Ashanti Confirmed That She And Nelly Are Engaged And Expecting Their First Child Together

It has been some months since rumors first began to circulate about a potential pregnancy for the recently reunited Ashanti and Nelly. The millennial radio mainstays were first linked again in 2022 after revisiting the past with a sultry performance in Las Vegas.

Today, Ashanti confirmed the pregnancy rumors and announced her engagement to Nelly in an exclusive report in Essence, as well as an Instagram post with a LOT of production value.

“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.”

The two performers had originally dated from early 2003 after meeting at a Grammy Awards press conference and were together for about 10 years, splitting in 2015 after Ashanti intimated that she’d been “betrayed” by the “Country Grammar” rapper, although they did not reveal a specific reason for the breakup. Their reunion was greeted warmly by fans, with Nelly saying, “I think it surprised both of us though. It wasn’t anything that was like planned. I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate, you understand one another more. See maybe what they see.”

Now it seems what the couple sees — or hears, rather — is wedding bells.