Source: HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS NELLY AND MORE AT RUOFF 2025 / HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS NELLY AND MORE AT RUOFF 2025
Nelly Reflects On Terrible MTV Cribs Appearance
Nelly doesn’t have the fondest memories of his appearance on MTV Cribs.
In a recent conversation with J Cruz on The Cruz Show, the rapper was asked if his iconic &t=680s episode was authentic. Nelly confirmed it, but also explained that it led to him moving out of his home sooner than he expected.
“Yeah, it was real,”
Nelly responded, adding that he regretted being on the show.
“It was the worst thing I did, being on MTV Cribs.”
Source: David Becker / Getty
Why the regret? After the episode aired, people quickly pieced together where he lived.
“They showed a plate with my name engraved on it,”
Nelly explained, referring to his home in Lake St. Louis, a suburban area in St. Charles County, Missouri.
He mentioned that his house was located right on the lake and in a prime spot.
At the time, Nelly hadn’t realized the impact the show would have.
“When we did it, I thought this was my forever home. But I didn’t know that [the St. Lunatics] were just getting started, and we’d keep having success,”
“There wasn’t a gate at the house, and people were pulling their boats up to the dock. My mom was out by the pool, and people would just pull their boats up, walk right up to the dock,” he shared.
This led to Nelly moving out after only about a year.
“We moved. We got gates and everything after that,”
he said with a laugh.
“But I really thought I was going to stay there forever.”
The episode was filmed at a time when Nelly’s career was exploding.
By 2002, the rapper had found success both as a solo artist and with the St. Lunatics.
His debut solo album, Country Grammar, dropped in 2000 and reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
The St. Lunatics followed up with Free City in 2001, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
In 2002, Nelly released Nellyville, which also topped the Billboard 200.