Ashanti rocks Nelly purse at MTV Video Music Awards after couple rekindles romance

Is it 2023 or 2003? Nelly has confirmed that he and Ashanti are dating again.

Months after speculation began about the two rekindling their romance, the Grammy-winning rapper revealed in an interview released Monday that he and the "Foolish" singer are giving things another go.

In the Sept. 11 episode of the Philo show "Boss Moves with Rasheeda" — Season 2, Episode 5, "Jermaine Dupri & Nelly" — the rapper and "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" star got straight to the point with Nelly: "So you and Ashanti are back together?"

Laughing and accusing the host of starting the interview with "no warmup," Nelly bided his time before answering.

"Yeah," he confirmed to Rasheeda and her husband, Kirk Frost. "We're cool again."

"I think it surprised both of us, though. It wasn't anything that was like, I don't think, planned. I think we both was pretty much doing what we do," Nelly said.

He added, "But sometimes being separate, you understand one another more, where you could be like, 'Well, yo, let me exactly see, maybe, what they see.' 'Cause you know we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. And we know we're wrong, but we're going to stand on it, you what I mean?"

When reached by USA TODAY, reps for Nelly and Ashanti declined to comment.

Ashanti flaunts romance with Nelly at MTV Video Music Awards

Ashanti made their relationship red (or, rather pink) carpet official at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Tuesday night by accessorizing her look with a clutch that had a photo of the couple printed on it.

"This is where we first exchanged numbers. I was like, 'Oh, this would be cute,'" she told TODAY ahead of the event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

"We're in a great space. Everything is positive; we're having a lot of fun," she told People magazine.

The couple had privately dated on and off for around a decade, according to Entertainment Tonight, after they were both nominated for (and later won) Grammy Awards in 2003. They also worked together on the 2008 song "Body on Me," which features Akon, and surprised a Las Vegas crowd in May by performing the hit together during her concert with Ja Rule.

Nelly says there's 'no pressure' dating Ashanti again after a decade

Rasheeda, who previously collaborated with Nelly on her 2001 song "ATL 2 STL," asked whether being together feels good now.

"Yeah," Nelly replied. He elaborated, "I mean, because it's no pressure. You know, before, I felt like both of us were doing what we're doing career-wise, and when you've got so many people in the middle of it, it can be tough."

Until now, the two have been coy about their relationship. In a December episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Ashanti was asked what she thought about fans wanting her and Nelly to get back together.

"What I will say is: We're in a better place," Ashanti said. The singer alluded to the couple being at odds previously, making a gesture with her hands to imitate fighting.

"But, you know, we're cool now," she said.

Nelly wants a long, lasting marriage like his grandparents'

The "Hot in Herre" singer shared with Rasheeda and Frost that his grandparents had been together for 61 years. However, his parents divorced within 5 years.

"I know marriage two ways: Either you're all-in, or you're not," Nelly said.

"I think for me, because I've never been married, my goal is to die married. It's not to have been married. Like, when I make that oath, I'm telling you 'Till death do us part' for real,'" he added.

"I think the goal is to leave this Earth knowing that you had somebody that loved you and that was with you."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ashanti wears Nelly purse at MTV Video Music Awards after reuniting