Nick and Vanessa Lachey have come a long way in the 14 years they've
been romantically linked. And like so many relationships, their love story is a little
weird. Here are some of the strange things about Nick Lachey's marriage to his wife Vanessa.
Nick Lachey was a household name when he starred on the MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica
opposite his then-wife, singer-turned-fashion designer Jessica Simpson. Around that time,
a young Vanessa Minnillo began hosting TRL. During a TRL Super Bowl special in February 2004,
Vanessa and Nick stood right next to each other as Nick introduced his wife saying,
"[Jessica Simpson is] the most beautiful woman in show business."
Back then, there was nothing odd about the interaction. But in 2020,
it's surreal to watch Nick say such wonderful things about his soon-to-be
ex-wife while standing next to his future wife. Hindsight can be really weird sometimes.
At the time, Vanessa was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Derek Jeter . Meanwhile, Nick
and Simpson announced their separation in 2005. Vanessa and Nick wouldn't get together until 2006.
Nick Lachey's post-divorce album, What's Left Of Me, dropped in 2006.
When casting the role of his love interest for the title song's video,
one name came to mind, and that was Vanessa Minnillo, but not entirely for the reasons
you might think. During a joint interview with Vanessa, Nick told People in 2019,
"I had a brilliant idea that if I got [an] MTV veejay to be in my video,
my chances of being played on TRL were pretty strong."
While admitting that he saw an ample opportunity in asking Vanessa to appear in his music video,
that wasn't the only reason he reached out.
As Nick told Vanessa during their joint People interview,
"I always thought you were incredible."
Of catching feelings for each other, Vanessa said,
"We were both single [on the video shoot] and we were both like 'wait
a minute.' [...] We'd never looked at each other through that lens."
It's perhaps a little strange that Nick asked the woman he had feelings for
to be in a video for a song about his failed marriage. But luckily,
it all worked out in the end. As Vanessa told Billboard in 2017,
"It wasn’t until, coincidentally, I broke up with my longtime boyfriend
and he was getting divorced that we ended up reconnecting. He did a solo album and
he asked me to do the video for 'What’s Left of Me.' [...] I never got paid to
do the video. And of course he’s still paying to this day, if you ask him."
The music video saga continued for Nick and Vanessa Lachey.
On the day Vanessa was meant to interview Nick on TRL about the video they co-starred in,
she was a no-show. She explained to Billboard in 2017,
"We'd gone from friends to [me] starting to feel something for him. So,
like a child, I ran from it and called in sick."
La La Anthony filled in for her friend, but as she told Billboard,
"I remember that day like it was yesterday. We
were so excited for her because she was in that video and she looked beautiful.
I was off that day and they were like, 'She's not coming in today. You need to
come in. [...] She's not feeling well.' I'd do anything for her. I knew she liked him."
Nick told Billboard that he was hoping to be interviewed by Vanessa. As revenge, he invited
a fan into the studio who had a sign that said, "Move Over Vanessa, I'm here." He told Billboard,
"I just wanted to be like, 'How dare you call in sick the day I come on?' So I decided to have
a little fun with her, rub it in her nose a little bit — I knew she’d be watching."
Nick and Vanessa Lachey eventually got past the awkward hide-and-seek phase and began dating. But
with Vanessa in New York working on TRL and Nick based in L.A., they were two celebrities trying to
make a long-distance courtship work. Vanessa met Nick after work one night at one of his concerts
in New Jersey. When the show was over, they were ready for their first date. However, their dining
options were limited. Nick revealed during an appearance on Strahan, Sara, & Keke in 2020,
"I don't know if anyone's ever been to Trenton on a Monday night,
but there's not a lot open in Trenton."
Some celebrities go to a ritzy restaurant on their first date,
others go dancing at the Playboy Club. Nick and Vanessa went to a chain restaurant.
"I classed it up a little bit at Hooters for our first date."
While a sports bar might not be everyone's ideal first date spot,
it did not hamper their romance. On a 2020 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the couple revealed,
"And it was date two or three and he was like, 'I love you.'"
"When you know, you know."
Saying those three words early in the relationship could send someone running in the other direction,
but it didn't freak out Vanessa. She explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show,
"That's what I love about Nick is he's a man that wears his heart on his sleeve."
Nick and Vanessa Lachey filmed a special called Nick And Vanessa's
Dream Wedding for TLC in 2011. Basically, he moved on from Newlyweds only to be in
another televised event that was all about him becoming a newlywed.
In the wedding special, Nick shared that he was never closed off to marrying again
after his divorce from Jessica Simpson. However, it's interesting that he chose
to film such an intimate chapter in his life with Vanessa for all the world to see
when so much of his first marriage was defined by a reality series. Of course,
there hasn't been an entire TV show about his relationship with Vanessa, and that's a
big difference. Vanessa did appear in the A&E docuseries about Nick and Drew Lachey's bar,
but the Lacheys have not filmed another reality TV special about their romance
since, so maybe they just wanted a unique way to remember their wedding.
Secret celebrity weddings are nothing new. But not letting the attendees know the location
ahead of the big day is pretty wild. Nick and Vanessa Lachey didn't share the destination,
which was Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island, ahead of time because they didn't
want paparazzi catching wind. Nick said on TLC's Nick And Vanessa's Dream Wedding,
"I don't think any of our guests are going to intentionally run their mouth and tell a
tabloid magazine [...] I'm just afraid it's one of those things where you're sitting in
a nail salon and I could see my mom or somebody bragging about [the wedding]."
Vanessa might've wanted to hide some details from her family members, too.
On the TLC special, she talked about not inviting her estranged mother. Vanessa confessed,
"[My mom] was my world and I'm convinced I was her world until I was eight. She said to my father,
'Can you watch her, just for a little bit until I get my feet on the ground?'
And then [...] then I didn't hear from her."
In response, Vanessa's estranged mom told Star,
"I didn't have a clue that Vanessa was getting married. We last spoke about 12 years ago,
on the phone. I just wanted to talk to her and tell her everything straight about my life."
Nick and Vanessa Lachey were both born on November 9,
seven years apart. Sharing a birthday with a spouse wouldn't be the end of the world,
but it doesn't seem ideal. However, Vanessa said on the Tamron Hall Show that the
commonality actually brought her closer to Nick in the beginning. She revealed,
"We have the same birthday. That was actually the
first thing that we realized that sparked [conversation]."
"He's like, 'I'm November 9th. You're November 9th.' I'm like, 'You're a Scorpio?'"
"Oh yeah."
In 2019, the couple posted a video on their respective Instagram accounts singing "Happy
Birthday" to each other, proving our point that it's a little bit strange. But in general,
The Lacheys seem to love sharing a birthday. In his 2019 post on Instagram Nick said,
"14 birthdays in a row. Wouldn't want to do it any other way!"
And in 2018 on Instagram, Vanessa said,
"I Love sharing this day (and everyday) with you!"
As long as they each get their own cake, we suppose it could be a fun day to share.
Celebrity divorces are about as American as apple pie.
But not every celebrity couple does a reality TV show about their marriage only to divorce
soon after the series ends. Even though Nick Lachey has been divorced from Jessica Simpson
since 2006, and even though he has moved on and has three kids with Vanessa Lachey,
he still gets asked about Simpson in interviews. And it can get pretty uncomfortable.
While on Today in 2020, it was mentioned that Nick and Vanessa had sent over a present after
Simpson gave birth to her daughter Birdie. However, this apparently wasn't the case,
and the casual remark made for some awkward and entertaining TV.
"I feel bad, I'm sorry. You said somebody sent her [a gift]. It wasn't us."
Vanessa also revealed that they wouldn't have been able to send a gift as they didn't have
Simpson's current address. While it's unclear how the mistake came about,
Nick was nothing but gracious about his ex-wife on Today.
When asked about revelations Simpson had made in her autobiography, Nick replied,
"I'll be honest. I obviously haven't read the book,
so I don't know what she said or what she revealed there. But certainly happy for her,
and her life, and I know she is happy for us. [...] And there's definitely a
mutual respect there. Obviously it was a long time ago. We've all moved on."
Awkward baby gift stories aside, it looks like Nick and Vanessa are finally moving on. They
probably just wish that people would stop bringing up Nick's ex-wife in every interview they give.
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