Pregnant Ashanti and Nelly have been secretly married for 6 months
Awww Baby!
Ashanti has been legally rockin’ wit Nelly for nearly six months.
The couple secretly married on Dec. 27, 2023, in St. Louis, Mo. — the rapper’s hometown — according to the marriage license obtained by Page Six.
Ashanti, born Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas, and Nelly, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., are expecting their first child together.
Their reps did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
TMZ was first to report the news.
The “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)” songstress, 43, announced in April that she and the “Hot in Herre” hitmaker, 49, were engaged.
She also confirmed her pregnancy after months of speculation.
“This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope and anticipation,” she told Essence at the time.
“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.”
Ashanti went on to post an Instagram video showing her momager, Tina Douglas, asking if she was ready to go on stage for a performance.
“Imma need about nine months,” Ashanti replied as she showed Douglas a positive pregnancy test.
The video ended with the words, “To be continued…”
The “Foolish” singer made sure to tag Nelly, and she captioned the post, “Baby baby baby baby…. ❤️🙏🏽😆.”
The pair first met in 2003 at a Grammy Awards press conference.
After dating for a decade, they broke up in 2013, with Ashanti later explaining that the “Dilemma” chart-topper had “betrayed” her.
However, in April 2023, the musicians sparked reconciliation rumors while sitting ringside at a boxing match in Las Vegas.
After dating under the radar for several months, Nelly revealed in September 2023 that he and Ashanti were officially back together.
At the time, he admitted the re-coupling had “surprised” them “both.”
The rapper is already dad to daughter Chanelle Haynes, 30, and son Cornell Haynes III, 25, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Channetta Valentine.
Nelly also adopted his late sister’s two children — Shawn Thomas and Sydney Thomas — after she died of leukemia in 2005.
