Celebrity Families
Does Ashanti Have Kids? Inside Her Family & Relationship With Nelly
Ashanti will be appearing on the Sunday, April 13, episode of American Idol to help mentor 12 of the top 24 contestants with Season 23 artist in residence Jelly Roll.
The early 2000s superstar is still dabbling in music, but the last few years of her life have also been dedicated to her family. Ashanti is married to Nelly, whom she previously dated for 10 years before their 2023 reunion.
Swooon is doing a deep dive into the pair’s relationship and family life. Scroll down for more!
Does Ashanti have kids?
Yes, Ashanti and Nelly share one child. Their son, Kareem Kenkaide “KK” Haynes, was born in July 2024, but they were able to keep his arrival a secret for several weeks before she debuted her postpartum body on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
On August 21, 2024, Ashanti shared a photo of her post-baby body and wrote, “Funny how life’s plans aren’t…always on time.. lol. I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings! This is what postpartum looks like I’m loving these super cozy @fridamom shorts! I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, boy.” Her rep then confirmed KK’s July 18, 2024, birthdate.
Is Ashanti having a second child?
Ashanti was 43 years old when she gave birth to Kareem and said in February 2025 that she hopes to add more children to the brood. “I definitely want more kids, but maybe not right this second,” she said on Today With Jenna & Friends.
Of her baby boy, she added, “He’s my best friend. He’s like the sweetest little angel baby. He just laughs and smiles all day,” she said. “I couldn’t even imagine my life without him now. I’m so happy.”
Meanwhile, Nelly has two biological children (a son and daughter) from previous relationships. He also adopted his stepsister’s two children after she died in 2005.
Why did Ashanti and Nelly split?
Ashanti and Nelly originally dated from 2003 to 2013. They met while attending a pre-Grammys party and had a 10-year relationship.
Although the two kept tight-lipped about their split for quite some time, she finally broke her silence while appearing on The Meredith Vieira Show in 2015 and admitted that lack of trust led to the breakup.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
“I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character,” she explained. “I’ve been betrayed. You just have to grow. You have to grow up. You have to accept responsibility for the things that you do. I’m not a big fan of people being cowards.”
How did Ashanti and Nelly get back together?
In 2021, both stars appeared onstage at Ja Rule and Fat Joe‘s Verzuz Battle. Ashanti didn’t know her ex was going to be in attendance, and it was the first time they saw each other in years. Nelly went out of his way to hug her on stage, but they didn’t converse beyond that.
“It was very unexpected,” Ashanti said in an interview with Power 105.1. “I hadn’t seen him in like six years or more. Spoken or seen [him]. So it was a little awkward.”
By December 2022, they were in a “better place,” she confirmed on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “We have some conversations. So it was cool.” She also didn’t shut down the possibility of getting back together with her ex. By that spring, they were a confirmed item again.
During her 2025 appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends, Ashanti recalled the aftermath of the Verzuz reunion and revealed that Nelly got her phone number from her DJ, which is how they reconnected privately. “We spoke, we had a few conversations, we went on a date, and it’s weird because the butterflies came back,” she revealed. “And I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I thought these feelings were gone.’ There’s no way that I would have ever thought those feelings would come back.”
When did Ashanti and Nelly get married?
The couple privately tied the knot in December 2023 but were able to keep the news a secret for six months. When Ashanti announced her pregnancy in April 2024, she referred to Nelly as her “fiancé,” although it was revealed two months later that they were already married at that point.
While appearing on The Bootleg Kev podcast in March 2025, Nelly explained why he and his wife got married when they found out she was pregnant. “I was like, ‘Yo, you know what? Let’s just knock this out because we’re going to be doing so much and everything’s moving so fast.’ I didn’t want her to be a baby mama, you know what I mean?” he shared. “Because we already knew where we were in life. If we’re back like this, this must be what it’s supposed to be.”
