Nelly and Ashanti Reveal They Secretly Married 6 Months Ago

Nelly and Ashanti have been secretly married for six months!

Documents obtained by PEOPLE reveal that Ashanti, 43, and Nelly, 49, tied the knot on December 2023. While the couple had previously announced their engagement and pregnancy with their first child, they kept their wedding under wraps. TMZ was the first to break the news of their marriage.

Earlier this week, Ashanti shared details about the proposal and her wedding dreams with Entertainment Tonight. She described the proposal as a "beautiful, intimate moment" at home, joking that she was completely caught off guard, wearing one of Nelly's T-shirts and boxers at the time.

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In May, Ashanti celebrated her first Mother's Day as an expecting mother, posting photos on Instagram with Nelly and their family, showing off her baby bump. "This Mother’s Day was so special," she captioned. "Having our families together as we are about to embark on such an incredible journey was amazing. Wishing all the amazing Moms and Moms-to-be a beautiful Mother’s Day...!!!! 😆😆😆😆❤️🙏🏽🥳 #grateful 🙏🏽🥰" She humorously added that she got distracted by all the food, noting, "Ps… I only had 1 plate tho 🤣🤣👀"

The couple originally started dating in the early 2000s but broke up in 2013. They rekindled their romance in 2023, announcing their engagement and pregnancy almost a year later. 

"It surprised both of us,” Nelly said on the Boss Moves with Rasheeda show on Philo in September. In April 2024, Ashanti emphasized the significant changes in her life during an interview with Essence, saying, “This new year of my life is such a blessing full of love, hope, and anticipation. Motherhood is something that I have looked forward to."

The ‘Foolish’ singer also subtly confirmed their engagement by referring to Nelly as her "fiancé."

–Farheen Ali