Ashanti’s Mom Was NOT Feeling Nelly’s Trump Inauguration Performance [Video]

Nelly’s performance at a Trump inauguration event may have happened six months ago, but the real drama just hit reality TV. On a new episode of his and Ashanti’s show, the controversy played out on screen for the first time—and it had the whole family talking.

Video

Ashanti breaks the news in a conversation with her mom, revealing that Nelly was offered the gig and had already made up his mind to do it. Her mom is visibly shaken, calling the choice emotional given her family’s deep ties to civil rights history. She speaks proudly about her father, who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and helped desegregate institutions in their hometown. For her, Nelly’s decision doesn’t just feel like a gig—it feels personal.

Ashanti admits the situation is complicated. She tries to balance support for her husband with her role as a daughter and her own values. While she chooses not to discuss politics publicly, she makes it clear this isn’t just Nelly’s choice—it’s something that affects them both as a married couple.

Then Nelly walks in. Cool as ever, he announces he’s doing the performance and doesn’t see it as a big deal. Ashanti’s mom doesn’t agree. To her, it is a big deal, and she says so.

Nelly later addressed the controversy on Ebro in the Morning, pushing back on claims that he supported Trump. “I’ve never endorsed a president in my life,” he said. Nelly explained that he took the opportunity out of respect for the office and out of love for military families like his own. He insists people are twisting his actions into something political when, in his view, it was about service, not support.

But as the episode shows, the fallout goes beyond politics. It’s about identity, legacy, and how personal beliefs show up in public decisions.