Jessica Simpson Implies Her Ex-Husband Nick Lachey Wasn't The Nice Guy People Thought He Was: "It's Amazing What Publicity Can Do"

Jessica Simpson is a long-standing American celebrity who is best known as a pop singer, actress, and fashion designer. Born on July 10, 1980, in Abilene, Texas, Simpson's journey to fame began when she signed a recording contract with Columbia Records at the age of sixteen. Her debut album, "Sweet Kisses," released in 1999, went double Platinum in the United States and spawned the top 10 hit "I Wanna Love You Forever."

Simpson’s career took a significant turn in 2003 when she starred with then-husband Nick Lachey, a member of boy band 98 Degrees, in the MTV reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The show, highlighting the couple's day-to-day life, skyrocketed Simpson to household-name status and became a pop-culture phenomenon. But in a recent interview with Bustle, Simpson said a few words about her first marriage that made it seem like Lachey wasn't the good guy he was made out to be.

Jessica Simpson Implies Her Ex-Husband Nick Lachey Wasn't the Nice Guy People Thought He Was

Simpson and Lachey met in 1998 at a Christmas parade in Hollywood. They quickly began dating and were engaged by 2002. Their high-profile relationship was characterized by their significant age difference, with Simpson being seven years younger than Lachey.

In October 2002, they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Texas. The couple's married life was documented in Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which aired from 2003 to 2005. The series offered an intimate look into their lives and shed light on many contentious moments in their marriage. Behind the scenes, their relationship was reportedly troubled, which many people can see in retrospect. Differences began to surface, including disagreements over their public and private lives, and tensions related to their respective careers.

In November 2005, Simpson and Lachey announced their decision to part ways, and their divorce was finalized in June 2006. Despite the public speculation and media circus surrounding their split, both Simpson and Lachey maintained a relatively low profile during the proceedings. The breakup marked the end of one of the early 2000s' most talked-about celebrity relationships.

Gen Z TikTokers have discovered Newlyweds and have been sharing many clips from the series. When Bustle brings this up to Simpson, she essentially agrees with the young fans, who claim that Lachey was the "villain" all along and that he emotionally abused Simpson and perpetuated the image of her being a dumb blonde who was spoiled and difficult to deal with.

In one viral clip from the show, Lachey calls her a "spoiled brat" as they argue about home renovations. Simpson implies in her interview that Lachey was made out to be this nice guy, but it wasn't quite true.

“It’s amazing what publicity can do," she told Bustle in response to the public's perception of Lachey. He may have been portrayed as the loving husband who put up with Simpson's antics, but she hints at the idea that he was actually the difficult one to deal with.

However, in 2020, she wrote in her best-selling memoir Open Book that she regretted what happened: “I wish we were the kind of people who could divorce and stay friends. We weren’t and I regret that my actions hurt him.” 

But when Bustle brought up the fact that TikTokers were now taking her side and pointing out that Lachey seemed to be rude and unkind to her, she offered a shrug and all but agreed with these sentiments.

Simpson is thinking about reviving her music career while being a mother to three children. In her memoir, she also opened up about her alcohol addiction and the sexual abuse she endured as a young girl. She also told Bustle that her father, who used to be her manager, apologized to her recently for trying to force her to live out his dreams rather than honor hers. Now she is focusing on her own goals and she's in the process of buying back her fashion company, which is called the Jessica Simpson Collection.

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