‘Today’ Co-Host Hoda Kotb Addresses Awkward Drama Over Vanessa and Nick Lachey’s Alleged Gift for Jessica Simpson

Things got slightly awkward earlier this month when Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey stopped by the Today show to chat with Hoda Kotb, and Jenna Bush Hager, the former of whom asked the couple about Nick’s ex-wife, Jessica Simpson. Simpson had recently appeared on the show and said that the Lacheys had sent her a “beautiful” gift after she gave birth, a point Vanessa made clear she wanted to dispute.

“You said somebody sent her [something]…It wasn’t us,” Vanessa said, later adding that she didn’t even know Simpson’s address. “But thank you, whoever sent it from us.”

Kotb and Bush Hager both appeared on Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday night where they discussed the moment with Andy Cohen, which Kotb said she never saw coming based on her interaction with Simpson.

“Here’s the thing: When I was interviewing Jessica, she was talking about, like, on what great terms everyone was,” she said. “Like, ‘I’m so happy for them. We have children. They have children.’ And she mentioned something, I thought, about a gift. So, I was like ‘Oh, so everybody’s happy.’ So when they came, I was like, ‘Isn’t that cool? Everybody’s friends.’ And then that wasn’t the way it was received.”

“I didn’t understand what was going on,” she added. “I actually was confused.”

Simpson also spoke to Cohen during a recent appearance on his radio show Radio Andy and admitted that she never actually received a gift. “I don’t know where that came from,” she said.

“She came to me. Jessica. And I said, ‘Nick and Vanessa told Hoda and Jenna that there was no gift,’” Cohen said on WWHL. “And then she said, ‘Well, I don’t even know where this whole thing started.’ But it started from her!”

After the Lachey’s initial interview, Vanessa received criticism from viewers and ultimately addressed the situation on Twitter.

“I think it’s weird accepting credit for something you didn’t do or give,” she wrote in one message. “Even weirder to bring up something so random. Just giving facts. Wanted to make sure we were truthful.”

“Should I have pretended to give it? Dang,” she added in a response to one person. “Can we get a do over and I will tell them it was big beautiful basket. [winky face emoticon]. Kidding, sorry you think that, just wanted to be truthful. That’s all. But the gift sounds lovely!”

Photo Credit: Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen