Nelly’s 4 Kids: All About Shawn, Chanelle, Sydney and Cornell

Nelly is aware of the importance of family – especially when it comes to his four children.

The “Dilemma” singer, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., had a daughter, Chanelle, in 1994, and a son, Cornell, in 1999, while dating Channetta Valentine. After his sister, Jackie Donahue, died of leukemia in March 2005, Nelly adopted and raised her children, Shawn and Sydney Thomas.

The whole family starred in the BET reality TV show Nellyville in 2014, along with Nelly’s girlfriend at the time, Shantel Jackson. The series showed their blended family dynamics, the passions of each child and Nelly’s struggle with balancing her father’s duties and work.

In 2021, Nelly spoke to PEOPLE about being a single father and balancing his personal and professional life.

“I wasn’t Superman,” he said. “Obviously, Nelly wasn’t there every day, but whatever needed to be done, I was definitely there. I didn’t miss proms, I appeared at sports events and whatever I could and a lot of times, I had to be a disciplinarian.”

Nelly also opened up about her sister’s death and taking over Sydney and Shawn. Nelly reflected on the family’s grief, explaining: “As bad as I feel and as much as I go through, I can’t imagine what [Sydney and Shawn] passed through. It’s one of those situations where you don’t think about it, it has to happen, that’s what family does.”

Nelly said it was a “no-brainer” to help raise his late sister’s children after her death, adding: “That’s what family is for.” The family also stayed connected – all four of Nelly’s children attended his birthday party in November 2023, thrown by his girlfriend, Ashanti.

Nelly and Ashanti’s Relationship Timeline: A Look at Their Rekindled Romance

Here’s everything there is to know about Nelly’s four children, Shawn, Chanelle, Sydney and Cornell.

Shawn Thomas

Nelly’s son Shawn “Lil Shawn” Thomas Jr. on his Instagram.

Lil Shxwn on Instagram

Nelly adopted Shawn, often called Lil’ Shawn, in 2005 when his sister Jackie died of leukemia — he was 8 at the time.

Nelly acknowledged his extended family for their help during this difficult period of grief and family transition during an appearance in September 2020. Tamron Hall show.

“I would be nothing without her help [Jackie’s] mother and family members and my brother,” said Nelly. “Although I may have put up with the financial part of it and quite a bit of the disciplinary part when it came down to it, I definitely had to have help.”

Shawn acted Nellyville with his entire family and has released music in the past, but now seems more focused on his growing family. Shawn welcomed his daughter Mahalia with his girlfriend Kristija in July 2020.

Chanelle Haynes, 29

Nelly and his daughter Chanelle on his Instagram.

Nelly instagram

Nelly and Valentine welcomed their daughter Chanelle Haynes on February 27, 1994 in New Orleans. Chanelle’s nickname is Nana, as her father affectionately called her on Instagram — he also referred to her as his “mini me.”

Over the years, Chanelle has attended events with her father, including his fourth annual Black & White Ball, a scholarship fundraiser at St. Louis, in December 2009.

When she was young, she was shown studying business at Columbia College in Chicago during the first season Nellyville. After college, Chanelle pursued music, following in her father’s footsteps.

Nelly with his daughter Chanelle at his 4th Annual Black & White Ball on December 6, 2009 in St Louis, Missouri.

Thomas Gannam/WireImage

In 2020, Chanelle released a new song and her younger brother Cornell shared a clip of her music video on Instagram in July of that year. In addition to her own music, she also writes for Derrty Entertainment, a record label founded by her father.

Appearing on Tamron Hall show in September 2020, Nelly drew comparisons between himself and his daughter, particularly regarding their work ethic.

“She’s like her dad, she’s everywhere,” he said. “She’s a big girl now. She’s working on her music and she has a radio show that she’s about to do and it will be soon.”

On Chanelle’s birthday in February 2021, Nelly posted a cute throwback photo of the pair and captioned the post, “Happy birthday to my first born daddy’s little girl.. love you to the moon 🌚 and back..!!”

Chanelle has one child named Ace. She often posts updates about her son on Instagram — Chanel’s bio reads: “Mother first.”

Sydney Thomas

Nelly’s daughter, Sydney Thomas, on her Instagram.

Sydney Thomas on Instagram

Nelly adopted Sydney, sometimes affectionately known as “Stink”, after her mother died in 2005. Tamron Hall show in 2020, the rapper talked about how he and his newly adopted children encouraged each other to heal.

“We put the pieces together, shape each other and help shape each other,” he explained. “But those children helped raise me as much as I helped raise them. Because I don’t know where I would be without them, without their true spirit and love.”

Nelly also reflected on how much parenting has changed since he was a child and how that has affected his choices with four children. The rapper said HuffPost Live 2014 that parenting today is “definitely different” than when he was growing up.

“As much as we blame our children for what they are not doing … I also try to give them as much credit as possible for dealing with things that we didn’t have to deal with,” he said. “The abuse was one-on-one and face-to-face. Now everything is on the Internet.”

Nelly also referred to the unique challenges faced by the children of celebrities. “Everybody gives their opinion and then when it comes down to them, suddenly their opinion comes because of who their father is,” he told the newspaper. “But I tell them that all the time. You can’t just be Nelly when it suits you.”

Sydney appeared on Nellyville 2014 and now has one son, Cross.

Cornell Iral “Tre” Haynes III, 24

Nelly and his son Cornell at the Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, California.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Nelly and Valentine welcomed their second child, son Cornell Iral Haynes III, on March 2, 1999. Nelly’s youngest shares a name with his father and grandfather, Cornell Haynes Sr., with whom the rapper publicly split in 2018. Nelly’s son also goes by the moniker Tre and uses the name Trizzle on Instagram.

Growing up, Cornell attended several events with his father, including the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in April 2006.

When BET featured the Haynes family on their website in front Nellyville premiered in 2014, Cornell was described as a “sports fanatic”. Louis Magazine, he started playing organized football at the age of 6. He then played college football at Christian Brothers College High School and shared several photos of himself on the field on Instagram.

In January 2015, Nelly opened up about being a single father and how he feels as a modern parent during an appearance on Really. “We are the only generation of parents who share the most with our children,” he said. “We share the same clothes, play video games, like the same things.”

Nelly said he and his son “literally can be friends”, adding: “We wear the same shoes, sometimes his clothes go a bit far with him and my nephew [Shawn]. They’re always in my closet, and I dive into their room and grab a hat.”

Describing their shared tastes, Nelly continued: “We talk about the same things, we like the same music — most of it, sometimes they go a little too far. I still understand that you have to let the young be young and you have to let them make their own mistakes. But it’s also important to understand that you have to lead them.”

Like his father, Cornell is also family-oriented and Nelly praised him for being “so respectful,” including to his great-grandmother.

Cornell also has a close relationship with his sister Chanelle. For his 24th birthday in March 2023, she shared a video with photos with her younger brother. “Wish me a happy birthday as the greatest gift my parents could give me in life,” Chanelle wrote in the caption of the post. “Your strength is unmatched, your heart is made of gold.”

She also shared her pride in her younger brother and his “creative choices” and called him an “inspiration.” Cornell describes himself as a producer on his Instagram.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education