Nick Lachey — singer in the group 98 Degrees — took a 180-degree turn a day after he aggressively confronted a female photographer who was taking his picture, ultimately calling the incident regretful and accurately referring to himself as stupid.
Now, more than a year after the incident, Lachey has been ordered to take Anger Management classes and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
In March of 2022, the co-host of Love is Blind with his wife Vanessa Lachey, noticed the paparazzo, Jody Santos, in her car taking his picture after he had dinner at a Mastro’s restaurant in Beverly Hills. Lachey, who had been drinking, approached her car and reached into the driver’s side window where she was sitting, grabbing her camera. After she was able to secure her camera, she quickly rolled up the window. Santos, recounting the incident to the UK Daily Mail, explained, “He then started punching the window. I thought he was going to break his hand. I’m surprised he didn’t shatter the window.”
The next day, Lachey publicly explained what he had done and apologized. Meanwhile, Santos had contacted law enforcement but nothing happened until now. She believed that Lachey was getting preferential treatment and accused the district attorney of protecting him. It’s unclear if she is satisfied with the current punishment. However, Santos stated that if he fails to take either the Anger Management classes or attend the AA meetings within a year then “they will move forward to prosecute him with noncompliance and he will get arrested.”
The day after the incident, Lachey stated, “last night, after enjoying a great dinner with my wife and our dear friend, the paparazzi harassed us as we walked back to our hotel.” He went on to express regret, adding, “I clearly overreacted. Stupid of me.”
Santos strongly believes that Lachey would have attacked her if he was able to smash the window.
Lachey currently hosts the Netflix series Perfect Match.