Sixteen years might not seem so long ago, but 2003 truly was a simpler time — a time when a popular singer named Jessica Simpson might turn to her new husband, 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey, and wonder just why Chicken of the Sea was called that.
Classic scenes like that one are what made MTV's reality show "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," which ran from 2003-2005, such a big hit. But today, Lachey — divorced from Simpson in 2006 and married to Vanessa Lachey since 2011 — looks back on those years with mixed emotions.
"That show gave me a chance to kinda show who I was," Lachey, 45, said on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" Thursday. "When you’re in a band, like, a boy band, nobody really knows who you are as a person. So although that chapter of my life is obviously closed, the show gave me a great platform to kind of say, 'Hey, this is who I am.' And got a lot of fans to this day because of the show. ... I vibe with it."
Lachey added, "It does fascinate me, though, that it's been 15 years, I think, and people are still thinking about it like it was yesterday."
Lachey, who now hosts "America's Most Musical Family," says "Newlyweds" isn't really part of the viewing schedule in his current home.
"We don't sit around and watch it at the house," he told Cohen. "If you can imagine, it's not family viewing."
And though he knows some of his fans found him initially from "Newlyweds," he's not all that thrilled when he gets asked about it when Vanessa is around. "Yeah, that's a buzzkill," he said.
"She doesn't love that," noted Cohen.
"Nor do I," said Lachey.