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Nelly and Ashanti Reveal Whether They’re Ready for More Kids Together (Exclusive)
If only it getting hot in here were the only issue inside Nelly and Ashanti’s household
Instead, after welcoming son Kareem in July, they’ve had to learn to navigate the realities of having a baby boy—and all the bathroom-related challenges.
For Nelly—who is also dad to Chanelle, 31, and Cornell, 26, from a past relationship and later adopted his late sister’s kids Shawn and Sydney after she passed away in March 2005—he has specific goals for this next go around of parenthood.
“Don’t get peed on,” he told E! News of his current goals when it comes to his 11-month-old son, who they affectionately call KK. “I learned from my first son. Might have been shot in the eye before. It's not cool.”
The 50-year-old added of Ashanti, “She knows what I'm talking about now, when I first was telling her about it, she had no clue. But between her and her grandmother’s purse, the boy got some aim!”
And while he left the story unfinished, Ashanti was more ready to fill in the missing pieces of what befell her mother Tina Douglas’ designer handbag.
“Oh yeah, he shot straight into T-Ma’s Chanel purse,” she explained with a laugh. “KK made a permanent dent.”
Faye Sadou/Broadimage Entertainment/Shutterstock
So, now familiar with the occupational hazards of parenthood, does Ashanti envision welcoming more children with the “Hot in Here” artist?
“I think we both want to kind of grow a family,” the 44-year-old said. “It's funny, when I was younger, I was like, ‘I want six kids! Six!’”
To which her husband of two years quipped, taking into account KK as well as his other children, “Well, you got ’em.”
The couple also shared insight into what viewers can expect from their new reality series Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together, which premiered June 26 on Peacock.
“I hope the fans get that we are just authentically, organically living our lives,” Ashanti explained. “You know, it's not like for the cameras. Like, these are our lives. We have careers. We're newly married. We have our first child together, he already has kids.”
Peacock/NBCUniversal
And when it came to whether to include baby KK in the show, Nelly said he left the decision up to his wife.
“When it came to KK, that was definitely her decision,” he explained. “Her being a new mother and the anxiety of putting it out there, showing your first child to the world.”
But for fans, he added, “Hopefully we can inspire.”
For more of Nelly and Ashanti’s sweetest moments, keep reading.
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
2003
Nelly and Ashanti first crossed paths at the 45th annual Grammy Awards nomination announcement in 2003.
"The first time I met Nelly, he asked me for my autograph but I think he was being sarcastic," she recalled during VH1’s Behind the Music special. "I remember writing it down on the program, and that picture has been in so many publications as ‘something else.’ But it all started out as a joke."
Although, a romance didn't blossom right away.
"For the record," Ashanti continued, "it took him a long time to get my number."
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
2005
Over the next few years, the "Happy" singer and the "Hot In Herre" artist continued to attend several events together—including each other's birthday celebrations.
And while Ashanti confirmed to People she and Nelly went out, she made it clear they were "not boyfriend and girlfriend."
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
2006
Still, the duo continued to spark romance rumors as they sat courtside at basketball games, went to parties and walked the red carpet together, including at the 2006 premiere for Ashanti's movie John Tucker Must Die.
Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
2008
And while it may seem foolish to think there wasn't a connection between Ashanti and Nelly, especially after the release of their 2008 hit "Body On Me," she insisted their bond was just platonic.
“Me and Nelly, we’re good friends. We kick it–hang out a lot,” she told People at the time. “The industry is very hard, so it’s good to have fun and lighten it up.”
As for any rumors that a wedding was in the works?
“Oh no. Noooo! No engagement," Ashanti added. “But definitely in the future. Ha! Ha!”
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
2009
In 2009, reports spread that Nelly and Ashanti had broken up.
"We're always going to be cool," he told VladTV in 2010 about where they stand. "We're friends. It's definitely something that, right now, my focus is 5.0. Her focus is her album and getting her music and stuff like that together. And I think it's just one of those things."
However, the "Just a Dream" rapper continued to play coy about their history.
"To say we split up is to say that we were together," he added. "Our relationship has been based in the media because it's nothing we ever said about it."
Theo Wargo/WireImage for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation
2012
However, it wasn't long before Ashanti and Nelly were spotted together again. Here, they're pictured attending the 2012 Angel Ball.
Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
2015
But in 2013, Ashanti fueled split rumors.
"Nelly and I are in the space where I'm kind of like focusing on my career," she said on Hot 97. "He's focusing on what he's doing. There's a lot of things that happened this year. A lot of things went public more than other things have gone public before."
"I have to do me," Ashanti, who released her album Braveheart in 2014, continued. "We're in that space right now. And there were things that were said and things that were done that probably shouldn't have been said or done but they have been."
She then confirmed the split in 2015.
"I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities it allows them to act out of character," she said on The Meredith Vieira Show. "I’ve been betrayed. Again, you just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibilities for the things that you do."
"I’m not a big fan of people being cowards," she added. "So I think that it’s just really important to know yourself and understand what you want and get it. You know, I’m in a different place right now."
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
2021
Fast-forward to 2021, when Ashanti and Nelly joined Jermaine Dupri, Papoose, Ma, Fat Joe, Ja Rule and Lil' Mo for VERZUZ: Fat Joe Vs Ja Rule.
The following year, they performed together again, and the John Tucker Must Die star later revealed if she believed in second chances.
"What I will say is I believe that people evolve," she said on Bevy Smith's Bevelations. "I believe that people grow. I believe that people learn from their mistakes—some of them, not everybody. You know what I’m saying? I feel like you definitely have to go through something that makes you change in your time."
As she later put it, "We have to see. I mean, what’s meant to be will be, undoubtedly. Did I think a few years ago that I’d be performing with Nelly on stage? No."
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
2023
In 2023, Ashanti confirmed to E! News she and Nelly rekindled their romance, and the "Country Grammar" artist suggested they hadn't anticipated getting back together.
"We cool again," he said on Boss Moves With Rasheeda. "I think it surprised both of us, though. It wasn’t anything that was like, I don’t think, planned. I think we both was pretty much doing what we do. But sometimes being separate, you understand one another more."
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for E11EVEN
2024
Ashanti announces she and Nelly are engaged and having a baby.
“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation,” she told Essence. “Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and loyal fans, who have been so supportive of my career, is an amazing experience.”
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