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CNN Larry King Live
Interview With Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson
Aired October 14, 2003 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK LACHEY, "NEWLYWEDS": You and I have eaten tuna like this before.
JESSICA SIMPSON, "NEWLYWEDS": Why is it called Chicken by the Sea or in the Sea?
LACHEY: Chicken of the Sea is the brand.
SIMPSON: I don't know. Is that weird, taking my Louis Vuitton bag camping?
LACHEY: You always keep your left arm straight.
SIMPSON: Oh. My boob gets in the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, GUEST HOST: Tonight, pop stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. With cameras tracking their every intimate just- married moment, these newlyweds have the hottest reality show on TV. From the tabloids to Oprah to "Saturday Night Live" skits, America can't get enough of them, and they're here for the hour to take your phone calls. Nick and Jessica, "Newlyweds," next on LARRY KING LIVE.
And here we go. I'm Ryan Seacrest, in for Larry King. Thanks, Larry, for letting me sit here with these two young and talented stars, Nick and Jessica. Well, first of all, it's a pleasure to see you both.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
LACHEY: Thank you.
SEACREST: Thanks for being here. I'm obsessed with the TV show.
LACHEY: That's good!
SIMPSON: That's a good thing!
LACHEY: We like that!
SIMPSON: Yes!
SEACREST: Why do you think so many of us are obsessed with "Newlyweds," the TV show?
LACHEY: I think it really comes down to -- one of our main reasons for wanting to do the show, in that I think we're just very normal human beings. I think what we do for our career is sometimes viewed as different and extraordinary. But I think that who we are as people and who we are as -- as newlyweds is very normal. And I think people can identify with the things that we go through, you know, as a newlywed couple, and the fights and struggles and the spending and, you know, all the things that, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: I saw the underwear episode.
SIMPSON: Yes, that was a mistake. I just didn't look at the pricetag. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
SEACREST: Yes, I mean, Nick does have a point every once in a while, slightly pragmatic, and he says...
SIMPSON: Yes, he does.
SEACREST: ... you know, How can you not look at the pricetag? How can you -- see, as guys, we can't quite understand how something under your clothes can cost $750.
SIMPSON: Neither could I!
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: That was the -- that was the whole issue, is that I've never bought a bra over $60. You know, I didn't think that it was going to be...
LACHEY: And to her -- to her credit, she...
SIMPSON: ... like, $700.
LACHEY: ... wanted to take it back. You know, she...
SIMPSON: I did.
LACHEY: ... just didn't think that she was going to be able to take it back.
SEACREST: But I think you made the point that you do get a bill at the end of the month, and you have to actually pay for that off the credit card.
LACHEY: Yes. Yes. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: The credit card concept is -- you know, it's a confusing one, you know? It gets a little foggy in there, you know?
SIMPSON: No, it doesn't!
LACHEY: It's this magic card that -- you know, great things happen with this card, and it's...
SIMPSON: Well...
SEACREST: The first year of marriage is probably, as many say, the most difficult. Were you nervous about having cameras follow every moment of that first year?
SIMPSON: We didn't know what to expect in marriage anyway, so we thought that it was the perfect time to actually have cameras with us because we had no clue what we were getting ourselves into, and we thought that it'd be fun to actually document that reality of -- of being true newlyweds, instead of...
SEACREST: Do we, as viewers, get to see what it's really like, or is there so much more to the story that we don't get to see?
LACHEY: Well, I think, I mean, you have to keep in mind you're seeing...
SIMPSON: They don't ever show that I'm out of town the whole time, and that's why I, like, freak out when I get home, and all my laundry's all over the place. And I don't have time to cook, and I'm not laying out in the pool while Nick's shooting his video and stuff like that, you know? They -- they definitely edit it very funny.
SEACREST: Yes, you're seeing -- you know, you're seeing 22 minutes, basically, worth of footage every week, and they taped for, you know, 10 hours a day, six days a week, of months of taping. So there's a lot of footage that you don't see, and you know, there's obviously no way to get it all in there. And so the way that it's edited sometimes is -- you know...
SIMPSON: It's entertaining to us!
SEACREST: As you say, do you sit back and watch the show and say, I can't believe they put it together like that?
SIMPSON: We're amazed, actually. We're amazed that we're that entertaining, I think.
LACHEY: It really is, for the most part -- I think it is -- it's very -- it's very -- the pieces you're seeing are accurate. It's just sometimes the way that they're put together...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: ... you know, makes...
SIMPSON: They don't show -- they don't show the back story or the ending.
SEACREST: When you guys -- you didn't live together before you got married. SIMPSON: No.
LACHEY: No.
SIMPSON: So everything's very brand-new.
SEACREST: I was going to say, so how has that been, that adjustment? What has been the biggest surprise, Jessica?
SIMPSON: I think -- I mean, Nick and I have definitely come from different -- completely different backgrounds. You know, I grew up and my parents were together, and my mom was, like, a stay-at-home mom. She taught aerobics in the morning and then just, you know, packed our lunches and made our beds and the whole thing. And Nick -- his parents were divorced, and he had to -- you know, his mom was at work, so he had to do the laundry and he had to have food on the table and that -- we just grew up completely different. So now our lives just meshing together is a little bit of a challenge.
