Nelly reveals what he told his wife Ashanti before son's birth

Nelly gave his wife Ashanti a clear warning ahead of their son's birth last year.

The singer was already dad to four adult kids when he was expecting his first child with Ashanti at the age of 50.

In a recent appearance on Today alongside Ashanti, Nelly shared how he drew some boundaries with his wife before starting their own family together.

“Listen, I told her before we had this baby, I said, ‘Now listen, I’m here. But chasing toddlers at 50…” Nelly said Monday.

“I said, ‘As many as you want, but as many nannies as we can afford.’ I pay for a professional chaser.”

Nelly welcomed son Kareem Kenkaide “KK” with Ashanti, 44, in July 2024. He was already dad to Chanelle Haynes, 31, Cornell Iral “Tre” Haynes III, 26, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Chanetta Valentine. He also adopted his sister Jackie’s kids Shawn “Lil Shawn” Thomas Jr. and Sydney Thomas in 2005.

Nelly and Ashanti first met backstage at a 2003 Grammy Awards press conference. They dated on and off for 11 years before calling it quits completely. They later reunited in 2021 and confirmed they were together in 2023.

The couple married in December 2023 and welcomed their son in July 2024. The back of the baby's head was shown in the trailer of Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together—which premieres June 26 on Peacock.

“KK is my first child, so I’m a little more frantic,” Ashanti said in the trailer as the couple discussed their differing parenting styles.

“My parenting style is just don’t burn down the house,” Nelly quipped in response.