Nick Lachey

Nicholas Scott Lachey is an American singer-songwriter, television personality, producer, and actor. He initially achieved widespread recognition as the lead vocalist of the multi-platinum boyband 98 Degrees. Lachey later expanded his public profile through reality television projects, television hosting engagements, acting roles, and solo music releases.

Lachey was born on November 9, 1973, in Harlan, Kentucky, to Cathalyn and John Lachey. Raised alongside his brother and future bandmate Drew Lachey, he attended Clovernook Elementary School in North College Hill, Ohio, and later studied at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. He subsequently attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

In the mid-1990s, Lachey began his professional singing career performing in a doo-wop quartet at Kings Island with Justin Jeffre. He then formed 98 Degrees alongside Jeffre, Drew Lachey, and Jeff Timmons. After releasing their self-titled debut album, the group achieved major success with their follow-up album, 98 Degrees and Rising, eventually selling over ten million records. Following a long hiatus, the band reunited for a summer concert performance in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in August 2012.

Lachey’s television prominence increased in 2003 with the premiere of the MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, starring Lachey and his then-wife Jessica Simpson. The couple also starred in The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour in 2004, and Newlyweds won a People's Choice Award in 2005. During this period, Lachey released his debut solo album, SoulO, in November 2003, and appeared in a recurring role as a dyslexic ghostwriter on the television series Charmed between 2004 and 2005.

In May 2006, Lachey released his second solo album, What's Left of Me, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold. Its title single reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the following years, Lachey produced the MTV reality show Taking the Stage, hosted NBC's singing competition The Sing-Off, co-hosted VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live, and presented Nickelodeon's America's Most Musical Family. He also competed on season 25 of Dancing with the Stars and won season five of The Masked Singer in 2021.

In addition to his entertainment projects, Lachey has held partial ownership in sports franchises such as Hollywood Fame and the Tacoma Rainiers, and he sits on the Entertainment Council of Feeding America. Lachey married Jessica Simpson in October 2002; their divorce was finalized in June 2006. He married Vanessa Minnillo in July 2011, with whom he has three children. The couple co-host the Netflix reality series Love Is Blind and The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, while Lachey solo hosts Netflix's Perfect Match.