Awkward Nick And Vanessa Lachey Moments That Made Fans Uncomfortable

Nick and Vanessa Lachey are the kind of couple that some people love to love, while others love to hate. From the moment they first crossed paths back in 2005, the pair have generated controversy. Sparks flew between Nick and Vanessa while they were both working on the set of MTV's "Total Request Live" — despite the fact that he was still married to his first wife. But when Nick Lachey divorced Jessica Simpson one year later — and began dating Vanessa — rumors began to fly. Since those days, however, Nick and Vanessa have taken their relationship to a new level. After their wedding in 2011, Nick and Vanessa Lachey welcomed three children, Camden, Brooklyn, and Phoenix Lachey.

Over the years though, the Lacheys have struggled with one controversy after the next. As the co-hosts of Netflix's "Love Is Blind," Nick and Vanessa have faced accusations of bias against certain contestants, experienced backlash for their invasive questions about cast members' fertility, and even been described as "rude" during interviews. In 2022, almost 50,000 "Love Is Blind" fans signed a Change.org petition demanding that the couple be fired from the show. 

Sadly, this is not the only time that Nick and Vanessa have gotten in trouble on-camera. The couple has long had a history of making faux pas on talk shows and casual interviews. Thanks to a number of inappropriate comments, odd confessions, and unrestrained opinions, the Lacheys have not always come across well — and their fans have noticed.

Since becoming the co-hosts for "Love Is Blind," Nick and Vanessa Lachey have tried to give off the vibe of an older, more experienced couple. They mentor the show's contestants, chat with them about their love lives, and even try to get advice. Oddly enough, though, the Lacheys haven't always exuded "couple goals" energy. In the past, they have even appeared oddly mismatched.

This was clear in 2018 when they sat down with Us Weekly to play "the newly-wed game" — where couples respond to questions about their relationship and see if their respective answers match up. By the time Nick and Vanessa sat down with the outlet to film this activity, they had been married for seven years. Even so, they struggled to answer the questions in the same way. When it came time to share where they had their first date, Nick and Vanessa did not align. While Nick recalled going to Underbar, Vanessa thought their first outing took place at the Hooters in Trenton, New Jersey. Regardless of who was right, this moment was awkward, as it seemed that the couple was out of sync.

In the comments below the video, some fans questioned Nick and Vanessa's authenticity, viewing them as overly affectionate. "Vanessa is trying too much," wrote one viewer. Another added, "When she laughs, so fake omg." A third summed up the awkwardness in one word: "Corny."

Although Vanessa and Nick Lachey might try a little too hard to appear passionately in love, they are not always so romantically expressive. On certain occasions, the couple can be downright critical toward each other — even in public. Vanessa and Nick made an appearance on the now-scandalous "Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2022. During their interview, Vanessa made a comment about Nick's old band 98 Degrees that some fans found shocking. She said that she was never a fan of her husband's old musical group.

"That's not because I didn't love your music," Vanessa told Nick on "Ellen" as the audience sat in awkward silence. "I was an NSYNC fan." As Vanessa spoke, Nick turned beet red and began shaking his head vigorously. He even made a few odd facial expressions, as if he was resisting the temptation to reply. Although this moment was clearly meant to be funny, it ultimately came across as awkward.

Fans in the comment section could not help but share their reactions to Vanessa's bizarre confession. "He needs to go back to 98 Degrees and tour. He could use it really! He needs a vacation away from her," complained one viewer. A second one added, "I'm sure she's not a fan [of Nick's band] — every song was probably about Jessica." A final fan recommended some classes to help the couple seem more natural on-screen, writing, "Vanessa needs to be media trained."

Vanessa Lachey is not the only one who has made an awkward comment on television. Nick Lachey has also made a number of strange confessions about his wife. In a 2019 interview with People, Nick revealed that he had invited Vanessa to participate in his music video for "What's Left of Me" in order to use her for her connections. "I had a brilliant idea that if I got a MTV VJ to be in my video, my chances of being played on "TRL" were pretty strong," Nick admitted.

Interestingly, Vanessa did not see things the same way at the time. She said that she'd been hoping that Nick had chosen her for some other reason. "I was like, 'Oh, he thinks I'm cute,'" she recalled. Nick, however, was clear about having selected Vanessa for purely professional purposes. "I saw an opportunity," the singer reiterated.

