When Ashanti and Nelly’s on-and-off relationship officially ended in 2013, there was a lot of speculation about why things hadn’t worked out between them.
There were rumors that included everything from Nelly’s infidelity to commitment issues on both sides.
But what if there was a less obvious reason for their breakup?
Something that a lot of people had no idea about.
Was Tina Douglas the Reason For Nelly and Ashanti’s Breakup?
There was one theory that went around that it had something to do with Ashanti’s mother, Tina Douglas.
She allegedly made things difficult for Nelly and Ashanti because of her controlling nature.
Which supposedly discouraged Nelly from making a permanent commitment at the time.
In 2008, AceShowBiz released a report which claimed that Nelly couldn’t stand Tina.
It said that according to one of Star Magazine’s sources, Tina stuck her nose in everything because she was also Ashanti‘s manager.
They alleged that she was always pushing Ashanti to make more money and to always look great.
It stressed her out, and Nelly didn’t like that.
The article also claimed that he was trying to get Ashanti to be more independent and stand her ground more, but apparently, she found it super difficult because of her mom’s grip on her.
The insider shared that Tina had such a strong personality that she was kind of afraid of her.
They went on to say that it was getting in the way of their long-term plans.
Tina’s Controlling Nature
Before making her his wife, Nelly reportedly wanted to know that Ashanti could make decisions on her own.
He was hoping that she’d put her mom in her place.
It’s hard to tell just how much of a controlling influence Tina has been in her daughter’s personal life, but what is clear is that she’s been behind her daughter throughout her entire career.
It seems that she’s made being a mom and a manager her WHOLE identity.
Black Enterprise reported that wherever Ashanti was, Tina was likely not far away.
She’s been right by her daughter’s side ever since she got big in the music industry in 2001.
She even describes herself as the original momager on her Instagram.
Tina actually has her own website called Momanger.com, where she has a behind-the-scenes series which she produced about how to be a good momager.
But having a momager doesn’t always work out for celebrity entertainers.
Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Usher all ended up letting their mothers go from the position.
How Tina Discovered Her Daughter’s, Ashanti, Singing Talent
So what is Ashanti and her mom’s business relationship REALLY like?
Tampa Bay revealed that Ashanti was reportedly being groomed to be a performer ever since she was a little girl.
Her mom signed her up for modeling and dancing gigs at first.
But one day, Tina realized that her daughter also had a beautiful singing voice.
The story goes that when she was 12 years old, she was at home vacuuming and singing to herself while her mom was upstairs.
Her mom had forbidden her from listening to the radio while she did her chores, so when she heard singing, she assumed that Ashanti had disobeyed her.
When she came downstairs to discover that the professional-sounding singing voice belonged to her daughter, she realized that she had a singer in the making.
Tina Knew Ashanti Was Destined To Be A Star
So it sounds like Tina knew from very early on that she wanted her daughter to be in the entertainment industry.
But how much did she want it for Ashanti and how much did she want it for herself?
In 2022, Ashanti was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
The Standard reported on the special occasion where Ashanti shared a story which once again showed us just HOW much Tina wanted her daughter to become famous.
On her first trip to LA 20 years earlier, she’d gone into a Hollywood souvenir store and bought a little fake star with Ashanti’s name on it, and told her that she’d have a real one one day.
Ashanti said that her mom manifested her getting onto the Walk of Fame and that she was forever grateful.
But at what cost did it come?
Rappers Gave Ashanti’s Mom a Nickname: The General
In an interview on Live With Kelly and Mark, Ashanti painted a picture of her mom that kind of raised some eyebrows.
She said that they were best friends, and it wasn’t a dictatorship.
Even though she was complimenting her mom, she still brought up the word dictatorship, as if that was something that her relationship with her mom had previously been compared to.
She went on to say that her mother had her back, and that she didn’t have to worry about her stealing from her.
Ashanti then shared something else about her mom that kind of sounded like a red flag.
She told Kelly and Mark that all the big rappers were SCARED of her mom, and that they’d given her the nickname: The General.
Ashanti claimed that it was a sign of respect, but what if Nelly falls into that category of those scared rappers she mentioned?
Did Tina get her military-like reputation just from being protective over her daughter as a momager, or was she more extreme than that?
How Does Tina Really Feel About Ashanti and Nelly’s Relationship?
And if she is so on top of her daughter’s life in the way that it’s been suggested, then how does SHE feel about Ashanti and Nelly spinning the block?
She must want her daughter to be happy, but it’s been reported that Nelly let Ashanti down the first time around, so maybe Tina is weary about this new reunion.
In a 2015 appearance on the Meredith Vieira show, Ashanti discreetly touched on the reason why she and Nelly weren’t still together at the time.
Meredith asked her why she thought it was difficult to trust someone in a relationship, and Ashanti said that sometimes when people had their own insecurities, it allowed them to act out of character.
She went on to share that she’d been betrayed and that she was not a big fan of people being cowards.
A lot of people took that to mean that Nelly had hurt her.
Ashanti Speaks Out About Her Relationship With Her Mother
Ashanti went back on the Meredith Vieira Show to talk about her relationship with her mother.
The host kind of prodded Ashanti to give an honest answer about what it was like to have a mom as a manager, but Ashanti just repeated what she told Kelly and Mark.
She said that her mom was one of her best friends.
But some pointed out that it almost sounded like her answer was scripted and planned.
A report by BET revealed that she said similar things when she went on 106 & Park.
She explained that in show business, it was crucial because you couldn’t trust anyone.
She said everyone was a shark; everyone looked at her as a commodity as opposed to a human being with feelings.
But with her family, they had her best interest at heart.
So let’s just hope that her mom really does want what’s best for Ashanti, and that she isn’t secretly some kind of tyrant that has controlled her daughter’s business and personal life.
Why Ashanti Is Extremely Private
Ashanti has always been known for being extremely private.
When she and Nelly were first together, she always insisted that they weren’t even a couple, that they were just friends.
It was only after they’d broken up that she confessed that they had been dating.
But was it just her decision to be so tight-lipped about it?
Or was there someone who was very selective about what details Ashanti could and could not reveal about her private life?
Even when she got pregnant, it wasn’t until months later that she made the news public.
And her mom also kept the pregnancy a secret.
Tina’s Odd Response About Nelly And Ashanti’s Pregnancy Rumors
But there was an awkward incident where she kind of admitted that Ashanti was expecting before she’d made the announcement herself.
BET reported that Tina was being interviewed in a panel discussion at the 17th Annual Women’s Impact Luncheon in Miami.
The interviewer assumed that the pregnancy was common knowledge by that point and said: “Congratulations, Ashanti’s having a baby. So congratulations, grandma.”
Ashanti’s mom clarified that there’d been no announcement, that it hadn’t come out yet until she heard it from Ashanti and Nelly.
When the host apologized and confessed that she thought that the news was public, Tina gave an odd answer.
She told her that it was public, and not to get it twisted, but that it hadn’t been officially announced.
How Will Ashanti’s Mom and Nelly’s Relationship Be Now?
The whole thing was bizarre, though, because everyone knew that Ashanti was expecting.
Now that Tina is going to be a grandmother, how will that change things between her and Nelly?
Is she going to be softer with him, since he’ll be the father of her grandchild?
Or is there a chance that she’ll be SUPER controlling because he’ll be connected to TWO of her family members?
Whether they like it or not though, they’ll both be in each other’s lives for a long time now.