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Really, that is, I think, the biggest thing of -- you know, especially that -- between us and other married couples who have lived together. They've kind of overcome those obstacles, you know, and confronted them before they ever walked down the aisle. For us, it's, like, All right, here you go. You're married. Go live together. And all these things that we didn't -- although we knew each other very well, some of the kind of everyday, routine types of details we didn't know about each other.
SEACREST: Well, it's no secret that people will watch the show, and they'll have some fun with the things that come up on the show and that are said on the show. Does that -- does it bother you?
LACHEY: I mean, sometimes it's hard not to take offense when you're doing an interview and someone's, you know, being pretty hard on your wife and saying some things that are less than complimentary about your wife. But the one thing I'll give Jessica, she's had a great attitude about it from day one. And I think that we knew going in that we were opening ourselves up to, you know, public opinion and criticism. And we've been very good, I think, about having a sense of humor about it and especially...
SIMPSON: Yes. I think that's totally important, just to laugh with everybody else. I mean...
SEACREST: And what you're doing in your new video -- we're going to talk about that a little bit later -- did you see "SNL" over the weekend?
SIMPSON: I did.
SEACREST: "Saturday Night Live"?
SIMPSON: We laughed so hard.
SEACREST: And Timberlake played...
SIMPSON: Yes, he did.
SEACREST: ... Jessica.
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: He made me a little ghetto (ph), though.
SEACREST: Well, we have a clip. Take a look at Nick and Jessica on "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: So what if I thought Chicken of the Sea tuna was actually chicken? Or that I thought buffalo wings were actually made out of buffaloes. So what if I cried for three whole days when I thought Peter Pan was ground up to make peanut butter? So what if I never learned to read or write, and when I sign autographs, I have to sign with an X?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, honey, that's enough. That's enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Truly a form of flattery.
SIMPSON: Yes! For me, that's -- that's flattering. I think that's hysterical.
LACHEY: I can't ever look at Justin the same way again.
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: Our relationship's going to have to change now. I mean...
SIMPSON: I love it. He had a shawl, the whole thing.
SEACREST: How well do you know him?
SIMPSON: We know Justin very well. I've known Justin since I was 12, so...
SEACREST: And so you'll continue to be friends, even though he...
SIMPSON: Oh, of course!
SEACREST: ... he pulled that shenanigan...
LACHEY: Oh, yes.
SEACREST: ... on "Saturday Night Live"?
LACHEY: That's the thing, is it's all -- I mean, it really is -- it really is flattering. And you know, I never thought in a million years, you know, growing up, I'd ever be spoofed on "Saturday Night Live," you know?
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: It -- it's really -- well, you laugh at it, you know? And we watched the show, the same as everyone else, and we laugh at ourselves, the same as everyone else, and are sometimes appalled at ourselves, you know?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Why did I say that!
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: What was I thinking?
SIMPSON: I've said that many...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
SEACREST: Nick and Jessica are with us. We're going to talk about your individual music careers, the new CDs, and also get more into "Newlyweds," plus take your calls on LARRY KING LIVE. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
SIMPSON: What? Don't make fun of me right now. I'm not in the mood.
LACHEY: You act like you've never had tuna before.
SIMPSON: I've had tuna fish, like, sandwiches and stuff like this.
LACHEY: You and I have eaten tuna like this before.
SIMPSON: Why is it called Chicken by the Sea or in the Sea?
LACHEY: Chicken of the Sea is the brand.
SIMPSON: Oh.
LACHEY: You know, because a lot of people eat tuna. It's like a lot of people eat chicken. So it's, like, the chicken of the sea.
SIMPSON: OK. I understand now. I was -- I read it wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
SIMPSON: Oh, I'm so excited about going to this. But maybe I'm thinking that it's going to be worse than it really is, you know? All right, hoochie (ph) mamas, bring it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Nick and Jessica are with us. And tell us what was happening on that episode of "Newlyweds."
LACHEY: That was my dancer audition. We were doing -- we were doing a video for my first single, "Shut Up (ph)," and also for, you know, some live performances. So we had about 75...
SIMPSON: Naked.
LACHEY: They weren't naked!
SIMPSON: Half-naked.
LACHEY: They were...
SEACREST: They were half-naked...
LACHEY: ... scantily...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: ... scantily-clad girls. And they -- you know, also, the choreographer was the same woman who choreographs the Pussycat Dolls (ph), and so a lot of the girls were extra-excited to audition for her, and they came...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: ... strip-prepared (ph), and -- yes, so it was interesting.
SEACREST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) job for you.
LACHEY: Absolutely. It's all business. You know, I...
SEACREST: Yes, but it seemed like, Jessica, you were a little -- were you jealous?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Yes?
SIMPSON: Yes, I'll admit it. I didn't like the fact that Nick had half-naked women dancing all over him when I walked in.
SEACREST: But has he ever done anything to violate your trust?
SIMPSON: Absolutely not.
SEACREST: So you shouldn't be jealous, right?
