Vanessa Lachey is getting vulnerable about her marriage with the cast of The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On.
“Nick [Lachey] and I have been together for 16 years and we know each other. Married for 11. But it’s so funny that for some reason we don’t learn more about each other until we’re in, like, a therapy session,” Vanessa, 42, said in a new clip of The Ultimatum shared exclusively with Us Weekly. “We do not need to get into this, but it messes with your relationship. And the reason why I’m choking up is because I’ve had to get through so much s—t to be the best woman for [Nick]. … To find that person, that I can trust and that can carry me through, is what made us unstoppable.”
Vanessa, who was giving advice to one of the season 2 cast members, added that it’s imperative to “talk” and be open with your partner — especially when you’ve found The One. “It’s so freeing to tell everything to them and them still be there to pick you up. It’s really beautiful,” she continued. “And if they don’t, which I’ve had other guys who [have done] that, and they’re not the guy I married.”
The Ultimatum season 2 premiered on Wednesday, August 23, and follows five brand new couples facing the ultimate test in their relationships. The Lacheys, who tied the knot in 2011 and share children Camden, 10, Brooklyn, 8, and Camden, 6, have become frequent mainstays on multiple Netflix dating shows. Their return as hosts marks their first appearance on the streaming service since Vanessa made headlines for her choice of questioning during season 4 of Love Is Blind.
During the season 4 reunion special, which aired earlier this year, Vanessa sparked controversy when she asked couples about their plans to start a family and pushed Paul Peden for answers about why he chose not to wed ex-fiancée Micah Lussier.
“I was like, ‘F—k man.’ They kept drilling, drilling it down on me,” Paul, 29, told Entertainment Tonight in April after the reunion aired. “I think I said my piece. I think Vanessa might have had a little bit of personal bias in that scenario or at least I kind of detected that. I don’t know. But that’s just my assumption based on how she continued to drill into it after I gave my full rationale for why I felt the way that I did.”
Paul, who admitted he partially said “no” at the altar because he couldn’t see Micah, 27, as a mother, told the outlet that he found Vanessa’s line of questioning “extremely reductive in the way that they dismissed all nuance and complexity in why I said no.”
Days later, Paul revealed that Vanessa sent him flowers to apologize for their heated exchange. “Thanks for acknowledging the accidental misleading @vanessalachey,” he wrote via his Instagram Story alongside a snap of the bouquet.
Vanessa and Paul may have made peace, but not all fans were satisfied. Following the LIB season 4 reunion, a petition was created in support of taking the Lacheys off hosting duties. The pair were noticeably absent for The Ultimatum: Queer Love, which aired in May and was hosted by Joanna Garcia Swisher. The duo are, however, back for The Ultimatum season 2 and will return for Love Is Blind season 5.
While some fans aren’t satisfied with the Lacheys, multiple LIB cast members and The Ultimatum stars have come to their defense. Season 2’s Deepti Vempati and Natalie Lee voiced their support for the couple during an episode of their “Out of the Pods” podcast in April.
“Look, I know we’re biased because of course we know Vanessa and Nick. We really considered them as Mom and Dad during filming,” Natalie explained. “They played this role of mentors to us, providing advice as we were making our decision to say ‘I do’ or ‘I don’t’ on our wedding day. I also agree with the criticism, but I also think it’s unfair as well with how much backlash she’s getting. It feels like a dog pile.”
She continued: “People are being almost overly critical and she’s taking too much heat that I’m like, I don’t know that it’s deserved. It’s tough to watch because Nick and Vanessa are just really, really nice, great people.”
