Nelly (real name: Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.) issued a public apology after his oral sex tape was posted on Instagram Stories and immediately deleted.
“I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family, this is unwanted publicity for her/them,” the “Hot In Herre” rapper, 47, told TMZ in a statement on Tuesday, February 8. “This was an old video that was private and never meant to go public.”
His team noted it appears to be a hack, as “they’re investigating a breach and are concerned more of Nelly’s private content may also end up online … including financial information, personal documents and passwords.”
After the clip was posted online, several social media users captured screen recordings and his name went viral on Twitter.
Nelly’s leaked video scandal made headlines less than a year after the “Dilemma” hitmaker and his longtime girlfriend, Shantel Jackson, split in August 2021.
Last summer, she responded to a fan’s question about whether they were “still together” and confirmed they had parted ways. Jackson, who had dated the star since 2014, replied to the inquiry with, “No we’re not. Just friends.”
In December 2021, Jackson further addressed their breakup during an appearance on The Real and said that she and Nelly remained amicable after spending many years together.
“My ex and I, we didn’t end on bad terms,” she revealed. “When we started our relationship, I was always on the road with him — traveling out of the country, on concerts, all that good stuff.”
“But then, when it came to a point where I was home more often, building my company Shoe Gummi or just working on my brand, and him being on the road, me being on the road less with him, we started to grow apart,” she continued.
Nelly spoke out about his fondness for Jackson as well during a Dancing With the Stars tribute performance in October 2020. He and pro partner Daniella Karagach finished in third place on season 29 of the ABC series.
“I would not want my life to not have Shantel in it,” he said about their relationship on the show. “We’ve been seeing each other for five or six years. Any time you can connect with somebody like that, it works out for the long run. She’s sweet, beautiful and the more we got to know each other, she’s just as beautiful inside.”
In Touch has reached out to Nelly’s team for comment.