Wow, did you hear about Nelly? He’s caught up in some serious drama, cheating on Ashanti while she’s pregnant. It’s like some men have no shame, pulling stunts like this after they’ve already got you tied down with a baby. And poor Ashanti is getting a taste of that harsh reality. This mess comes right after Nelly’s arrest for being high and having performance pills on him—people are even suggesting he used them just before the cheating happened. People are dragging him hard for this, especially since Ashanti is at home, gearing up to have their baby.
Things get even messier when you consider the rumors about Nelly secretly seeing his ex, Shantel. Apparently, she’s just one of many women he’s been unfaithful to Ashanti with. Nelly seems to have a habit of revisiting old flames, so this isn’t all that surprising. After all, he did rekindle things with Ashanti and now has a baby with her, leaving her to deal with all this drama.
For a bit of context, Nelly and Ashanti first started seeing each other back in 2003 after meeting at a Grammy event. They were spotted together everywhere, though they always claimed to be just friends, even though everyone knew they were more than that. Ashanti once said in 2008, “Me and Nelly were good friends. We kick it and hang out a lot. The industry is very hard, so it’s good to have fun and lighten up.” She did hint at a future engagement, but it never came to be. By 2013, after a decade together, they broke up. Nelly then moved on with Shantel in 2014. They were together for seven years, and Nelly even talked about possibly marrying her. But again, no engagement happened, and they split up in 2021.
Things got really interesting after Nelly and Shantel broke up. Not long after, Nelly and Ashanti started popping up together, and people couldn’t help but wonder if Nelly and Shantel’s split had something to do with his reunion with Ashanti. Shantel seemed to confirm those suspicions when she talked about why they broke up. She explained, “At the start of our relationship, I was always on the road with him—traveling for concerts and all that. But when I started focusing on my own stuff, like building my company, Shoe Gumy, and being home more often, we began to drift apart. We realized it might be best to take a break and see if it would bring us back together. And that’s where we are now.”
So, it turns out they were on a break, but Nelly had other plans. He got back with Ashanti, and it looked like she was more than happy to welcome him back. They went on dates, performed together, and their chemistry was clear. Before long, Ashanti was pregnant! In an interview with Essence, she shared her excitement: “Motherhood is something I’ve always looked forward to, and sharing this with my family, fiancé, and supportive friends is just amazing.”
On the same day Ashanti announced her pregnancy, it was also revealed that she and Nelly had secretly married in December of the previous year. When asked about the proposal, Ashanti said, “It was such a beautiful, intimate moment. We were just in our PJs—I was wearing one of his t-shirts and boxers. I had no idea it was coming. It was a total surprise.”
When she talked about how she celebrated, she said, “I cried, hugged him, and FaceTimed everyone I know.” She added that her family, who were in the same city, were also emotional. “It was a mix of joy, shock, and happiness all rolled into one perfect moment.”
Things got really messy when Shantel decided to go live on Instagram right after Nelly and Ashanti announced their marriage. While everyone was celebrating the happy news, Shantel took it upon herself to revisit her breakup with Nelly, even though she had already shared her side before. It seemed like she wanted to bring it up again, even though no one asked.
“I left because I needed some space, maybe to see if it would bring us back together or if it was just time to move on,” Shantel said. “I needed to either reunite or just move on and rip off that Band-Aid. There’s no bad blood. Sometimes people just grow apart. One person might want to stay in the relationship, while the other feels it’s not working anymore. It’s just how things go sometimes.”
The reaction from people wasn’t exactly warm. Many felt Shantel was trying to steal the spotlight from Nelly and Ashanti’s moment. One person wrote, “We don’t care. He’s married and has a baby on the way. Move on with love.” Another added, “This is kind of corny. Did she at least end this unnecessary drama with congratulations? It feels like she’s just looking for attention.”
It seems like Ashanti and Nelly’s relationship might be in trouble. Rumors are swirling that Nelly has been cheating on Ashanti and is struggling with substance abuse. The drama began when he was arrested at the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in St. Louis for possession of drugs. Apparently, after winning $50,000 on a slot machine, Nelly was told he needed a background check before getting his winnings. He thought it was a joke since he had won larger amounts there before without any issues. During the check, an active warrant from a past traffic stop came up, which led to his arrest and a search where the pills were allegedly found.
This has set off a storm online, with many people criticizing Ashanti for sticking with Nelly despite these problems. Some are questioning why he’s acting out and accusing him of cheating on her with someone named Shantel. Comments like, “Why would you make him the father of your child if he’s going to embarrass you right away?” and “Nelly’s had issues with pills before—why is anyone surprised?” are popping up. Meanwhile, some speculate that Shantel might be enjoying the attention.
It’s a bit puzzling why people are automatically assuming Nelly is cheating just because he had pills on him, or why there’s talk of him being unfaithful to Ashanti with Shantel. But one thing’s clear—there seem to be some serious issues bubbling up in this marriage from the get-go. Nelly has had a long history with addiction and some legal problems, which should have raised red flags for Ashanti. Now that she’s expecting their baby, she’s in for the long haul with all the ups and downs that come with it.
So, what do you think about Nelly being caught with substances? Are the cheating rumors true, or is everyone just making a fuss? Drop your thoughts in the comments below