Ashanti Is Reportedly Pregnant With Her First Child After Rekindling Decade-Old Romance With Nelly

After a decade apart, Ashanti is welcoming a child with Nelly.

Back in September, the quintessential Y2K power couple pulled a Bennifer—and it looks like they’re ready for the next phase of their renewed journey, per Us Weekly.

“Nelly and Ashanti are welcoming their first baby together,” a source told the publication. This will be Ashanti’s first child, while Nelly shares two adult children with his ex, Channetta Valentine.

Ashanti and Nelly dated on-and-off from 2003 to 2013, before their relationship allegedly ended in betrayal. “I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character,” Ashanti said in a 2015 interview on The Meredith Viera Show, per People. “I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards.”

After both parties spoke about their unexpected reunion in September 2023, a source told Us Weekly that Ashanti “never would’ve imagined reconciling” with her ex, but that “they’re enjoying spending time together.” This statement seemed to echo Nelly’s own declaration that their rekindled romance “surprised both of us.”

“We cool again,” he said with a big smile on his face during an interview on Boss Moves With Rasheeda on September 12, which was shared by The Shade Room. “It wasn’t anything that was like, I don’t think, planned.” He continued, “Sometimes being separate, you can understand one another more.”

That same evening, Ashanti walked the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet holding a purse with a photo of their faces on it. “We’re in a great place,” Ashanti said of their reunion. “I think it’s pretty obvious. Yeah, we’re together.”