The pair sparked pregnancy rumors when the “Country Grammar” rapper suggestively rubbed Ashanti’s belly at his Black and White Ball in St. Louis on Sunday, and Us Weekly reported the pair is indeed expecting a baby together.
A video circulating on social media showed the couple on stage at the event, which was attended by celebrities including Monica, Big Boss Vette and Bow Wow, when the “Foolish” singer placed her hands on her belly. Nelly pointedly rubbed her stomach before she playfully batted him away.
Ashanti, 43, will be a first-time mom, while Nelly, 49, shares Chanelle Haynes, 29, and Cornell Haynes III, 24, with former partner Channetta Valentine.
Ashanti and Nelly were first linked in 2003, and dated on and off through the 2000s, before finally splitting for good in 2013. They reunited on stage in late 2021 for Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s Verzuz battle. In April of this year, they were spotted holding hands at a boxing match in Las Vegas, fueling reconciliation rumors.
At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, Ashanti sported a handbag printed with a photo of the pair exchanging numbers at the 2003 VMAs, 20 years before.
Nelly confirmed the relationship in September, and the pair went Instagram official in October when he posted in honor of her birthday. At a Halloween party a couple of days before Nelly’s birthday, Ashanti reportedly gifted him a customized Chevrolet Impala, a car referenced in his 2000 track “Ride Wit Me.”