Ashanti announces pregnancy, expecting first child with Nelly

R&B sensation Ashanti has confirmed her pregnancy with rapper Nelly, marking their first child together. 

The announcement came via an Instagram video shared by Ashanti on Wednesday, as she prepared for a performance. 

During the video, Ashanti's mother, Tina Douglas, inquired about her readiness for the show, to which Ashanti humorously responded, "I'm gonna need about nine months," stunning Tina with the news of her pregnancy. 

This forthcoming addition will be Ashanti's first child and Nelly's third, as the Hot in Herre artist is already a father to Chanelle and Cornell Haynes III from a previous relationship. 

Nelly adopted his late sister Jackie Donahue's children, Shawn and Sydney Thomas, after her passing from leukemia in 2005.

The couple hinted at their pregnancy news back in December during an event. 

They rekindled their romance earlier this year after a decade of on-and-off dating, officially calling it quits in 2013. 

Their relationship made headlines last September at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, where Ashanti walked the pink carpet solo but carried a purse adorned with a photo of herself and Nelly from exactly two decades earlier at the VMAs, commemorating their enduring connection.

Speaking with ET, she remarked, "I just thought that this was cool because this picture was taken 20 years ago at the VMAs in 2003." 

She recalled the positive place they were in during that time.