SIMPSON: Well, I -- I'm not worried...
LACHEY: This is good therapy here.
SEACREST: I'm trying to -- I'm actually trying to help you out a little bit here.
SIMPSON: I'm not worried about Nick. I'm worried about the girls.
LACHEY: Oh, I see. Because I'm...
SIMPSON: You know how girls are.
LACHEY: I'm defenseless, you know. I have no -- you know. Of course, it's all up to the girls. I couldn't possibly...
SEACREST: He couldn't say no, right?
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) not made at you right now.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: I'm just saying that the girls definitely are -- they, like, throw themselves on him. I'm used to that, though. We had that our whole...
SEACREST: I was going to say, have you...
SIMPSON: ... our whole relationship.
SEACREST: ... worked through that issue, or is it still an ongoing...
SIMPSON: Well, see, that's the thing...
SEACREST: ... subtle issue?
SIMPSON: ... is that it used to be just, like, 12-year-old girls, and now it's, like, women and -- women who...
LACHEY: I was propositioned by...
SIMPSON: ... women who've gone...
LACHEY: ... a 52-year-old on...
SIMPSON: ... through puberty.
LACHEY: ... the way over here.
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: No, it's -- I think it -- you know, obviously, in our industry, it's something you deal with, to an extent. And she and I have had a pretty good relationship, you know, in terms of dealing with that issue. I don't think that's really been an obstacle for us.
SIMPSON: No. And the dancers he chose, he let me have, you know, my input on. I kind of helped hire the ones I liked.
SEACREST: And so you...
SIMPSON: The ones who didn't look too...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: You were happy with the ones that made it.
SIMPSON: What?
SEACREST: You were happy with the ones who made it.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: They weren't too...
SIMPSON: Yes, they're very...
SEACREST: ... hoochie mamas or...
SIMPSON: ... very sweet girls.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: Now, how did the two of you actually meet and first start dating?
LACHEY: We used to share the same manager. This was in 1998 we met. And he introduced us, my group and Jessica, and we started, I guess, talking about a month later. I saw her at a Teen People (ph)...
SEACREST: So at the time, it was 98 Degrees.
LACHEY: Yes, it was 98 Degrees.
SEACREST: You were doing that.
LACHEY: And -- and we started talking. And then we ended up going on tour together, 98 Degrees and Jessica. So we spent a lot of time on the road, on the tour bus.
SEACREST: The first time out -- the first time you saw her, what went through your mind? Because every guy, when they first see a woman, we think a million different things.
LACHEY: Well, and I -- my manager kind of hyped her up, too. You know, She's a great-looking girl...
SEACREST: Well, she...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Well, I -- you know, I'm just saying the standards were set pretty high.
SEACREST: OK.
LACHEY: I mean, I saw her, and I was not -- I was not disappointed at all. And I was actually...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: We saw each other at the Hollywood holiday parade, and I was there with another girl because I was dating -- kind of dating this other girl at the time. But she was there with her family. It's one of those things where we'd kind of steal glances across the room at each other, and -- no, I was blown away. I thought she was beautiful, and even more impressive to me was you could just tell she had a great -- a great spirit about her and a great attitude and...
SEACREST: Love at first sight?
SIMPSON: For me.
LACHEY: As close as -- yes, as close as I think you can...
SIMPSON: As you -- yes.
LACHEY: ... get to that.
SIMPSON: I got in the car with my parents because my parents were with me. I mean, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) only, like, just turned 18 at the time.
LACHEY: Easy. Easy.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: That scares him!
SEACREST: That's coming on the next segment.
SIMPSON: But I got in the car, and I was, like, you know, everybody was talking about their favorite, and you know, my mom was going off, and we all were going off, and I was just, like, Well, Nick is definitely, by far, my favorite of the guys. And he's the kind of guy I want to marry. He's the kind of -- I mean, I went off on how I wanted to marry this guy. And I had met him for, like, five minutes. But I am a hopeless romantic, too, so I probably said that before he did.
SEACREST: So what was the next step, then? How'd you guys end up together?
LACHEY: Well, the next time I saw her, we were at a Teen People party, and I was there with my mom. And you know, we were going into the party, and -- and I told my mom, I said, I really kind of like this girl, I think, and your -- you know, Your job, your assignment for the night is to get me in good with this girl. And I...
SIMPSON: So his mom made sure to tell me that, you know, he wasn't dating anybody and...
SEACREST: That that girl he was with -- just a friend, platonic relationship.
LACHEY: Just a friend. Just a friend. And my mom is -- I mean, she's a pit bull when she -- once you get her going on something, it's over, so...
SIMPSON: Yes, she -- she was on it. That was her mission.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: So you ended up, then, dating, and took a break before you came back and got married.
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: Yes, we took, like, a five-month break...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Which I think, in retrospect, was about the best thing that could have -- I mean, you always say that, but it really was...
SEACREST: Is that because -- was it because, Jessica, you were -- you felt like you were so young?
