Nelly is celebrating his lady, Ashantiand the imminent arrival of their baby!
ET has learned that Nelly, 49, threw Ashanti, 43, an intimate surprise baby shower at Dolce & Gabbana children’s boutique in New York City on Sunday. The celebration included a slew of celebrity family and friends, including Fat Joe and Breland.
The sweet moment the rapper surprised his wife was captured in a video shared via Instagram. When the elevator opens, the couple is met with family and friends holding a phone and saying, “Surprise!” Ashanti is visibly shocked as she reacts in the elevator, while Nelly watches.
Fat Joe took to Instagram to share a photo of himself with the couple.
“Today we had a baby shower I love you my sister I’m sooo happy for you all GOD IS GREAT @ashanti @nelly @lolamilan1,” the “What’s Love” rapper, 53, wrote.
In the photo, Fat Joe and his wife, Lorena Cartagena, pose with Nelly and Ashanti around a yellow and white decor.
For the occasion, Nelly wore an all-black look, while the mother-to-be showed off her baby bump in a two-piece set from Dolce & Gabbana.
In another video shared on Instagram, Nelly takes the microphone and talks about the moment he and Ashanti reconnected and had a viral moment during Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s Verzuz battle — after he walked across the stage to hug her and “break the ice.”
Nelly and Ashanti revealed that they were expecting their first child together in April. In the same month, the couple – who rekindled their romance in 2023 – also shared the news of her engagement.
As if things couldn’t get any bigger for the couple, earlier this month ET discovered that Nelly and Ashanti got married in 2023. According to records, the couple obtained their marriage license in the “Country Grammar” rapper’s home state of Missouri.
Earlier this month, ET spoke to Ashanti (who was a mom about her marital status) at her maternity photoshoot, where she got emotional about the moment she told Nelly the pregnancy news.
“He was so happy and we both smiled and it was really funny,” Ashanti said of Nelly’s reaction to the big news via FaceTime. “I was actually at his mom’s house… He was in the studio. It was a really cool moment. It was a little bit of everything.”
The “Hot in Herre” rapper is father to adult children Chanelle, 29, and Cornell Haynes III, 24, from a previous relationship. Nelly also adopted his sister Jackie Donahue’s children — Shawn and Sydney Thomas — after she died of leukemia in 2005.
Ashanti added that she knows Nelly will be an incredible father to her son.
“I think he’s going to be amazing, he’s so good with his kids. When they get a chance to spend time together, he makes it worth it,” she told ET. “They all had to make sacrifices because of (his) career and traveling and growing up, you know. But when they’re together it’s the best thing in the world to watch.”
In turn, the “Baby” singer is ready to meet her little one.
“I’m excited to see this little human version of myself and the person I love so much be here,” said the singer. “I’m really looking forward to having an extension of the two of us, being with us and seeing that spirit grow.
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