Ashanti & Nelly's Reported Pregnancy News Causes A Stir

In a story of rekindled romance — something akin to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez — Ashanti and Nelly are back together. (An amusing coincidence, given that Ashanti and Lopez also have a wild connection over music credits.) Not only are Nelly and Ashanti officially reunited, they're also going to have their first baby together, as reported by US Weekly. This will be Ashanti's first baby; Nelly has two children with his ex-girlfriend Channetta Valentine.

Ashanti and Nelly's relationship started back in 2003 after they met at the Grammys. They started dating off and on, though they kept it pretty low key, not frequently talking about their relationship in public. They split for good by the early 2010s, but they've clearly rekindled their relationship, and it seems much more public this time around. 

Fans, of course, are super excited for the couple with their baby-on-board news, and they've taken to social media to say so. One person posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), "she waited for the right time with the right one." Another posted, "Oh, wow. Sometimes, getting that old thing back is worth the trouble. Congrats to them! It takes a lot of courage to let love into doors that have been shut before but they didn't let the history stop their feelings."

Ashanti and Nelly had what, in retrospect, feels like a sneak preview of their pregnancy announcement at Nelly's Black and White Ball on December 3, 2023. While Ashanti and Nelly were onstage, fans caught her on video putting her hand on her belly. Nelly then did the same, and the couple shared a laugh. Perhaps they were laughing because they knew they were pregnant and the world was about to find out?

There were some who guessed even earlier that there could be a baby on the way. A few weeks before the official pregnancy announcement, Nelly posted on Instagram a video of him and Ashanti together for his birthday. And in the comments, one person asked, "He's always drinking.. she's not.. is she [pregnant] or nah?" We love to see a fan theory validated!

Social media also lit up with the guess that Ashanti and Nelly would be getting married next. In the comments to Nelly's birthday Instagram post, one person said, "Nelly, I swear I don't wanna pressure you, but bro....wedding." Another person is hoping for more than that: "Ashanti needs a ring by Christmas and a Bravo Wedding Special!" We've got to admit, we'd watch that! 

Meanwhile, others had the theory that the two were already hitched. "Loving watching all this love between the two of them..I will be happy when Nelly and Ashanti announce they been married for a year already," one wrote.

If Ashanti and Nelly are secretly married, it would be a big change from what Nelly's said about the possibility marriage to Ashanti over a decade ago. When asked about it in 2010 in an interview with RapUpTV, he said that while they enjoyed each other's company, marriage was not an option at the time. "I'm married to my work," he explained.

Fast forward to December 2022, and Ashanti told People that while she did want to get married at some point, that stance came with some caveats. "But I have to make sure it's with the right person," she explained. She also expanded on the potential of having kids, saying "Trust me, there's a lot of guys that want to be my baby daddy — and they've tried." Looks like Nelly was the one who succeeded! Nelly admitted that the two had gotten back together in September 2023, and on "The Shade Room," he talked about their relationship, saying, "I think it surprised both of us ... It wasn't anything that I don't think was planned."

What may have been planned was their getting pregnant. Nelly hinted at starting a family with Ashanti in his Instagram post about her surprise birthday gift to him — a 1964 blue Chevy Impala. Someone commented, "Get her pregnant [...] TONIGHT!!" to which he replied, "I'm on it." Quite the share! And while we don't know — and don't need to know — when their baby was conceived, his comment does shed some light on the couple looking to expand their family.