Jessica Simpson is responding to scrutiny of her family travel habits after a mid-flight run-in with her ex-husband, Nick Lachey. The singer and television personality on Wednesday addressed Lachey's claims that she and her mother, Tina, were seated in the first-class section of the plane as they traveled from Los Angeles to Hawaii while her three children were seated in economy alongside their father, Eric Johnson.
Simpson's Explanation
“My mom bought those tickets,” she told “Entertainment Tonight” while traveling through the Los Angeles International Airport. “It was my mom’s treat for us to go to Hawaii.” When asked if her kids would be seated next to her if she'd paid for their flights, she added: “Of course!”
Background on Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson
Lachey and Simpson were married from 2002 to 2005, and famously chronicled their relationship on the MTV reality series “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.” Appearing on “Watch What Happens Live” last week, Lachey confirmed reports that he and Simpson had recently ended up on the same Hawaii-bound flight by coincidence. “We haven't seen each other in those 20 years and then spent 6 1/2 hours on a flight to Hawaii together,” he told host Andy Cohen.
Public Reaction
Though Lachey said he and Simpson were “very cordial, very respectful” toward one another, he noted that her kids — Maxwell, 14; Ace, 12; and Birdie, 7 — and Johnson were located “in a separate class of service” during the encounter. Lachey's revelation drew a flurry of responses online, with many speculating as to why Simpson would choose to sit apart from her children. “Mother's Day gift for the win.. the moms get first class and let the dad deal with kids behind you,” one person wrote on Instagram. Added another: “Good for her putting the kids in coach LOL she deserves a break.” Others, however, suggested that Simpson's celebrity status would put her at risk of being “accosted” in economy or that she might have deliberately chosen to sit apart from Johnson. The pair separated in January of last year but have reportedly continued to live together as they “figure out the best path forward.”
Simpson's Career Update
Simpson recently resumed her music career after a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio and unveiled a pair of country-tinged EPs last year. She'll return to the concert stage Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
