Nick Lachey may have found his Perfect Match in wife Vanessa, but his first marriage with pop star Jessica Simpson was rife with drama. The pair’s relationship was heavily scrutinized at the time and it even had its own reality show.
Along with a public relationship came a public divorce, and Perfect Match host Nick’s current wife Vanessa has revealed how this was hard on her when they first got together.
We take a look back into Nick and Jessica’s relationship ahead of Nick Lachey hosting Netflix’s new crossover dating show, Perfect Match.
Nick and Jess were married for four years
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson met in 1998 after sharing the same manager. At the time both of their music careers were just beginning: Nick with his band 98 Degrees, and Jessica working on her first album.
The pair went on to feature on each other’s albums and Jessica even went on tour with Nick’s band, 98 degrees.
They got engaged in 2002, after a romantic sunset proposal in Hawaii, and later tied the knot in Texas in October 2022.
In an interview with Rolling Stone just a year later, Jessica said: “I believe that Nick and I are going to last forever. And if we don’t, it’ll make a good reality show.” She wasn’t wrong there!
The stars had their own reality show called Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The MTV show ran for 3 seasons, with 41 episodes in total.
The last episode aired in March 2005, just 8 months before they announced their split.
The couple divorced after three years of marriage
In 2005, Perfect Match host Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson announced their divorce after three years of a hugely public relationship.
In a statement to US Weekly, reported by MTV, the couple said: “After three years of marriage, and careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways.”
“This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other. We hope that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
The couple cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce.
Nick and Jessica got engaged to their current partners at the same time
Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are now both married to new partners, and their respective engagements were announced just days apart.
In November 2011, Nick and Vanessa announced their engagement. 10 days later, Jessica Simpson announced her engagement to now-husband Eric Johnson.
The pair are still both happy with their partners and have three children each.
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