Following a recent in-flight run-in with his ex-wife, Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey speaks out about the encounter.
Videos by Suggest
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Lachey confirmed that he ran into Simpson during a flight to Hawaii. He then described the encounter as “strangely okay.”
“You know it’s been 20 years since… And so we haven’t seen each other in those 20 years,” the 98 Degrees bandmate stated. “And then spend six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together.”
He further clarified that the duo did not spend the whole flight together, just in the “same vicinity.”
“Everyone was very, very cordial, very respectful,” Lachey also pointed out. The singer noted he was with his family while on the flight. Simpson sat with her mom while her partner and children sat elsewhere on the plane.
Lachey went on to say, “It was honestly fine.”
TMZ first reported that the in-flight encounter occurred last month. One source shared that the exes “had a nice conversation” during the flight. “They all had a nice conversation. Nick, Jessica, and [Nick’s now wife] Vanessa. It was very amicable and cordial.”
Lachey and Simpson met at the 1998 Hollywood Christmas Parade in Los Angeles. They started dating in 1999. Although they broke up in 2001, they quickly reconciled and got engaged in early 2002. They were married later that year.
In mid-2003, the couple’s hit MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica premiered.
However, things took a turn in late 2005 when the couple announced their separation. They finalized their divorce in 2006.
Lachey has since married Vanessa, and they share three children. Simpson married former NFL player Eric Johnson, and they also have three children.
Simpson announced her split from Johnson in early 2025.
Simpson Previously Called Lachey Her ‘First Love’ and Stated She Still Respects Him
During a 2020 interview with PEOPLE, Simpson spoke about her relationship with Lachey.
“He was my first love,” she stated.
The “With You” hitmaker also wrote about the relationship in her memoir Open Book.
“Nick loved the fact I was so strong in my faith and that I had this wide-eyed innocent approach to life,” she recalled. “When he proposed in 2002, I said yes.”
Simpson did point out the struggles that the exes faced in their marriage.
“We were young and pioneering our way through reality television, always miced and always on,” she explained. “We worked and we were great at it but when it came time to being alone, we weren’t great at it anymore.”
The singer then noted, “We really got crushed by the media and by ourselves. I couldn’t lie to our fans, and I couldn’t give somebody hope that we were this perfect golden couple.”