Ultimately, this awkward moment made some Lachey fans wonder if Nick really liked Vanessa at all. "She looks more into him than he is into her lol. She can't keep her hands off him, and he is not really reciprocating," commented one suspicious viewer. "Also noticed something else," noted another fan, "When Nick was with Jessica, he couldn't keep his hands off of her. With Vanessa ... she is always hanging onto him and he keeps his hands to himself? Vanessa is def in love, but Nick is like, 'Whatever.'"

It can be nerve-wracking saying "I love you" for the first time, and the Lacheys seem to know it. In the early days of their courtship, Nick and Vanessa Lachey declared their love for each other as many couples do. However, while many pairs remember that special moment with a lot of affection, Vanessa and Nick seem to have different experiences. In one particularly bizarre conversation with Access Hollywood, the Lacheys spoke so poorly of that unique memory that the moment became uncomfortable.

When asked the question, "Who said 'I love you first?'" Nick raised his hand. But, instead of simply moving onto the next question, the singer spoke negatively of that special moment, adding, "Early too." At that point, Vanessa jumped in and began to explain why Nick's "I love you" had been so off-putting for her. "I was shocked. It was early ... Because he said it too early, I'm like, 'You can't even possibly know you love me,'" she revealed.

Although that "I love you" declaration was part of Vanessa and Nick's story, it did not necessarily come across well on television. Many viewers found the pair to appear somewhat artificial in how they were telling the story. "Soooooo FAKE. Like, always putting on an act pretending to be happy," complained one unhappy fan. "That's why people have such a negative reaction to them. It seems like they're acting," observed another.

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson might be over, but that doesn't mean there's any bad blood between the pair. At least, that's what the "Today" show host, Hoda Kotb, claimed in a sit-down with Nick and Vanessa Lachey. "I interviewed Jessica Simpson for her book, 'Open Book,' and she talked about how she has her life with her husband and her children, and she was really really happy for y'all. She kept saying, 'Like, they sent me something beautiful when we had our children, etc., etc.," Kotb said.

In light of this revelation, Nick grew instantly cagey. "I'll be honest. I obviously haven't read the book, so I don't know what she said or what she revealed there," he said. Vanessa, meanwhile, appeared confused. "I'm sorry, you said somebody sent her ... We ... It wasn't us," she clarified, before later adding, "I don't know her address. But thank you, whoever sent it from us!" Although Kotb did try to reduce the tension by changing the subject of the interview, the awkwardness between Nick and Vanessa was palpable.

Fans rushed to the comments section to dissect the strange interaction that had just gone down between the Lacheys. "Nick sent that gift! Lol! Vanessa face priceless! She knew Nick sent it at that moment, but he didn't tell her he did," theorized one shocked fan. "I feel like it was weird that she had to mention 'We didn't send anything,'" remarked another.

Celebrity couples don't always having an easy time sharing the spotlight, and shared interviews can often be a moment of particular tension. Vanessa and Nick Lachey realized this the hard way during a joint interview with E! Insider — when Vanessa did almost all the talking. The mother of three started off the interview by dedicating approximately two minutes to answering a question as to whether she would allow her daughter, Brooklyn Lachey, to one day compete in Miss Teen USA. 

Later, when the interviewers inquired about the Lachey's possible plans to expand their family with a fourth child, Nick tried to speak — with little luck. "Well, you can never say never," he began. But, Vanessa swiftly jumped in. "We were joking that our kids are 6, 4, and 2, so we're due," she laughed. Nick then proceeded to interject, "And we are going to cal this one Reno." Once again, before Nick could finish his sentence, Vanessa spoke over him and said, "We were saying, 'Would it be Reno?'" 

Fans in the comments section were pretty upset by how much space Vanessa took up in the interview. "She NEVER lets him talk in interviews. When he does try to speak she interrupts him every time," complained one YouTube user. Another commented, "She's a great speaker but when there is an interview with the two of them I would like to hear what each of them have to say."

