Ashanti and Nelly first began dating in 2003, after getting to know each other at a Grammys event that year.
At that point, Nelly was already a father of two.
He had a daughter and a son named Chanelle and Cornell Haynes.
Nelly and Ashanti’s Relationship Timeline
The celebrity couple would have still been together in 2005 when tragedy struck Nelly’s family and his sister passed away.
He ended up adopting her children, Shawn and Sydney Thomas.
So all four of his kids have known Ashanti since they were very young.
Nelly once said in the premiere episode of his reality show, Nellyville, that whoever he was in a relationship with had to have a great relationship with his kids.
Which would mean that they must’ve gotten along well with Ashanti.
According to Us Weekly, Ashanti revealed that she and Nelly broke up some time in 2013, so his children were still teenagers at that point.
Not long after the pair separated, Nelly began dating his next long-term girlfriend, Shantel Jackson.
She also appeared on Nellyville.
Hollywood Mask claimed that she grew close to his children while they were a couple, that she was a mother figure to them, and that Nelly would often call her mama.
The pair reportedly broke up in 2021 after about seven years together, so Nelly’s kids would’ve become adults while Shantel was still a part of their lives.
But now, Ashanti is back in the picture.
Us Weekly reported that she and Nelly got back together in 2023, after about ten years of being apart.
How Nelly’s Children Feel About Their Father and Ashanti’s Relationship
Which also meant that she and his children hadn’t seen each other for that same amount of time.
Although no one really knows if she maintained a relationship with them after their breakup.
The kids haven’t officially said much about their father’s reconciliation with Ashanti, but there’ve been some hints that they approve of the relationship.
A TikTok video revealed that Ashanti and Cornell were having fun together at Nelly’s annual Black & White Ball in December 2023.
In the video, they looked comfortable together as they were dancing and laughing at the event.
In April 2024, Ashanti officially confirmed to Essence that she was pregnant.
So Shawn, Chanelle, Sydney, and Cornell are all going to have a new baby sibling in their family.
Nelly’s oldest daughter Chanelle recently revealed that she was happy about the news.
BCK reported that she congratulated her dad and Ashanti in an Instagram story that she shared in April.
She showed her support by writing: “Team healthy baby. Congratulations to my family. So much success and blessings in store”
Her new sibling will be a similar age to her own child.
Chanelle gave birth to a son named Ace in July 2023.
Blogger Disses Ashanti
A report by Rolling Out revealed that Ace got caught up in a news story about Nelly and Ashanti thanks to Youtube Blogger Tasha K.
The outlet claimed that she didn’t believe that Ashanti was pregnant when the news first broke in December, because of the timing of Nelly becoming a grandfather to Chanelle’s son.
Tasha alleged that Ashanti wasn’t pregnant, because she’d heard that Nelly had allegedly just had a baby in 2023, and she told her viewers: “Let’s get to know that baby first.”
She even shared screenshots of a text conversation between her and someone claiming that Nelly’s alleged baby lived with in Atlanta.
In her Youtube video, Tasha also targeted Ashanti and announced that light-skinned, privileged women deserved to be wives and not just baby mamas.
The comments section on Rolling Out was filled with people’s opinions about Tasha’s controversial statement.
One online user said that Tasha was ridiculous, and that no woman should be a “baby mama” and if they chose to be, that was ok.
The color of one’s skin had nothing to do with it.
Someone else wrote that complexion has nothing to do with self worth or self esteem.
Ashanti Proved Blogger Wrong
Ashanti eventually proved Tasha wrong when she exclusively shared some big news about her life in an interview with Essence.
She revealed that not only was she pregnant, but she also had plans to walk down the aisle with Nelly.
Ashanti told the magazine that this year of her life was such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation.
She explained that motherhood was something that she had looked forward to, and sharing that with her family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who had been so supportive of her career, was an amazing experience.
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Even though she and Nelly had suggested that they were expecting a baby months ago, neither of them had officially confirmed the news until April.
News outlets like the New York Times were quick to spread the word that the speculation about Ashanti’s pregnancy had been confirmed, and on top of that, she was engaged too.
But her interview with Essence wasn’t the only way that the singer told the world about her new baby.
The same day that the magazine interview came out, Ashanti also shared an Instagram reel where she dropped the bomb that she was expecting.
In the video, Ashanti’s mother, Tina Douglas, asked her how much time she needed before going out on stage.
Ashanti then appeared from behind a curtain and told her mom that she needed about nine months, and she showed her a positive pregnancy test.
Ashanti Shows Off Her Baby Bump
The mother-to-be tagged Nelly in the post, and captioned it with: “Baby, baby, baby.”
The Shade Room reported on Ashanti’s third surprise baby bump reveal, which she did in person while at a conference in Miami.
The interviewer invited Ashanti to stand up in front of the audience and show off her belly in her blue shape-fitting dress.
Since then, she has been more open about being an expectant mother and much less guarded about sharing pictures and videos of her pregnant body.
On Mother’s Day in May, Ashanti shared some photos on Instagram of her trip to Saint Louis, Missouri where she was on vacation with Nelly and their families.
In the first picture, Ashanti and Nelly could be seen posing together outside of a house, with her belly fully on display in the sleeveless Maxi dress she had on.
She captioned the post by talking about how her Mother’s Day had been so special.
She explained: “Having our families together as we are about to embark on such an incredible journey was amazing.”
Why Ashanti and Nelly Were Tight-Lipped About Pregnancy
Before April, Ashanti and Nelly had been very tight-lipped about the pregnancy.
Us Weekly shared that the couple first hinted at it when they attended the 2023 Black & White Ball.
It was there that Ashanti put her hand on her stomach, and then Nelly placed his hand on it too, which quickly sparked the rumors that she was with child.
But after that, the couple kept quiet about it.
A report by Page Six pointed out that Ashanti kept wearing oversized dresses during her shows.
She began posting old photos of herself on her Instagram, too, but in any of the more recent pictures, she was always wearing loose-fitting clothing.
Her followers left tons of comments speculating that she was pregnant and just hiding it.
Even Ashanti’s mother denied that her daughter was pregnant.
BET reported that she was being interviewed in a panel discussion at the 17th Annual Women’s Impact Luncheon in Miami.
While speaking to Tina, the radio host said: “Congratulations, Ashanti’s having a baby. So congratulations, grandma.”
Ashanti’s mom clarified that there’d been no announcement, and that it hadn’t come out yet until she heard it from Ashanti and Nelly.
The interviewer apologized, explaining that she thought it was public.
Tina said that it was public and told her not to get it twisted, but it hadn’t been officially announced.
However, since the baby news was announced, the couple have been getting lots of messages of congratulations from the public and from their celebrity friends, too.
Ashanti and Lloyd’s Performance
Hot New Hip Hop reported on a recent performance by Ashanti and Lloyd, where the R&B singer sang to his friend’s pregnant belly while they were on stage together.
Lloyd later posted a picture of the touching moment on Instagram and left a sentimental message in the caption that read: “Dear Baby Haynes, you are surrounded by love, by good energy, and by people who have prayed for your piece of mind way before you were born.”
Lloyd went on to say that he would one day tell Ashanti and Nelly’s child about the time he got to sing to them while they were still in their mother’s belly, and about how their mother changed his life, and how their dad was there for him when he needed a little love and guidance.
Ashanti then left a comment under the post thanking him and letting him know that his words had made her cry.
The couple haven’t yet revealed the baby’s due date.
