Rumors broke last month that claimed Ashanti’s mom is not happy with her new son in law, Nelly.
The rumor first spread online after outlets claimed to have talked with sources close to the family.
They alleged that Ashanti’s mom, Tina Douglas, was left furious after hearing Nelly’s plan for her new grandchild.
It appeared that Tina didn’t like what Nelly’s decision might say about what can be expected for his baby with her daughter.
Ashanti is currently pregnant with her first baby, and Nelly’s fifth.
Announcement of Ashanti’s Pregnancy
When the news of Ashanti’s pregnancy first dropped, Tina was actually part of the announcement.
The singer teamed up with Essence to share a reel on Instagram.
The reel appeared to show Ashanti preparing for a show before she revealed her pregnancy in a very cute way.
In the reel, Tina calls on her to ask her how long she’s going to be.
Ashanti then appears on screen and says with a cheeky smile, “Probably around 9 months.”
Is Nelly Naming Ashanti’s Baby After His Ex?
But although Tina has been heavily involved with the young family from the word go, she was reportedly fuming about one important decision Nelly has made.
The rumor was that Nelly had decided to name his child after his own ex-girlfriend.
This gossip was unconfirmed, but if true, it’s no wonder Tina was allegedly outraged.
It was claimed that Nelly had shared his plan to name his baby Shaun, which was taken to be connected to ex-girlfriend Shantel Jackon.
Why Ashanti’s Mom, Tina Douglas, Lost Her Temper
Tina was said to have been the first person to hear the news.
According to inside sources, she lost her temper when she found out.
One source allegedly said, “Tina was seeing red. She couldn’t believe that Nelly would have the audacity to name his own son after his ex-girlfriend of all people.”
The source went on to describe the decision as a major slap in the face to Ashanti.
Tina’s reaction was reportedly to call Nelly and give him a piece of her mind.
She accused him of showing disrespect to Ashanti and their family.
The anonymous source added that Tina felt it was a betrayal that Nelly was carrying out because he was petty.
Nelly Speaks Out
However, her words allegedly fell on deaf ears, with Nelly rumored to still be committed to naming the baby Shaun.
In fact, he is alleged to have said that Tina has entirely got the wrong end of the stick.
He reportedly told loved ones that the name doesn’t actually have anything to do with Shantel.
Instead, he claimed that it was a family name that has been in his family for generations, and that Ashanti and Tina were reading too much into it.
But if the sources are to be believed, Tina didn’t buy Nelly’s explanation.
She is rumored to be convinced that Nelly has only decided on the name Shaun to spite Ashanti for some reason.
Nelly’s Ex Shantel Reached Out To Him And Offered Support
Since the alleged fallout, more gossip has emerged about Shantel getting herself mixed up in the drama.
Apparently, she reached out to Nelly to offer her support.
The source claimed that Shantel felt bad for Nelly in this situation, as she knew how important his family was to him.
Shantel also apparently refused to believe that Nelly was trying to get back at Ashanti in any way.
Although Ashanti has always been the most high profile woman in Nelly’s life, they were apart for many years.
During that time, the best known of Nelly’s romantic relationships was the one he shared with Shantel.
So the idea of Nelly naming a child after Shantel was always going to raise some eyebrows and make people wonder if Nelly still had feelings for her.
Shantel Shut Down The Rumors
But the truth is that Shantel herself shut down the idea of any romantic feelings between them a few months ago during a live stream online in which she took questions from her followers.
One of her answers in particular got fans wondering if she was throwing some shade at Nelly and Ashanti getting back together.
The video started innocently enough with Shantel telling her followers that she was trying to utilize all of her social media platforms.
She stated that she was happy, and she seemed to be enjoying answering questions about her life right now.
When asked, she confirmed that she was single and added that she was ready to mingle.
Did Shantel Jackson Throw Shade At Nelly And Ashanti?
At one point, however, one follower asked her a question that seemed to be a reference to Nelly and Ashanti.
The question was what advice she had for someone who went back to somebody they really loved.
This was in January of this year, a short time after Nelly and Ashanti secretly got married.
When she answered the fan question, Shantel started off trying to be diplomatic.
She said that if it worked out, it was something that people should do.
However, what she went on to say seemed to suggest that there was more to it.
She played with her earring as she stated, “I don’t go back. I don’t go backwards,” before laughing and moving on to the next question.
So it looks like Tina’s concerns about Shantel trying to find a way back into Nelly’s life are hopefully unfounded.
Did Tina Prove Her Loyalty?
More recently it looks like Tina, Nelly and Ahanti are all on the same team again.
A few months ago, when pregnancy rumors first started flying around, Vibe magazine reported on Tina’s appearance on a panel.
And it seemed like she wanted to prove her loyalty during some probing questions from the host.
The host congratulated Tina on the news of her daughter’s pregnancy, but she was quick to butt in.
She replied that the story had not “been officially announced.”
She went on to make it clear that she had nothing to say about it until she heard it from Ashanti and Nelly.
The host apologized, only for Tina to bizarrely respond, “No, it is public. Don’t get it twisted. But it hasn’t been officially announced. So until it is…”
A few months previously, the news of Ashanti’s potential pregnancy was first reported by Us Weekly.
But clearly, Tina knew more than the rest of us from an early stage, but wanted to wait for her daughter and son in law to be ready before talking about anything to do with their personal lives.
How Nelly Hinted At Ashanti’s Pregnancy
But she could also acknowledge that everyone was talking about the rumored pregnancy ever since that viral moment when Nelly accidentally hinted at it to the whole world.
In December last year, the couple performed together at Nelly’s annual Black and White Ball event.
At one point during the St. Louis event, Ashanti was seen resting a hand on her belly on stage.
Almost automatically, her husband started rubbing her belly too.
Ashanti immediately moved his hand away, and the two looked at each other and started laughing.
Clearly, Ashanti knew what people would think after seeing Nelly touch her stomach like that.
She was quickly proven right, with the eagle eyed crowd erupting with cheers.
However, at that time, they didn’t know for sure that they were really pregnant.
Ashanti said in a later interview that they had not even taken a test at that time.
So Tina absolutely did the right thing by keeping from talking too much until everything was comfortable for her daughter.
There have been no further reports about her alleged falling out with Nelly over his son’s name.
With a new little one on the way, this really isn’t the time for Nelly to lose the support of his mother in law.
