as ‘the reality TV curse.’
The Daily Mail pointed out that its victims include stars like Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, and Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
And that’s just to name a few.
Many other former couples fell under the curse, and now, fans are worried that Nelly and Ashanti might meet the same fate.
YouTuber Speaks Out About Nelly And Ashanti
One YouTuber heavily criticized the pair’s decision to get into reality TV together.
He alleged that it was going to be the beginning of the end of their marriage.
He made the claim that when celebrities invite people into their private lives too much, it creates issues.
He also added that it was a big mistake that he’d seen a lot of people make, and it always caused problems.
He went on to add that both of them made plenty of money, so he couldn’t understand why they’d want to have their personal lives filmed.
Since Nelly and Ashanti spun the block, their relationship has been getting a lot of media attention.
Some people speculate that that’s the reason why they’re jumping on the opportunity to make a show about their love and their marriage.
All About Nelly And Ashanti’s Reality TV Show
Deadline reported that the husband and wife are releasing a docuseries that will look at their lives as new parents, and it’ll document their upcoming wedding.
The pair got married in December 2023, according to court documents seen by TMZ, but they’ve yet to have their official wedding party.
The show will air on Peacock.
In addition to starring in the show, Ashanti and Nelly are also producing it, alongside Jenny Daly and Oji Singletary at Critical Content Studios.
Critical Content is known for producing Sly on Netflix and MTV’s Catfish.
Production for the show supposedly started a few months ago, just after Ashanti and Nelly welcomed their son, Kareem Kenkaide Haynes.
Reality TV Isn’t Nelly’s First Rodeo
The new docuseries won’t be Nelly‘s first taste of reality TV.
He had his own show on BET in 2014 called Nellyville, which ran for two seasons and chronicled the lives of the rapper, his ex-girlfriend Shantel Jackson, and his four children.
Around the same time, Nelly also appeared on the mockumentary Real Husbands of Hollywood, playing himself.
In 2020, he showcased his dancing skills and secured 3rd place on the 29th season of Dancing With the Stars.
Fans Support Nelly And Ashanti’s Reality TV Show
Though there are some people out there who are concerned that the upcoming TV show could spell bad news for Nelly and Ashanti, others think that the pair will be just fine.
An article by COLLIDER looked at the different reasons why the power couple stands a strong chance of not falling victim to the dreaded reality TV curse.
It made the argument that unlike other celebrities, who had on-again-off-again relationships, these two were together for 10 years the first time around, so they knew what they were getting into when they started up again.
The article claimed that they probably came to the realization that they were each other’s ‘the one that got away.’
Another theory about why Nelly and Ashanti weren’t going to split up anytime soon was because of how attracted they still were to one another.
COLLIDER wrote that they both took care of themselves and were aging super well.
The outlet also reported that the two artists were having comebacks in their careers.
They were still making music and going on tours.
So the duo had work and reputations that existed outside the world of reality TV.
The article explained that the so-called reality TV curse often negatively affected couples who were new to fame and struggled with the problems that often came with it.
But Ashanti and Nelly, who have been in the spotlight for over two decades, are well-versed in dealing with the ups and downs of stardom.
Nelly Faces Backlash
Something happened recently that might have affected the couple’s popularity, though.
Because Nelly made a career decision that might have affected his and his wife’s reputation, their relationship, AND the success of their upcoming docuseries.
In mid-January, CBS News and other outlets reported that the rapper was planning to perform at Donald Trump’s Inaugural Liberty Ball on January 20.
The news was not well-received by a lot of people.
Why Kelly Rowland Blocked Nelly
Including one of his celebrity friends.
According to a Daily Mail source, Nelly’s decision landed him in hot water with Kelly Rowland, who featured on his iconic hit Dilemma.
The source alleged that she blocked Nelly from performing Dilemma at the inauguration to stand in solidarity with her Presidential choice Kamala Harris.
Kelly supposedly told him that her team would issue a ‘take down notice’ if he ended up singing their song.
The insider said: “She was stunned when she learned that Nelly was to perform and informed his camp that he does not have her consent to perform the song.”
Fans Calls Nelly A Sellout
Social media was up in arms about the rapper’s decision to perform.
They accused him of selling out and going against his beliefs, as well as letting down the Black community.
Sportskeeda revealed that one Instagram user wrote that Nelly needed to learn history, and why Black people needed to stand in solidarity and unite.
Another user suggested that his and Ashanti’s reality TV show should be canceled.
A source told the Daily Mail that Nelly wasn’t afraid of the criticism he was receiving.
He will reportedly earn more money off the back of the gig than he had from his record sales in recent years.
How Nelly’s Decision Affected Ashanti
The insider added that Ashanti could feel the consequences of his decision, though.
They said: “Her musical career is in a better place and she could alienate her core fan base.”
The backlash has already affected the R&B singer.
The owner of the ‘Ashanti News’ fan account on Instagram recently shared that they’d be closing it down because of what Nelly did.
They released a statement for their 110,000 followers which read: “In light of recent news about Nelly and the decisions he has made… I can no longer run @AshantiNews or support the Haynes in the direction they are going.”
They finished by adding that it was beyond disappointing.
Fans Disappointed At Nelly’s Decision
People shared similar comments on Twitter, too.
One online user commented that they’d been looking forward to Nelly and Ashanti‘s little reality show, but they had to cancel him and even her by association.
Another person added that Ashanti needed to sit her man down, as he was about to ruin her image and career alongside his own.
Nelly Speaks Out About Performing At Trump’s Inauguration
After the online backlash, Nelly decided to share his reasons for performing during an interview with rapper Willie D.
He claimed that he was not doing it for money.
He was doing it because he considered it an honor.
Then he compared the offer to perform for the president to soldiers who served in the U.S. Army.
Nelly said: “The same way our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever in the office.”
He argued that if they could put their lives on the line for whoever was in office, then surely, he could perform for whoever was in office.
When he was asked how he felt about the accusations that he was propping up a white supremacist, he responded that he’d like to know where Donald Trump was a white supremacist.
He didn’t deny that the president wasn’t without his flaws, and he didn’t encourage people to vote for him, but he reasoned that he was now the president of the U.S.
The hypocrisy of Nelly’s words was pointed out by news outlets that quoted him from a 2017 interview with Page Six.
In it, he shared that he used to like Donald Trump, but he just didn’t like him as his president.
He said: “He doesn’t surprise me as a person, he surprises me as a president because you don’t expect certain things, certain attitudes.”
