Singer Ashanti is reportedly pregnant with her first baby for boyfriend and rapper Nelly, months after rekindling their old romance.
The couple hinted at the pregnancy during Nelly’s recent ball, months after he confirmed they’d started dating again. Both music stars have insisted the reunion wasn’t planned, but they’re now happy together.
Since going public with their romance, Nelly and Ashanti have flaunted their love for each other on Instagram. They’ve shown off the lavish gifts they get each other, including a car and luxurious jewelry.
Ashanti Is Pregnant With Her First Child
The music icon is reportedly expecting her first baby with rapper Nelly, with whom she rekindled a romance earlier this year. It’ll be their first child together, while Nelly already has two kids with ex Channeta Valentine.
Ashanti and Nelly triggered rumors about the pregnancy over the weekend at his Black and White Ball in St. Louis.
During the ball, the couple took the stage and placed their hands on Ashanti’s stomach. A fan video of the moment was shared online and showed Nelly and Ashanti laughing as they placed and removed their hands from her stomach.
After a source confirmed that the couple were expecting, fans went into a frenzy, congratulating the couple.
A person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “NO LIKE YALL DONT UNDERSTAND… I’VE LOVED ASHANTI FOR THE LONGEST AND I AM SO SO HAPPY FOR HER!!! SHE DESERVES IT. CONGRATULATIONS TO HER AND NELLY.”
Another noted, “I love Ashanti and Nelly together. I don’t care what anyone says! Congratulations and I’ll bring the meatballs to the baby shower!”
Comedian Loni Love congratulated the couple, saying, “One of the sweetest women in the industry… Congratulations @ashanti and #Nelly!”
Hip Hop Royalty Recently Rekindled Their Romance
Ashanti and Nelly first met at a Grammy Awards press conference and then dated on and off from 2003 until 2013. In April this year, they sparked rumors about a rekindled romance when they were spotted cuddling up and holding hands at a Vegas boxing match.
In September, Nelly appeared in a clip from “Boss Moves with Rasheeda” and confirmed their romance by saying, “Yeah, we cool again.”
The “Hot in Herre” rapper shared that the rekindled relationship surprised him and Ashanti, stating, “It wasn’t anything that I don’t think was planned.”
Later that month, an insider in Ashanti’s team echoed the same statement to Us Weekly.
“A few years ago, Ashanti never would’ve imagined reconciling with Nelly, but they’re enjoying spending time together,” the insider noted. “They don’t want to rush anything.”
They Showed Off Their Love On Instagram
In October, Ashanti and Nelly finally took their relationship to Instagram with a post for her birthday. Nelly shared multiple photos of them together and captioned it, “One time for the birthday girl. Such a beautiful, incredible person inside and out and one of the hardest-working women. I know. @ashanti Enjoy your day Ma you look awesome!!!! Happy Birthday Love ya!!!!”
In November, Ashanti made a post for Nelly’s birthday, revealing that she’d gotten him his dream car. A source said the singer “has been planning this surprise for months and it was such a hard secret to keep. But seeing his reaction made it all worthwhile.”
Nelly was reportedly overwhelmed by the “lavish gesture” and became emotional. The source said, “This gift meant the world to him because it had a much more sentimental reason behind it. This was Nelly’s dream car since he was a kid and he couldn’t believe Ashanti gave him such a thoughtful gift. It’s one of the best presents he’s ever received.”
After Nelly posted a photo of his new car from Ashanti on social media, he replied to a fan’s comment and hinted that he was working on building a family with his girlfriend. The fan commented, “Get her pregnant @nelly,” and the “Just A Dream” rapper replied, “I’m on it.”
Nelly And Ashanti’s Performance Together
The rumors about Nelly and Ashanti’s rekindled romance intensified after a show the duo put on earlier this year. In June, Nelly was the headline performer for his “Hot in Herre” music festival and brought Ashanti out during his performance.
The couple performed their hit collab song “Body on Me,” during which Ashanti danced very suggestively on Nelly. The chemistry between the duo convinced fans that they resumed their romance, which ended about ten years ago.
Shortly after that performance, Ashanti appeared on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” The performance came up during the interview, and the “Foolish” singer was grilled about their relationship status. She said, “What I will say is, we’re in a better place. Because before, it was like [*punching*]. We have some conversations 1701725952. So it was cool.”
Congratulations to Ashanti and Nelly!