Nick Lachey Recalls Interesting Reaction to Canceled ‘Newlyweds’ Series With Jessica Simpson

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were reality television gold for three seasons on their MTV series, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. Between her sophomoric antics and his frustrations with his younger and less-than-experienced wife, the show provided a much needed escape from reality.

But all good things must come to an end. And when their marriage was unraveling, the show ended.

Simpson has said the show was a misrepresentation of her, seemingly a caricature that producers pushed for. Lachey says there were real moments on the show but a lot was edited and caused tension in their union, thanks to ongoing public consumption and criticism.

While they may have been happy to not have their lives documented 24/7, Lachey admits the show’s ending was bittersweet. While speaking on the Richer Live podcast recently, he spoke of the bonding experience he had with the show’s staff.

“I actually came to really love the crew,” Lachey said. “I remember crying the day we shut down because you develop relationships with them. They really became family.”

Lachey filmed the show from 2003 to 2005. Initially, he was instructed to not fraternize with the crew but found it difficult to do so. 

“I remember at first they were like, ‘Don’t talk to the crew. They’re a fly on the wall!” he recalled. “And I was like, ‘Guys, if this is ever going to work, that’s just not how I’m wired. You’re not going to be in my house and watch my every move, and we’re not going to talk to each other. We got to get past that right now.’”

The success of the show was a shocker for the boy band member. “My ex-wife had an album coming out, I had an album coming out,” he said. “We had no idea it was going to take on this other life of being this reality fly-on-the-wall type of show.” He and Simpson split in 2006. He’s since married and had children with actress and host, Vanessa Lachey. Simpson went on to marry and have children with Eric Johnson, whom she is now divorcing.