Nick Lachey Makes Rare Comment About Ex-Wife Jessica Simpson on ‘Love Is Blind’

Nick, 52, reflected on his own history during the Wednesday, October 14, Season 11 premiere after contestant Erika Ellis admitted she had struggled with deciding when to tell dates about her previous marriage.

Nick and Jessica married in 2002 after four years together. MTV’s “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” focused on their relationship, giving viewers an unusually close look at their life as newlyweds. They announced their separation in 2005 and finalized their divorce the following year.

“Well, as some of you may know, I was previously married before I met my incredible wife,” Nick said, as Entertainment Weekly reported.

“I would make the very unique argument that it gives you a leg up. Because you know from that experience what it is you truly want.”

Nick did not mention Simpson by name during the conversation, but his comments referenced the marriage that made the former couple one of the most recognizable celebrity pairs of the early 2000s. His wife and “Love Is Blind” co-host, Vanessa Lachey, joined the conversation to share her perspective.

Vanessa, 45, told the contestant, “We all have messy pasts, all of us.”

Jessica, 46, later addressed the relationship in her 2020 memoir, “Open Book,” including the pressure she felt to present their marriage a certain way publicly.

“I wanted my marriage to look perfect. I didn’t mind if I looked dumb, but I wanted people to see the fairy tale in Nick. In us,” she wrote, as reported by US Weekly in February 2020.

“I had the Instagram-girlfriend syndrome before it was a thing, and I wanted the world to see my husband in the best light because I was hopelessly in love with him.”

Nick began dating Vanessa in 2006. They married in 2011 and now share three children: sons Camden and Phoenix and daughter Brooklyn.

Jessica married Eric Johnson in 2014. The former couple, who share daughters Maxwell and Birdie and son Ace, separated in 2025.

Nick’s latest comments come months after he and Jessica unexpectedly found themselves on the same flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii, marking their first encounter in roughly two decades.

Us Weekly reported that the exes exchanged a cordial greeting during the March trip.

Nick later addressed the unusual reunion during a May appearance on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.“

“It was strangely OK,” he said.

“You know, it’s been 20 years, and so we hadn’t seen each other in those 20 years and then spent six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together. When I say ‘spent,’ [I mean] in the same vicinity. Everyone was very cordial, very respectful. It was honestly … it was fine.”

Nick was traveling with Vanessa and their children. Jessica was also traveling with family.

Isha Sharma is a freelance pop culture, entertainment and celebrity writer with over a decade of experience creating viral, trend-driven content. More about Isha Sharma