Although Nick Lachey might not use his voice to overshadow Vanessa Lachey, he certainly isn't afraid to use his facial expressions to the max. We saw this pretty clearly in a 2020 Entertainment Tonight interview, where Nick appeared to be lost in his wife's words. "We actually talked to every single one of [the "Love Is Blind" contestants] daily," Vanessa told reporters. "So, after every date, we were there in the halls talking with them. And, then, we would get into the men's quarters and the women's quarters, and we would actually sit down on the couch and have conversations."

As Vanessa was describing their close involvement with the "Love Is Blind" cast, Nick's face seemed to be telling another story. He furrowed his brow when his wife spoke. Every once in a while, he glanced at her as if to indicate that confusion. Regardless of whether or not this was intentional, Nick's facial expressions undermined a lot of what Vanessa was saying. 

Some fans even began to doubt the veracity of her statements. "Nick was like, 'We did? Where was I?' The face he made when she was talking about that cracked me up," one viewer wrote on YouTube. Another commented on how infrequently the couple appeared on the show. "They were literally on the show like four times lol," agreed another.

Beauty pageants like Miss USA can definitely be controversial, but for Vanessa Lachey, they are something else entirely. The "Love Is Blind" co-host got her big break in 1998 when she actually won the title Miss Teen USA. At the time, Mario Lopez was working as a host for the pageant and was actually the one to announce Vanessa's major win. Reflecting on this moment in an Access Hollywood interview 22 years later, Lopez told the former Miss Teen USA winner and her husband, Nick Lachey, "I'm always rooting for Vanessa because I feel certain special, you know."

In this moment, it probably would have been appropriate for Vanessa to thank Lopez for his kind words. Instead, she awkwardly responded, "I guess we should have named our firstborn Mario." Nick reacted by making a face, turning away from Vanessa, and shouting, "Woah!" He then added, "It didn't all get started in 1999 [meaning '98]."

Unsurprisingly, Access Hollywood viewers did not respond well to this tense on-screen moment. Some wondered if Vanessa was hinting at a secret past with Lopez, while others figured that she had made that comment to embarrass Nick. "I bet Vanessa and Mario go WAY back LOL," wrote one fan. A second one added, "Has anyone ever noticed that Vanessa takes passive/aggressive digs at Nick in front of other people during interviews? This is not the first time I have seen her do this."

It's no secret that Nick Lachey loves his position as a co-host for "Love Is Blind." In 2022, he exclusively told The List that his favorite part of the job is teaming up with his wife, Vanessa Lachey. "I enjoy it so much because I get to work with my wife. It's such a blast for us to work together, and, at least I think, we work well together. We enjoy spending time together," he said.

Since taking on their shared role, Nick and Vanessa have been spotted engaging in quite a bit of PDA. In one video for Bustle, the couple even had a "Lady and the Tramp" moment where they were filmed biting out of the same French fry.

Although this moment could have been viewed as sweet by some, not everybody was convinced by this blatant display of affection. Certain viewers seemed to think that the Lachey's French fry sharing was just them trying too hard to seem legit. "Vanessa comes across as trying too hard to make people like her. She needs to be herself," wrote one fan in response to the interview. "Trying really hard to prove her marriage is better then [sic] what [Nick] had with Jessica," chimed another.

Nick and Vanessa Lachey have very different pasts. While Nick was once a professional singer, Vanessa was essentially a professional speaker. Indeed, she once worked as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight — meaning she had to be able to keep viewers hooked by telling a series of quick and entertaining stories. These days, Vanessa's talent for on-camera speaking lives on. However, she often forgets to share the spotlight with Nick. In one sit-down with New York Live, she interrupted her husband so many times that fans couldn't help but voice their disappointment.

In the interview, which was meant to promote "Love Is Blind," Nick tried to explain the premise of the show to viewers. "Not see the other person, but get to know them on every level. You can ask any question," he said. As the former 98 Degrees singer spoke, however, Vanessa jumped in to interrupt him. "Any question," she blurted. From there, Nick tried to continue speaking, saying, "And we were just blown away by how quickly those connections were made." Once again, Vanessa tried to speak over Nick. "Me too, yeah," she said.

Viewers were not particularly happy with this uncomfortable dynamic. One took to YouTube to write, "Vanessa, LET NICK TALK!!" Another added, "Somebody tell Vanessa to stop interrupting everybody. Uuuhhh!!"