Nick Lachey Opens Up About Unexpected First-Class Encounter with Ex Jessica Simpson

Nick Lachey is sharing what it was like to cross paths with his former spouse Jessica Simpson in an unexpected way.

The 52-year-old Love is Blind host confirmed during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live that he and the 45-year-old singer found themselves in first class together on a recent flight heading from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The encounter marked their first time seeing each other in 20 years.

"You know it's been 20 years since… and so we haven't seen each other in those 20 years and then spent six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together," Nick explained on the May 13 episode, clarifying that "spent" referred to being in the same cabin space rather than directly interacting throughout the journey.

The atmosphere aboard the aircraft remained pleasant, according to Nick. "Everyone was very very cordial, very respectful," he noted. His wife Vanessa Lachey and their family were traveling on the same flight. Jessica sat adjacent to her mother, while her current husband Eric Johnson and their children occupied other seats on the plane.

"It was honestly fine," Nick summed up the experience.

The former couple's marriage spanned from 2002 to 2006, during which they became household names through the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which documented their early married life and eventually their separation.