SIMPSON: Yes. I didn't -- I didn't ever want to regret not ever dating anybody else because Nick was -- you know, he was the love of my life, the -- you know, the first guy that I really fell, like, head over heels, I want to marry this guy. You know, I never really dated at all. And...
LACHEY: You can just say it. You were sick of me. That's what it came down to.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: Shut up. We're not -- we're not doing our television show right now. We're trying to be interviewed.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: No, I'm kidding. So we, like, completely, madly, fell in love, don't you think?
LACHEY: Yes. I mean, I think -- I think it really was -- I don't think if she would have gotten married to me without having that break in there, I think in the back of her mind would have always been a...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: ... a doubt or, you know...
SIMPSON: We fell in love all over again. Like, we had our separation, and it made us realize -- you know, it made me realize without him in my life, what I was missing out on. And I was out there searching to date other guys, yet I had the perfect guy in front of my face, and it didn't really hit home and -- to me until he was out here for the September 11 incident and immediately, like -- I mean, he called me, and immediately, I wanted him to come home, like, all the selfishness -- I mean, that was just the worst time in my life. I was really, really selfish, and I just -- it was all about me, me, me. And that made me realize what I was about to lose and...
SEACREST: Now, you also, Jessica, have been public about, you know, advocating abstinence.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: So was that something, obviously, that came from the way that you were brought up? And was there a story about a ring that your father gave you?
SIMPSON: It definitely came from the way that I was brought up. My mother did the same thing. My grandmother did the same thing. And you know, everybody always thinks it's a religious thing, but really, it was just kind of -- not just a family thing, but it was, like, a deep -- I'm so romantic, and I -- I loved the thought of sharing this one intimate moment with -- with the man of my dreams, the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. So when I was 12, my dad and I -- you know, we had talked about and he had gave me a -- he gave me a purity ring. And I wore that until I lost it. When I lost it, I was, like, Oh, maybe this is a sign! But it wasn't. No, I -- I still kept hold to that, and that's one other thing that is so amazing about Nick, is that, you know, through all of it, he just -- he stuck there right behind me and supported it...
SEACREST: Well, I was going to say, I mean, in theory, I understand it. But how do you really do it? How do you...
SIMPSON: Yes, it's almost...
SEACREST: ... pull that off? It's very difficult.
SIMPSON: Almost impossible.
LACHEY: Yes, it's really -- it's really, really hard, and you know, I think it just -- you have to have a mutual respect for one another. And she told me, I think -- in the very first phone conversation we ever had, she told me about her -- you know, her belief in saving herself and -- and so I mean, she laid it out there right away. SIMPSON: I had to tell him in the beginning.
LACHEY: You know what I mean? And I respected that. I really did. And I think you just -- you just have to really, you know, support each other and help each other to execute that kind of wish (ph).
SEACREST: Well said.
(LAUGHTER)
SEACREST: I'm Ryan Seacrest, in for Larry King. Nick and Jessica are my guests. We're going to take a break and come right back. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
LACHEY: Actually tried to get out of it. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) work at the house, and I was, like, You know what? I wouldn't mind just staying here tonight and -- so I called Michelle (ph), and she's, like, I just think it's -- it would look bad, you know, and we already confirmed you to go. And I think it's a lot of publicity, and blah, blah, blah. So I said, Well, I mean, if it's going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going to play badly, I'll still go. OK. 'Bye.
Must be cold in Detroit.
SIMPSON: I'm not very happy right now because I know that Nick is at the Playboy mansion. I asked him not to go, and then I didn't want to be stupid about it, you know, like a jealous wife or anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMPSON: It's really two lives coming together and trying to be one. And there's a lot of adjustments to make.
LACHEY: Which piles are yours and which piles are mine?
SIMPSON: I don't think there's a difference in piles.
LACHEY: I can't believe that someone broke into our house, and all they did was take all our clothes and throw them around the master bedroom.
SIMPSON: Through a huge duration of my life, someone has always picked up after me. And when you're on your own and you're trying to be independent, it's definitely different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: So how long did those clothes sit in the middle of the house there?
SIMPSON: Well, I figured if I threw them over the balcony, that if I was walking through them, maybe I would walk them through to the laundry room.
SEACREST: Maybe was the operative.
LACHEY: No, yeah.
SIMPSON: No. I didn't do it. They just sat there. Nick ended up -- we ended up having like a photo shoot in our house or something, and Nick picked them all up and just threw them in the laundry room, and literally you could barely open the door to our laundry room.
SEACREST: You guys come from two different places on this. Because I know you're a do-it-yourselfer, Nick.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: And you actually -- you like to have help at the house. Have we resolved that issue? It's been an ongoing issue on the television show.
LACHEY: It's an ongoing exercise in compromise. You know, we do have someone who comes now and helps, you know, helps with the laundry a little bit, helps clean up a little bit. But I never want to feel like I'm completely dependent on someone else to do...
SEACREST: I saw you one night, you were moving a piece of furniture, you were dragging it across a ladder over an alley -- it was like a table. And I thought, just hire a guy for $20.
LACHEY: It was a challenge, you know.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
LACHEY: It's a challenge. To see if we could pull it off. You see, my brother and I kind of, we get off on stuff like that.
