Celebrities break up for all kinds of reasons — busy schedules, miscommunication, or simply the pressure of constantly being watched by the world. But as anyone who’s ever doubled back on an ex knows, love doesn’t just go away. Occasionally, the second go-around turns out to be the real thing — or at least better than the first time.
Take Nelly and Ashanti — who reconnected nearly a decade after splitting, got engaged, and welcomed their first child together. Other couples, like Cardi B and Offset, weren’t quite as lucky. The pair went through a publicly intense separation — but even their complicated relationship resulted in hits like "Clout," as well as three beautiful children.
Whether it worked out for the long haul or just for a while, here are nine celebrity couples who got back together after calling it quits.
1. Nelly and Ashanti
There’s taking your time, and then there’s Nelly and Ashanti. After meeting at a Grammy Award press conference in 2003, the two dated for years without ever really confirming they were together. They split in 2013 and didn’t appear publicly again until a surprise onstage reunion during Ja Rule and Fat Joe’s Verzuz battle. By September 2023, they were officially back on. Ashanti later revealed the two had secretly gotten back together and were expecting their first child, both of which she announced alongside their engagement in April 2024.
During her interview with REVOLT, Ashanti shared her advice for spinning the block on an ex: “Be true to yourself. You can't force it. What's meant to be will always be. Regardless of time, regardless of whatever.”
2. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
John Legend once tried to break up with Chrissy Teigen because he was “really stressed and busy,” but she wasn’t having any of it. The "All of Me" singer was on tour, so she couldn’t exactly head home — and the attempted split didn’t go far.
“Some of you know that John broke up with me for a minute,” the model and entrepreneur recalled on Instagram Live, joking that she still had to attend his shows. “He sang this song, and I was in the front row, and I was crying because I liked this song a lot, and he had just broken up with me.”
3. JT and Lil Uzi Vert
One thing about JT, she's never going to settle for less than her worth. She and Lil Uzi Vert started dating in 2019, but a few years later, the Philadelphia rapper revealed they "broke up" after an old tweet surfaced that JT initially thought was fake. “He said it was fake instead of old, and since he wants to run to the internet about it, here y’all go!" she tweeted at the time.
Luckily, they didn't let one social media hiccup ruin years of love. They made things official again in 2021, with JT later confirming that marriage is on the table. “It don’t have to be as big as my wedding is going to be, but it needs to be aesthetically pleasing,” she told Cosmopolitan her dream proposal, adding that when it does happen, it’ll be private. “I want it to be how Beyoncé did it, with a little video of it, and the people see it years later.”
4. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade have been a power couple for over a decade, so it’s hard to imagine anything coming between them. However, in 2013, the two briefly split due to “distance and scheduling,” as Union told Glamour. Just a year later, they tied the knot, and in 2018, they welcomed their first child together.
5. Coi Leray and Trippie Redd
Not all couples who get back together stay together, and unfortunately, Coi Leray and Trippie Redd fall into that category. The two rappers first started dating in 2019 but broke it off the same year, with the Cleveland rapper dissing her on “Leray” just months after they collaborated on “Everything BoZ.” Fast forward to 2024, and they tried to work things out again.
By New Year's Day in 2025, Leray revealed she was pregnant. However, just a few weeks later, she implied Trippie cheated — later all but confirming it in "Keep It." Despite their rocky romance, the two appear to be co-parenting Miyoco, their daughter, quite well.
6. Miguel and Nazanin Mandi
Miguel and Nazanin Mandi were together for 17 years, so breaking things off was never going to be easy. They started dating as teenagers, got engaged after a decade and married in 2018. In 2021, they briefly split and reunited about five months later. Ultimately, the reunion didn’t last, and Mandi filed for divorce in October 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.
7. Jhené Aiko and Big Sean
Fans have been rooting for Big Sean and Jhené Aiko since they gave us a glimpse into their possible future as an elderly couple in the video for "I Know." That, along with the undeniable chemistry on their joint project, TWENTY88, helped solidify them as fan favorites. A year later, Aiko told Billboard that Sean was, in her words, the “L-O-M-L” (short for “love of my life”).
In 2019, the two hit a rough patch and broke up, which inspired Aiko's "Triggered (freestyle)." About a year later, Sean dropped "Single Again," which ironically featured vocals from Aiko herself. Fortunately, time proved healing, and the couple reunited before eventually welcoming a baby boy named Noah in 2022.
8. Cardi B and Offset
When it comes to celebrity breakups, few have been more publicized than Cardi B and Offset’s breakup. Although the rappers were able to reconcile after their 2020 split, the Invasion of Privacy artist ultimately chose to walk away for good in 2024. Around a year after filing for divorce the second time, she was seen moving on with NFL player Stefon Diggs.
Despite their struggles in it, the relationship still managed to result in a lot of good. Together, they gave us collaborations like “Clout” and “JEALOUSY” and, most importantly, their three beautiful children: Kulture, Wave, and Blossom.
9. Ryan Destiny and Keith Powers
Ryan Destiny and Keith Powers split in 2022 after four years together — but the door never fully closed. They stayed close, and by 2025, the “Star” actress confirmed what many fans had already suspected: they were back on. “I just love him so much, and I just appreciate him every step of the way,” she told People.