On Wednesday, Ashanti shared a video to her Instagram where she's seen getting ready for a performance. Her mom, Tina Douglas, asks her how much time will she need, and Ashanti responds while holding a pregnancy test, "Ugh, I'm going to need about nine months."
Celebs flooded her comments with congratulatory messages and words of support, including La La Anthony:
LeToya Luckett:
As well as her longtime friend and "Southside" collaborator, Lloyd:
But that wasn't the only announcement she made. Earlier today, Ashanti took to her Instagram story where she recorded herself enjoying the breeze while on the balcony, as she showed off her growing baby bump. She also tagged Nelly in the post with a heart and prayer hands emojis.
And the exciting news didn't stop there! In a recent interview with Essence, The Plus One star also revealed that Nelly asked for her hand in marriage.
"This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation," Ashanti said. "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."
Many fans speculated Ashanti was pregnant back in December after video footage showed the 43-year-old singer and 49-year-old rapper rubbing her belly.
Many people have been rooting for the couple ever since they reconciled during the Ja Rule/Fat Joe Verzuz battle in 2021, where Nelly is seen walking over to Ashanti to give her an "unexpected" hug.
According to Ashanti, before that embrace, the two hadn't seen or spoken to each other in about six years. Ashanti and Nelly were a high-profile couple in the early '00s, but called it quits in 2013.
This will be Ashanti's first child. Nelly is the father of two children — his daughter Chanelle, 29, and his son Cornell III, 24 — from a previous relationship. He also adopted his niece, Sydney, and nephew, Shawn, after his sister, Jackie Donahue, died of leukemia at the age of 31 in March 2005.
