Nick & Vanessa Lachey’s Relationship Timeline Is Filled With TV Appearances

In the early aughts, Nick Lachey was one-half of one of the most famous celebrity couples, as he and his then-wife Jessica Simpson were constantly discussed on gossip blogs and in the tabloids. His 2006 divorce from the pop singer lined up perfectly with Vanessa Minnillo’s split with Yankees player Derek Jeter, and the two quickly found one another and began a romance.

Since they were first linked, the two have dated, broken up, reunited, married, welcomed three children to their family, and now they work together hosting the Netflix reality programs Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On. With the third season of Love Is Blind premiering on Oct. 19, fans may be curious about when Nick and Vanessa met, what their romance was like early on, and about their many shared TV appearances.

Read on below to learn more about the beginnings of their romance and where they are now.

2003-2006: They Met On TRL

Nick and his future wife met on the set of MTV’s Total Request Live while he was still married to Jessica Simpson. They interacted with one another many times throughout a several-year span, as Vanessa was a host on the popular program. Nick would stop by to promote new 98 Degrees music, his solo output, and even his reality show with Simspon, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. At one point, all three chatted on camera at the Super Bowl in 2004.

Speaking to Billboard, Nick admitted that while they met on the music-focused show, “I wouldn’t necessarily say TRL brought us together.”

April 2006: “What's Left of Me” Music Video

In the spring of 2006, Nick recruited Vanessa to star in the music video for his single “What’s Left of Me,” the title track from his sophomore solo album of the same name. They played troubled lovers, and while they didn’t have much time to prepare for the event, the finished product helped the tune become Nick’s biggest hit on his own. Vanessa even admitted after all was said and done, "He's a gem—mini-crush," according to E!.

In the same Billboard interview, Vanessa admitted that “The video, which was on TRL, was the beginning of our relationship.”

2006: Nick & Vanessa Start Dating

By the time Nick’s “What’s Left of Me” video was released and he was promoting it (including a stop on TRL), the media had started connecting the dots, and there were rumors that the two were dating. That year, they were seen together at parties celebrating Vanessa’s Maxim cover, Nick’s birthday, and a USC football game, among other events.

January 2007: Their First Public Kiss

It wasn’t as if Nick and Vanessa were hiding their budding relationship, but they also hadn’t exactly confirmed anything until New Year’s Eve in 2006. At the stroke of midnight, the two talents kissed on camera for all to witness, which was seen at the time as a sign that they were, in fact, a couple.

2007-2009: Plenty Of PDA

After admitting to the world that they were together, Nick and Vanessa were seen together more and more, and they weren’t shy about their PDAs. From 2007 to 2009, the couple was spotted at quite a few photographable events, including LA Lakers games, Clive Davis’ legendary Grammy party, Sirius XM soirees, NASCAR races, and much more.

June 2009: A Brief Breakup

After three years of dating, Vanessa’s representatives confirmed to People that she and Nick had, in fact, split. For months before the announcement was made, rumors had persisted that they had gone their separate ways, but they had previously always been denied.

October 2009: Back Together

By October 2009, Nick and Vanessa were back together after a short break apart from one another. During his appearance on Good Day Philadelphia, Nick was asked if he was single, and he came clean. "I am happy in a relationship," he shared. "I was single for a minute there, and then we've kind of patched things up."

November 2010: They’re Engaged

By November 2010, a year after they reunited, Nick and Vanessa were engaged. The two confirmed the announcement to Us Weekly, saying, "We're excited and incredibly happy about our engagement and we look forward to a wonderful future together.”

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nick affirmed that he gave the proposal his "best romantic effort." Vanessa elaborated on the event, saying that her husband-to-be didn’t get down on one knee, but two, and that she was quickly crying.

December 2010: Opening Up About Their Love

"I think I knew pretty early on that we would be a good match, that I loved her," Nick admitted during a CNN segment when a fan asked when he first recognized that he was in love. "So I would say, within the first six months we dated, I probably knew that she was the one I wanted to be with."

July 2011: Nick & Vanessa Are Married

Less than a year after they decided to spend the rest of their lives together, Vanessa and Nick were pronounced man and wife. The two were wed on Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson's private isle in the Caribbean. The singer and TV presenter wanted to keep the details of their nuptials from the media, so when they invited guests, they kept things deliberately vague. “Our wedding invitations were in the form of a plane ticket,” Nick told People. “We told them they were going away and the attire was island chic.”

That same month, the newlyweds headed to St. Barths for their honeymoon. While on the celeb-adored island, they were snapped by a few photographers while enjoying a beach vacation.

Not long after their wedding, the two appeared in a TV documentary about the event, titled Nick & Vanessa's Dream Wedding, as their big day had been filmed for the special.

March 2012: They’re Having A Baby!

During a co-hosting spot on Live With Kelly!, Nick shared with the world that he and his wife were expecting their first child together. The audience erupted in cheers, while Kelly Ripa immediately pivoted to a joke. "This is the one thing that more than any other I've looked forward to,” Nick admitted. “It's overwhelming."

July 2012: Nick & Vanessa’s First Anniversary

Nick and Vanessa had already been together as a couple for several years by the time their first anniversary as husband and wife rolled around in July 2012, and they took the opportunity to celebrate. They headed to the Malibu restaurant Geoffrey's, where they were seen by others. According to someone who was at the hot spot with them who spoke to Us Weekly, “Nick was very sweet and doting on Vanessa.” The singer at one point was spotted “rubbing her back and had his arm around her. At one point he put his hand on her belly which made her smile."