SIMPSON: Oh, I don't know why.
LACHEY: It's a macho thing.
SIMPSON: We ended up having to like spend more money than what we would have paid movers, because there were holes in our walls. We had to patch them up.
LACHEY: How much did that cost, to patch them up?
SIMPSON: I don't know. You paid for it.
LACHEY: You see? Spend more money.
SEACREST: What do people say to you, now that the show has been on the air, what do they say when they see you on the streets?
SIMPSON: I think we get, like -- I mean, I get men that come up to me, my wife is just like you, and there are people that actually do say, my wife thought Chicken by the Sea was chicken.
LACHEY: It's chicken of the sea.
SEACREST: We're not going to have that scene again. How many people say that? A lot of people?
SIMPSON: A lot of people. They're mostly foreign, but...
SEACREST: What did you -- I have to ask you, what did you think when you watched that back on television?
SIMPSON: Yeah. I didn't -- the funny thing is that before the show, it started airing, they showed us just little selects that we were going to be on. I didn't even remember. Like, that was the moment that I didn't even really remember. Like, I was just sitting there with Nick trying to do the Atkins diet and eating tuna fish out of a can, and that's just...
LACHEY: See, that's the thing. People think that would be like some memorable moment in our lives. That stuff happens every day.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: ... in our lives as viewers.
SIMPSON: Exactly.
LACHEY: It's every day, and so it's just really -- until we see the actual episode on Tuesday nights, we don't really even know ourselves.
SIMPSON: Yeah.
LACHEY: ... what's going to happen.
SEACREST: But is part of what you're trying to show the people who watch television and are fans of yours, is part of it the real misconception of celebrity? I mean, the fact that we get to see you out on the red carpet, we get to see you at a concert, but we don't expect to see you sitting on the coach eating out of a can of tuna?
SIMPSON: You see perfection. You know? You see the Hollywood love life that looks so romantic and perfect like it's a movie. And we thought it was so important to show, or at least we don't have perfection. I don't know if any of those others do, but I doubt they do.
LACHEY: I think the last thing we wanted to do is say, oh, here we are, the perfect happy couple, it's you know, let's shove it down everyone's throat and show everyone how beautiful our relationship is. And I think it was important when we decided to do the show that we talked about this, was that we want to -- if there's a fight, you can't hold back from that. That's part of life, too. And that's part of being a newlywed too, and we have to be willing to let that hang out, you know, because that's part of the experience we wanted everyone to see.
SEACREST: So, as you get ready for the second season, no regrets in deciding to do this?
SIMPSON: Oh, no. We're so happy we did it. We are so happy. I mean, the response is amazing. And, you know, we have widened our demographic of, you know, ages, and it's just -- it's been huge for us. I mean, who knew?
LACHEY: It's actually -- it's good therapy in a sick twisted kind of way.
SIMPSON: It is.
LACHEY: We sit and watch the episode and, you know, oh, man, we shouldn't do that anymore.
SIMPSON: I know.
SEACREST: What do you call the second season? Still newlyweds?
SIMPSON: I don't know.
LACHEY: It's a good question.
SIMPSON: That's a good question. We haven't been asked that.
SEACREST: Think about that. We'll name the title of the second season.
SIMPSON: Are you only a newlywed the first year? I guess. Maybe.
LACHEY: That's how it works.
SEACREST: I guess so. I mean, it's newlyweds still learning? I don't know, we'll come up with a title for the second season.
We'll be right back on LARRY KING LIVE. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you like it, yes, Nick?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was your guys' budget here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did it in 172.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was your budget?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, after seeing her video, it is obvious that mine is not up to snuff. I mean, it was a half-assed video, a half-assed treatment and a half-assed shoot, and it comes off that way. So we're going have to go back and reshoot the whole stupid freaking thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we told you we could do this whole thing like it's done, if we could do it for 55, does that terrify you or is that a real number?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It terrifies me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of money, what kind of numbers are you talking about, just so we know like who we're looking at asking and how to make it work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're looking at $10,000 to spend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Is it easier or harder sort of doing the same thing, being married, both being pop stars and going after that similar if not the same demographic. I watch that clip, you're talking about the music video and you're comparing yours, Nick, to Jessica's, right?
LACHEY: Yeah.
SEACREST: So does that make it more difficult?
LACHEY: I think -- I really think it's been easier for us. I think we certainly offer each other, you know, support system for whatever we're going through. We understand what each other is going through. And we can always compare budgets. And you know...
SEACREST: So in that moment, you seem really frustrated, really upset.
SIMPSON: He was like on the phone like all morning, like all day on like two phones at once.
LACHEY: I mean, it's a hard time in the music business.
SIMPSON: It's really hard.
LACHEY: And if people out there are seeing these articles on downloading and file sharing and stuff and they don't believe that it's impacting our business, it's...
SIMPSON: It is.
LACHEY: It absolutely is. And it's, you know, record labels are struggling to stay alive and stay afloat, and it affects everyone, even established artists. And so it's, you know, it's a frustrating time, I think, for everybody.
