Nick and Vanessa Lachey are a completely underrated power couple. In an industry where youth is prized above all else and former teen stars fade into obscurity, both have managed to maintain successful careers in their forties—and sustain a healthy marriage to boot.
Vanessa currently stars on NCIS: Hawai’i while Nick serves as a judge on The Masked Singer spin-off Alter Ego. But each has been hard at work in show business for decades. Take a look back at their respective careers and find out how Nick Lachey’s net worth stacks up to his wife’s.
Nick Lachey Rose To Prominence As A Member Of 98 Degrees
Nick, 47, found fame in his mid-twenties when he was a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. The group—a perfect fit for the TRL, pop music-era of the late 1990s and 2000s—sold over 10 million records during their run.
While 98 Degrees never reached the same level of success as the Backstreet Boys or NSYNC, Nick became a breakout star on his own. In 2003, he and his then-wife Jessica Simpson starred in the hit MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The show ran for three seasons and ended in March 2005. By December of that year, the couple filed for divorce.
It turns out Nick didn’t need the help of his ex-wife to generate good ratings. Despite a lukewarm reception to his solo music career, he proved to be a pretty charismatic and bankable TV personality. His acting roles included parts on Charmed and One Tree Hill; he also served a host for multiple programs like NBC’s The Sing-Off, VH1’s pop culture talk show Big Morning Buzz Live, and Nickelodeon’s America’s Most Musical Family.
Nick’s most recent achievement was winning Season 5 of Fox’s The Masked Singer. His victory (earned under the guise of the Piglet) led to judging duties on the competition’s latest spin-off Alter Ego.
Vanessa Lachey Started Out As A Pageant Queen
Prior to becoming Mrs. Lachey, the world knew her as Vanessa Minnillo. In 1998, the brunette beauty was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA, kick-starting her career in entertainment. Vanessa was a host on Total Request Live from 2003 to 2007, and also served as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight in 2005.
The exposure led to myriad opportunities, such as modeling for Bongo Jeans and launching her own beauty brand, Flirt! Cosmetics, in partnership with Kohl’s department stores.
But much like her husband, Vanessa shined brightest on the small screen. She’s hosted two shows on ABC to date: True Beauty (2009) and the game show Wipeout (2011). The former beauty queen has also served as a host for Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants.
As an actress, she’s scored small parts in countless shows, including 30 Rock, Psych, How I Met Your Mother, and CSI: NY.
Vanessa also did her time as a reality show competitor. In 2017, she and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy finished in seventh place on Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars.
In 2021, after years of hard work, she finally scored her first major starring role on CBS’ NCIS: Hawaiʻi. Her husband recently talked about relocating the entire family to Hawaiʻi with ET, telling the outlet:
“She’s kind of owning that role. She’s really, really truly invested in it, and she loves being there, we all love being there… Hawaii is Hawaii, you can’t complain about it… It’s a great place to be and most importantly, she’s at home on her show doing what she loves to do.”
Vanessa’s ambitions don’t end with television. In November, she will release Life from Scratch: Family Traditions That Start with You, a cookbook with personal stories. The book will be published by Harper Collins.
The Couple Co-Hosts ‘Love Is Blind’ Together
The Lacheys also find time to work together. Since February 2020, they’ve co-hosted Love is Blind, a Netflix reality series that takes 30 men and women and sees what happens after some of them quickly pair off and marry.
Some critics questioned the Lacheys’ level of involvement in the series. Vulture even did an analysis and revealed that the couple spent a total of 13 minutes on screen for the entire season. Nevertheless, in March 2020, Love is Blind was renewed for a second and third season. No word on whether they’ll return as quasi hosts.
And for the record, Nick and Vanessa took a different approach to their own romance. The two dated on and off for about five years before tying the knot in 2011.
Their Combined Net Worth
According to estimates on Celebrity Net Worth, Nick and Vanessa Lachey have a combined net worth of $50 million.
Nick has a reported net worth of $25 million, the bulk of it based on his music and TV careers. However, he also pursues separate business ventures. In 2006, he became a part-owner in the Tacoma Rainiers, a minor league baseball team known for developing future Seattle Mariners players.
It looks like he spends a chunk of his fortune on real estate. In 2019, he and Vanessa listed their mansion in Valley View, California for $7 million. It sold for just under $6.7 million, and the following year, the family purchased a smaller home in Tarzana for $5 million.
Vanessa is reported to have the same net worth of roughly $25 million. We suspect her filmography, which is more extensive than Nick’s, accounts for her fortune. Her latest NCIS gig is probably quite lucrative, too. Cast members on its sister shows earn anywhere from $100,000 to more than $500,000 per episode.