September 2012: Welcoming Baby No. 1

In the Fall of 2012, Nick and Vanessa became parents for the first time. The pair welcomed their son Camden John Lachey on Sept. 12, confirming the announcement to People at the time.

July 2014: Pregnant Again

Nick got to announce to the world once again that he and his wife were expecting another little one. The singer took to Twitter to post a picture of his son on a beach, and in the sand was written, “It’s a girl.” He captioned the snap, “Can't think of a better way to celebrate 3 years of marriage to my beautiful @VanessaLachey than this!”

January 2015: Welcoming Baby No. 2

While Nick revealed that a baby was coming, Vanessa had the pleasure of announcing that their brood had officially expanded. The Miss USA host published a heartfelt blog post on her website that baby Brooklyn Elisabeth Lachey was now a part of the family. Mom wrote, “I have been dreaming of this moment for as long as I can remember, the day I was going to meet my little girl. A friend recently told me how magical today was going to be because it’s the day I would meet my best friend.”

September 2016: Pregnant Yet Again

For their third pregnancy, Nick and Vanessa posted pictures on their Instagrams at the same time, essentially announcing the upcoming addition simultaneously. The pair posed in front of a new “crib” with their two children, and the photo included text that said they also need a new crib for baby number three.

December 2016: Welcoming Baby No. 3

Only a few months after Nick and Vanessa revealed they had a third bundle of joy on the way, he arrived early. On Instagram, the mom posted a simple picture of an infant clutching her hand, which served as a formal announcement. She captioned the adorable photo, “It's a very Merry Christmas indeed! We had our Christmas Miracle. Phoenix Robert Lachey decided to show up early and was born on Christmas Eve. Mommy, Daddy, Camden & Brooklyn LOVE You very much!”

September 2017: Dancing With The Stars

Both Nick and Vanessa signed on to compete on the twenty-fifth season of reality staple Dancing with the Stars, which began airing in September 2017. As is always the case with the program, they were each paired up with professional dancers, and he ended up going home fifth, while she lost her spot just one week later.

February 2020: Love Is Blind

Nick and Vanessa found another opportunity to work together by hosting the Netflix reality dating show Love Is Blind, which launched in February 2020. The lockdown began shortly after that, and the program became popular enough with audiences sitting at home that the streamer renewed it for two more showings less than a month after it debuted. Season two of Love Is Blind premiered in February 2022, and about one month later, the entertainment giant ordered two more seasons, meaning there should be at least five.

To promote the show, the lovers appeared on a number of talk shows, such as The Kelly Clarkson Show, Strahan, Sara and Keke, and The Rachael Ray Show, which led to another round of headlines about them as a couple, their marriage, children, and more.

August 2020: More Kids?

While promoting Love Is Blind on TV in February 2020, Vanessa told Tamron Hall on her namesake daytime TV show that she had three kids, and that was plenty. “No mas!” she exclaimed, and the audience chuckled. While she may have declared that she wasn’t interested in adding to their family, that thinking may have changed.

“Look, I always say that you never know. We planned on two and I always wanted three,” Vanessa explained to People. “We’re very happy as a party of five, but you never know. The second I say no, I’ll probably get pregnant. And the second I say yes, I probably won’t,” she joked.

March 2022: Date Nights

Nick gave an interview to Yahoo in which he discussed how he handles taking care of three kids in the morning as his wife heads to the set of NCIS: Hawaii, explaining, “The morning routine is 100 percent mine. I get up early every day and I’m usually the one who gets up with the kids. I can't wake up to the pounding on the door and snap right into it. I need coffee, I need to check ESPN.com — I need to do certain things before I get thrown into the deep end."

He also talked about his relationship with Vanessa outside of being parents. “As a couple, you have to carve out time,” he suggested. “You have to get the sitter and go out on the date. You have to make it happen. You gotta make those things a priority! If you’re not good with yourself or your partner, you won't be good with the kids.”

April 2022: The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On

Mere weeks after the Lacheys launched season two of Love Is Blind on Netflix, their even-newer show premiered. Titled The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, the streaming titan describes the program as such: “Get hitched or call it quits? Couples put their love to the test — while shacking up with other potential matches — in a provocative reality series.”

In the first season, which premiered on April 6, 2022, Vanessa revealed she gave Nick a marriage ultimatum after dating for five years. “I finally said, 'What are we doing?',” Vanessa shared. “I have now moved in with him, I renovated his entire bachelor pad, there was a bar in the pool. I'm like, ‘Whatever you want!’ Now I'm like, ‘Okay, well, I want to put kids in the pool.’”

July 2022: A Family Trip To Hawaii

The Lacheys and their three children traveled to Hawaii over the summer. In Vanessa’s Instagram post, the cute family is dressed in matching “island style” outfits, and her caption thanks the islands for welcoming them on their vacation.

October 2022: Love Is Blind Season 3

The smash reality dating show returns for its third season on Oct. 19 and will center on singles from Dallas. After the drama from Season 2, the newest season is highly anticipated. Nick and Vanessa will be hosting the show once again, even releasing an intimate promo for the upcoming release.