SIMPSON: Because what we would do two years ago and have so much budget money for, now we are having to do it for, like, not even half as much. I mean...
LACHEY: So it's...
SIMPSON: It's crazy.
LACHEY: It's a trying time, and it can be very, very frustrating. And that was certainly one of my more frustrated moments.
SEACREST: Is there ever any envy between the two of you for something, you know, you may have more for a video or you may have more for a promotional tour, or vice versa? Is that ever...
LACHEY: I'm insanely jealous of Jessica. I'm insanely jealous. It's like, you know, she's shooting the cover of "Rolling Stone" tomorrow. And you know, I'm not on the cover. Which I'm so happy for her. You know, and I think it's important that we always understand each other like that. I'm her biggest fan. You know? And we just did the cover of "Us Weekly" together. So that's like, you know, I can take some satisfaction in that. But I'm her biggest fan. Whatever she does, I hope she knows I'm always the first in line. Always ...
SIMPSON: I do know that.
LACHEY: ... Always there for her. And it works the other way, as well.
SEACREST: Well, what's it like with the pop landscape right now to be a pop star? Is it over saturated? Is it a good time?
SIMPSON: It's -- oh, that's a hard question, because I don't want to offend anybody, but it's hard.
LACHEY: It's a very urban time in pop music.
SIMPSON: Very urban.
LACHEY: I think for the first time in the history of "Billboard" magazine, which is, you know, over 100-year history, the top 10 records in the country are all urban records.
SIMPSON: All urban.
LACHEY: Which has just -- it's never happened before, and so it's -- music's always changing. It's really...
SEACREST: So do you react to that? I'm just curious. I mean, can you react to that, or do you just wait it out? What do you do?
LACHEY: Yeah, it's tough.
SIMPSON: I just don't know if it would be believable if all of a sudden I came with like this urban record, just to get on radio. I don't -- I would rather stick with what I'm good at and what I know I love doing and know that pop music always does come around. You know? I'm about to release my second single, and it's definitely straight up pop. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope that people will love it and embrace it, and just because it's not played in a club or has a hip-hop beat behind it doesn't mean that it's not good music. And it's just -- it's weird. Music is definitely really strange right now. But, you know, we're definitely hanging in there. I love my album. I believe in my album. I wrote my album. And that's the first time I ever got to do that. And so I feel really like I'm expanding as an artist, even though the record labels and the record business is, you know, very...
LACHEY: Unstable.
SIMPSON: Unstable. Thank you.
SEACREST: Do you feel like you're compared to Britney Spears a lot, like you guys -- are or aren't?
SIMPSON: I have been my whole life.
SEACREST: And how's...
SIMPSON: Since I was 12 years old, auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears both beat me out. You know, I froze in the audition, I forgot everything, and I ended up not getting it. And then, you know, I signed with Columbia, and I hear -- when I was 17, and I hear that Britney signed with Jive, you know, the week before, and Christina signed with RCA the week after, and it like came back around, and then the media has always kept it.
So it's been like this ongoing thing for me, to try to differentiate myself and try to separate myself, and I try to do that with my image and I try to do that, you know, through love and through the kind of music that I sing, and hopefully, people can just get over the comparisons. Even though they're great comparisons, you know, I'd rather be known for Jessica Simpson.
SEACREST: Well, there's a moment that I have seen many times on television, that was from the VMAs, where Britney kissed Madonna. What did you guys think about that when you saw that happen on stage?
LACHEY: I had heard about the kiss leading up to the night, and I was actually looking forward to it. And after it happened, I was a bit let down. I thought it was executed not the best it could have been. You know? But it's an attention grabber. The shock value certainly was there.
SIMPSON: Made the cover of magazines.
SEACREST: You probably would have done it, Nick, but Jessica, would you have done something like that, if that were you out there?
SIMPSON: Depends on who I was kissing.
SEACREST: Well, if it were Madonna.
SIMPSON: If she asked me to kiss her? Would I do it on stage? I don't know. I don't know.
LACHEY: I mean -- I'll take Madonna and Britney any day over Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, so.
SIMPSON: Very true.
LACHEY: I have no problem with what happened.
SIMPSON: Very true. I don't know. Depends on -- I wouldn't tongue her. Wouldn't stick my tongue in there.
SEACREST: Let's talk about...
SIMPSON: But for me, that's what I'm saying. I'm not that kind of publicity, attention-grabber type of artist. I'd rather do it with my music.
SEACREST: Let's talk about what's happening with your record, for example.
LACHEY: The conversation, I had to get some water.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: He's calming himself down with some cold water. In terms of getting that attention, though, I mean, you have a record that's out, Jessica, and Nick, you have one that's coming out. So what do you do to get the attention? What do you do to let people know that you have got this album that is -- it's an album where you have grown a lot on. You've written the songs, you're definitely a different person, you're older, more mature. So what do you do?
SIMPSON: You do anything that comes your way. You do all the press you can. You go to the radio stations when it's unheard of right now for labels to be, you know, putting money behind you to go from city to city, to go to all the stations to promote your stuff. I mean, I'm working my butt off. I am working harder now, having sold, you know, millions of records than I did when I first started. So it's like you have to work way, way, way hard.
