We Can't Stop Smiling Watching Nelly And Ashanti's New Show

Nelly & Ashanti — Source: Peacock / Peacock

Ashanti has always represented real women. I remember hearing “Foolish” for the first time and thinking, ‘She made this song for me.’ Her music resonated because she was singing about the throes of womanhood. Even her family makeup felt familiar—a strong Black mother, younger sister, father, and tight family unit. Body been tea, but as she matured, she became more and more of a poster woman for real bodies and #bodygoals. We get to watch her and Nelly on their new show Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together and refreshing – whodathinkit? In a world of superficial reality TV shows, Hollyweird families, and glorified clout-chasers, Nelly and Ashanti’s love feels authentic. And fans are really rocking with it.

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Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together catches up with pop stars Nelly and Ashanti four months after the birth of their baby, KK. Ashanti is like every other first-time mom, breastfeeding while trying to “snap back,” balance career, mental health and marriage—smiling but battling intense anxiety. She has to decide if she wants to hit the stage in the Motown Christmas Special, a show she booked before giving birth. Then there’s the pressure she feels to be back in a bikini “and be right,” right away. In a scene in the gym, she checks her trainer, who playfully called her lazy. “You can only call me lazy when you have a baby.” Periodt. Nelly walks in as she finishes her routine and lends his support. “I think it’s inspirational,” he said. In a confessional moment with the adoring couple, he begs her not to lose too much weight. “You the baddest to me thing on the planet to me, regardless, especially with them thighs,” he jokes.

Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together

“It was a lot going through a lot of firsts in front of so many people,” Ashanti explained in a promo interview with HelloBeautiful. “Becoming newlyweds and getting married and having a child and the postpartum body. I like to be in a bikini on an island, you know what I mean?” She added, “After having a baby, you go through those things as a woman, and I just feel like I wanted to inspire women that it’s OK, you don’t have to snap back the minute you step out of the hospital room.”

It’s really Nelly and Ashanti’s chemistry that carries the show. They don’t stop laughing. At any given point, they are both displaying all 32 teeth, as social media would say. Their dynamic works, like when Ashanti hilariously brought him to a very expensive mattress appointment. And in case you forgot how rich they are, there’s a scene when they sit down with Lorraine Schwartz to pick up their custom wedding ring and band.

In another scene, he comforts her as she decides if she should cancel her upcoming appearance, which would pull her away from baby KK: “I’m with you either way.”

Social media reactions to the show have been positive.

Their love is so infectious, I was smiling during our interview. Before watching episode one of the show, I could’ve easily fallen into, Do we really need another reality TV show? But, yes. Yes, we do. More healthy Black love, please. More of our beloved entertainers aging gracefully. More Black wealth on display. More Black family handling business.

Catch Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together on Peacock.

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