After their on-and-off romance, Nelly and Ashanti are finally married and are expecting a baby together. The couple first met in 2003 at a Grammy Awards press conference, and their first split was in 2013. The Grammy Award-winning artists were separated for a decade, until they were reunited in 2023 and quietly married in December 2023. As the adorable couple rekindles their romance with a baby on the way, here’s the complete relationship timeline of the duo.
2003: Nelly and Ashanti’s First Meet
Nelly and Ashanti first met at an event in 2003 as the latter recalled their first meeting in VH1’s Behind the Musical special as a “joke.” She said, “The first time I met Nelly he asked me for my autograph, but I think he was being sarcastic and I remember writing it down on the program. That picture has been in so many publications as something else, but it all started out as a joke. For the record, it took him a long time to get my number.”
2006: Nelly and Ashanti Attend a Party Together
Although the pair stayed silent about their relationship, the couple were captured attending Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs launch party for his perfume. In the same year, they also showed up at Nick Cannon’s TAO’s 6th anniversary party.
2008: Ashanti Hinted At Her Relationship
As the couple were rumored to be dating since their first meet, Ashanti hinted at their relationship and opened up about it for the first time in 2008. She performed at a Los Angeles Lakers game where she told People, “Me and Nelly, we’re good friends. We kick it – hang out a lot. The industry is very hard, so it’s good to have fun and lighten it up.”
When asked if there’s any chance the couple would get hitched, she denied and said, “Oh no. Noooo! No engagement, but definitely in the future. Ha! Ha!”
2009: Nelly’s Music Video Features Ashanti
In 2009, Nelly released his music video Body On Me which featured Ashanti and he raps, “I wanna make you someone more than just a bone in my closet/I wanna win that type of relationship.” In the video, the couple was flirty and dancing with each other.
2010: Nelly Admits They’re Friends and Not Ready For Marriage
During an interview with RapUpTV, Nelly shared that the couple “enjoy each other’s company” and they’re “just friends.” He said, “What people don’t understand is that I think you really have to be friends first, that’s the thing. It’s not about how long it takes, there’s no time limit on this. I’m not a person who wants to be married more than once, I’m not a person who wants to be in a relationship more than once. You’re dying if you leave me.” He also expressed that his focus is on his work and not thinking about getting married.
2013: Ashanti and Nelly Breakup Rumors
While the couple kept their relationship a secret all those years, they also refused to confirm their breakup rumors. During an appearance on HOT 97, Ashanti admitted she and Nelly are “good friends” and revealed everything is well between the two.
2014: Ashanti Opens Up About Nelly
Although Ashanti kept mum about their relationship or breakup, she did admit that she had “no beef” with Nelly. Moreover, she was asked about partying with Nelly at the Super Bowl a month ago, she expressed there were no “bitter” feelings toward the rapper. She expressed, “It’s a very small industry. Are we gonna see each other? Yeah… I’m not bitter. I feel like in a relationship, it’s like ping-pong. Sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them. That’s a real statement, everyone goes through that.”
2015: Ashanti Talks About Breakup with Nelly
In 2015, Ashanti seemingly opened up about her breakup with Nelly on The Meredith Vieira Show. She explained that it all came down to trust adding, “I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character. I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards.”
2021: Nelly and Ashanti Reunite During Ja Rule and Fat Joe’s Verzuz Battle
Coincidentally, Nelly and Ashanti reunited for the first time on the Verzuz stage to perform with Ja Rule and Fat Joe. Nelly even gave a hug to Ashanti. After the performance, Ashanti went to Instagram Live and shared that she was shocked to see Nelly.
She said, “Now look, this is the crazy part: I had no idea he was gonna be there. I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since we broke up. Six years or something? So, I didn’t know what to expect. I seen his eyes get big and I didn’t know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know what to expect. It was positive.”
Shortly after her Live, Nelly shared similar sentiments on the Big Tigger Show expressing that “it wasn’t like that. I said what up to everybody. I didn’t want no uncomfortable feelings. Nothing like that. I just said what up.”
2022: Nelly and Ashanti Perform Body On Me On Stage
After years, Nelly and Ashanti joined on stage to perform their 2008 hit Body On Me. As the couple danced together, their chemistry was unbeatable. In the same year, Ashanti made an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live where she talked about the performance with Nelly. She revealed that she and Nelly are “in a better place”.
2023: Nelly and Ashanti Spotted Holding Hands
Nelly and Ashanti sparked reconciliation speculation after the couple was spotted holding hands after the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Later, an insider revealed to People that they’re just “touring and performing together and just hanging.” But they confirmed their romance after they stepped out together for the 3rd Annual Birthday Ball for Quality Control CEO Pierre P Thomas at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. This occasion was the first time Nelly and Ashanti walked on a red carpet since 2012.
2023: Nelly Shares Video With Ashanti
Nelly shared a video post of him and Ashanti singing Usher’s romantic song Nice & Slow as they cozied up to each other. Later in September, the couple confirmed they rekindled their romance after 10 years from their breakup. After a month, Nelly surprised Ashanti with two pieces of diamond jewelry and penned a sweet birthday note to her, calling her an “incredible person”. In the same year, Ashanti surprised Nelly on his 49th birthday at Frost Bistro & Bar in Atlanta. The couple quietly married in December 2023; however, the news wasn’t revealed until June 2024.
2024: Ashanti and Nelly’s New Collaboration
Nelly and Ashanti collaborated on a new song This Lil’ Game We Play. And in April, Ashanti announced that she and Nelly are expecting their first child together. Later, Nelly held a baby shower and surprised her wife.
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