LACHEY: And I think for us certainly the show provided a way to reach, you know, our target fan base.
SEACREST: Was that the strategy?
LACHEY: Well, you know, we were already doing albums. You know, I was basically done with my album when they approached us about the show. But you know, certainly a chance to tie those two things together makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels, so, you know, it is connected, you know, everything we do -- you're celebrity kind of it's one big, you know, circle of different things. Our music career, and now the reality show, and maybe one day, you know, Jessica will be doing movies and it'll all tie together. So it's certainly...
SEACREST: Is that something that you're pursuing?
SIMPSON: Yes, yes.
SEACREST: What's the story? Are you going on auditions? Do you have offers?
SIMPSON: I haven't really gone on many auditions. I've met with some directors, and you know, I love Amy Paskal (ph), who is the head of Sony Pictures, and you know, there is a project that I really, really, really want, which is "I Dream of Jeannie." That would be like the ultimate movie for me. I think it would be so much fun to be Barbara Eden.
SEACREST: It's a media empire, here it comes.
LACHEY: I don't know what I'm going to do with her. She's out of control.
SEACREST: And your single is out. When does your album comes out, Nick?
LACHEY: Comes out November 11. It's called "Soulo," s-o-u-l-o, and I'm very excited about it. I've worked really hard on it. I think it's always a challenge when you step out of a group to kind of identify what you're going to do.
SEACREST: It's a difficult place to be.
LACHEY: You want to evolve, but you don't want to evolve to the point where your -- the fans who have been loyal...
SEACREST: You can't alienate that core group of people that know you for what you do.
LACHEY: Those 98 Degree fans who have been so loyal, you certainly don't want to alienate them and have them thinking, what in the world is he doing now?
SEACREST: We'll be back with more Nick and Jessica, but take a look at Nick, here's some video action.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: We're back with Nick and Jessica. What was that sound? That (UNINTELLIGIBLE). SIMPSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SEACREST: Who's the cute blond, huh?
Is it more difficult to do all of this?
Is it more difficult than you would have imagined as you used to watch singers and television stars now that you're in the middle of all of it?
SIMPSON: Of course. I mean, me watching my idols, it was like, oh, they have the perfect life. They get to sing and drive their Ferraris and live in Mansions, the whole thing. And that's not what it's like. I didn't realize how much work actually went in to making yourself successful. You know, it's -- a lot of stress.
LACHEY: Especially...
SEACREST: Nick, you were in college, right? Decided to move to Los Angeles?
LACHEY: Yes, yes.
SEACREST: Go for this band.
LACHEY: Yes. I was studying sports medicine in school. I was going to tape ankles and this opportunity came along. Kind of a once in a lifetime thing.
SEACREST: Did you say, I'll give it a shot for a year and see what happens?
And at least I'll have a peace of mind I went for it and gave it my all?
LACHEY: Yes. My grandmother was crying, you can't leave school. You can always go back to school. You know, school will always be there. This opportunity won't necessarily always be there. You have to -- if I didn't do it, I would have regretted not having taken a chance.
SEACREST: I totally understand that. Let's take some calls.
Johnson City, Tennessee, you have Nick and Jessica. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hey, Jessica, hey, Nick.
SIMPSON: Hey.
LACKEY: How you doing?
CALLER: My name's Mary and from Jessica's message board. My question is, Jessica, you were raised Baptist, your father a minister.
SIMPSON: Yes. CALLER: On "Newly Weds" we see the drinking on the show. And people from the message boards have been asking you, do you think that affects how people look at you?
And how do you respond to that?
SIMPSON: I hope it doesn't affect how people look at me. I am 21 and I don't think it's wrong to have a couple drinks here and there. It is very, very important for me to be a positive role model and I still like -- still like I am. I would hope that wouldn't, you know, I would hope that that wouldn't hurt somebody else's character. But I did -- I used to have, you know, the same issues because I did grow up Southern Baptist. And you know, my family had -- you know, they never drank a lick of alcohol. But I think I just became a little bit more accepting to it. Maybe it's just because I -- I was in the entertainment business or whatever. I don't really feel like having a glass of wine is a sin.
SEACREST: Thank you for the call. What is the trick, I mean, obviously, we talked earlier about the fact it was how you're raised to be balanced and grounded.
What's the trick when you leave that and move to Hollywood and there's so much pressure and, you know, just so many other thing that is are happening?
SIMPSON: Well, for me, I grew up very Southern Baptist and I definitely lived in my bubble. You know, I lived in my bubble that was in my church. And, you know, my dad was a minister, and things were, you know, you had to stay away from. My parents were great in the way they raised me, though, because they always taught me responsibility. And my dad was also an adolescent therapist. So, you know, I would sit outside of his office and watch pregnant teenagers go in and cry their eyes out. I would watch people who abused alcohol or abused drugs and that's really -- that was my dad's way of teaching me, you know, right from wrong. It wasn't like you can't drink this because this is a sin. Or you can't don't do this because this is a sin. He showed me in his action. And I think that once I moved out to Los Angeles, and traveled the world, and I realized that it really didn't make somebody a bad person if they had a glass of wine. You know, I think definitely that it's, you know, if you have a problem with it, and if in your family's history there's a problem with abuse, that you definitely should stay away from it, but I'm in the clear.
