Irv Gotti Admits To Sleeping With Ashanti But Denies She's A Homewrecker

BYAron A.9.7K Views
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The Inc Records artist Ashanti (left) with director and The Inc Records CEO Irv Gotti, shoots her new video for "Don't Let Them" on March 3, 2005 in Los Angeles, California.
Irv Gotti chats with Wendy Williams and clears the air.

Irv Gotti was at the top of the game in the early 2000s. Murda Inc. had the game on lock with numerous platinum records and Ja Rule and Ashanti topping the charts but as the saying goes, you shouldn't sh*t where you eat. On a recent episode of Growing Up Hip-Hop, Irv Gotti revealed some news that not many may have known -- he and Ashanti had sexual relationship after his separation with his wife. 

Now, Wendy Williams brought Irv Gotti onto her show to do what she does best: get messy. Now, Wendy's an OG in the media world and even back then, she had a feeling that either Ja Rule or Irv Gotti were having some sort of relationship with Ashanti. She confronted Gotti back then but now, she finally had more proof than just "pheromones" that Gotti and Ashanti were sleeping together. What she seemingly had wrong was that their alleged extramarital affair caused the music exec's separation from his estranged wife.

"With me and Deb separated, she caught me cheating," he said before Wendy interrupted him to ask if he was caught cheating with Ashanti. "No, Ashanti is not a homewrecker, guys. Ashanti had nothing to do with me and Deb."

He explained that he was in Baltimore filming Ja Rule's "I Cry" video when his estranged wife pulled up to the hotel he was at unannounced and caught him in the act in his room. However, Gotti made it clear that this was before Ashanti was in the picture.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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