Nelly has defended his performance at President Donald Trump's inauguration celebrations in the past, but there's one person in his immediate family who wasn't a fan of his involvement in the president's festivities.
In an episode of Peacock's "Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together," Ashanti told her mother and manager, Tina Douglas, that the father of her first child considered the event as an opportunity to perform at the White House rather than endorsing a particular candidate. Despite her daughter's explanation, Miss Tina was not feeling it. She voiced her opinion about Nelly performing at the event following Trump's reelection.
“This is very emotional for me,” Tina said before she explained her own father's activism during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. After hearing her out, Ashanti said that she doesn't really speak out about her feelings about politics.
“As your mom and your manager, it’s my job to make sure you can voice your opinion on what you feel and what you know," Tina responded.
Soon after Ashanti and her mom chatted, Nelly walked into the room and confirmed he would perform at the inauguration celebration. He previously defended his performance after he and other artists like Snoop Dogg received plenty of backlash for hitting the stage in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. During his sit-down with Willie D on his podcast in January, Nelly reiterated that he "respects the office" no matter who is elected.
“I’m not doing this for money," he said. "I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office. The same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war for whoever is in office... If they can put their lives on the line for whoever’s in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever’s in office.”
Nelly and Ashanti's new docuseries is currently streaming on Peacock. Watch them talk about the series on The Breakfast Club below.