“He was off them pills and missed it” — Internet reacts as video of Ashanti celebrating her mother’s birthday surfaces amid Nelly’s arrest

Pictures and videos of R&B singer Ashanti celebrating her birthday while her husband and rapper, Nelly, was being arrested went viral on social media. The Guardian reported that Dilemma hitmaker Nelly was arrested on August 7 in Missouri for an outstanding failure-to-appear warrant and possession of four pills of ecstasy. The rapper was later released by the Maryland police.

Meanwhile, on the very same day, his wife Ashanti took to Instagram to share a few throwback photographs and videos from her mother Tina Y. Douglas' birthday. The photos featured the mother-daughter duo posing with their friends and family members in front of a background banner that had "Happy Birthday Tina" and "Momanager" written on it. The post also contained a few videos filmed as a spinning shot. The singer captioned her post:

"Recap Mom’s bday!!!! @theoriginalmomanger ❤️❤️❤️ This was such a special night Happy Birthday again mom, I love you more than anything. ❤️❤️🙏🏽🙏🏽 S/o to @createsmedia I loved the frames! 7/13/24"

As denoted by the caption, the actual celebration took place on July 13 of this year. Ashanti previously uploaded a reel on her mother's birthday, showcasing herself and the party guests dancing and singing along to Nelly's Hot In Herre. The singer also shared a behind-the-scenes video of the party, which included the moment when Tina was welcomed with a surprise by her friends and family.

Social media went wild after Ashanti shared her Instagram post. Many users noticed the absence of the singer's husband and coupled with his latest arrest, joked about him missing the party because of indulging in drugs. Many thought that the singer's post was meant to be a diversion. Here are a few Instagram reactions in this regard:

Netizens joked about the coincidence (Image via Instagram/@theshaderoom)

Social media users joked about the coincidence (Image via Instagram/@theshaderoom)

Some people were confused about when the pictures were taken and asked why Ashanti was still pregnant.

Netizens were confused (Image via Instagram/@theshaderoom)

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Nelly was arrested in a Missouri casino on August 7

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., professionally known as Nelly, was arrested on Wednesday morning at 4:45 am by the Maryland Heights police. The rapper and actor was arrested while inside the Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Missouri. He was initially taken into custody for an outstanding warrant for not having insurance proof for a vehicle.

However, the three-time Grammy Award winner was also found to be in possession of four pills of ecstasy. The rapper's mugshot showed him sporting a black hoodie over a white undershirt. In an interview with TMZ published on August 8, the rapper's attorney Scott Rosenblum alleged that an officer had falsely asked for a background check when the rapper won a jackpot in the casino.

The attorney claimed that Nelly was searched without probable cause and paraded through the casino in front of other gamblers. He also claimed that the rapper was not given a notice for his active warrant, which dated back to 2018.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol told TMZ that Nelly was booked for his outstanding warrant and felony drug possession, however, Rosenblum claimed that Nelly was not charged with the latter.