SEACREST: All right. Let me do one of the Larry's right now. He does this, right?
Columbus Ohio, you're on.
CALLER: Knowing what you know now, do you think things would have been easier if you lived together before you were married?
SEACREST: Good question.
SIMPSON: That is a good question. I don't think things would have been any easier because I would still be the same person and Nick is the same person and still those adjustments to make.
LACHEY: We would have dealt them in a different time, I think. We have -- Jessica's come a long way. She'll clean the house now. She'll get out the Swiffer and clean the floors.
SIMPSON: I used to think only mops had strings. I didn't know that they had the nifty clever things to Swiff around the house.
SEACREST: There's nifty stuff, you know, to do that.
SIMPSON: Yes, I know. It's fun. I like using Windex.
LACHEY: Yes, I think we would have had to deal with certain issues whether it was before we got married or after we got married, you know, so...
SEACREST: But did you -- I mean, would have pushed if she wasn't so adamant about, you know, waiting. Would you push to try to give it a dry run and audition the relationship living together.
LACHEY: I thought you were going...
SEACREST: No. No. No. I wasn't going there.
LACHEY: Yes. Well, you know what, I think that...
SIMPSON: You never really lived with anybody though.
LACHEY: No. I didn't. I never got to that point in any relationship in my life. But I think that there's something fresh about never having lived with someone and hey, you know, we're married. And here's the house we share together and the fun things kind of learn about each other. And there are times when it's hard and times when it's challenging, but I think that's, you know, looking back 50 years from now and we are hopefully celebrating the 50-year anniversary we'll say, you know, that first year of marriage was, you know, it was a fun one and an important one.
SEACREST: And we have a lots of tape. We can relive that first year over and over again.
LACHEY: One of the best home videos ever. We can show our grand kids one day.
SIMPSON: Yes. I'm very old fashioned. He definitely respected that.
SEACREST: We still have a few more minutes to name the second season of "Newly Weds." OK, so I need you guys to concentrate on that during the break.
All right, we are going to come back. More with Nick and Jessica after the break. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SIMPSON: I take my bag everywhere I go. Every single place I go. You know, it's my pet. My pet Louie. I don't know. Is that weird taking my Louie Vuitton bag camping?
Will you tell me how to hold it?
LACHEY: Stand with your feet like shoulder width apart. You want to rotate -- you always keep your left arm straight.
SIMPSON: My boob gets in the way. My boob makes a curve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SEACREST: The hair of 1999, I think.
SIMPSON: Right. That was old!
LACHEY: Back into the archives for that one.
SEACREST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for that. So we've established that the second season of "Newlyweds" won't be called...
SIMPSON: "She's not having a baby."
SEACREST: ... "We're not having a baby"?
SIMPSON: Exactly.
SEACREST: Right?
SIMPSON: No baby.
LACHEY: It won't be called "The Baby."
SEACREST: It won't be called "The Baby"?
SIMPSON: Uh-uh.
LACHEY: To the best of our knowledge.
SIMPSON: Unless they're referring to me!
SEACREST: Well, what are the -- what are the plans? What have you guys talked about, though? Obviously, not imminent, but for the future.
SIMPSON: Well, my biological clock's not ticking yet. I just -- you know, not yet.
SEACREST: Nick has this look on his face tonight...
SIMPSON: I always...
SEACREST: ... I see so many times on that show. SIMPSON: That's because he's about to turn 30, and he really wants a baby.
LACHEY: Well, you know what? I -- it's the one thing in my life that I truly look forward to 100 percent. I can't wait to be a father. But that being said, I'm -- I also realize it's not a good time right now. I mean, there's a lot of things career-wise that -- that Jessica and I both want to pursue that...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: You know, but -- I mean, should it ever happen unexpectedly...
SIMPSON: Oh, we would embrace that! But I'm just...
LACHEY: ... I will be -- I will be...
SIMPSON: I'm...
LACHEY: ... ear to ear smiling.
SIMPSON: I think we need a puppy first, or something. I need to learn how to...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: You have plants. You have a hard. You know, you've got the laundry puppy, working your way up.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Let's go to Cincinnati, Nick's home town. Cincinnati, you're on with Nick and Jessica. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hey, Ryan. This is your old roommate, Andrea. How're you doing?
SEACREST: Oh, hi, Andrea! My old roommate. Nice to hear from you.
CALLER: Good to talk to you. I will get...
SEACREST: Strange we catch up on LARRY KING LIVE, worldwide right now, isn't it?
CALLER: Yes. Well, congratulations on your success. And Nick and Jessica, congratulations on your success...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: I'm expecting a good question, then, Andrea.
CALLER: Well, first of all, we loved your Cincinnati version of "Newlyweds." That was great...
SIMPSON: Oh, thank you.
CALLER: ... with all the -- the landmarks and all that. And also, I'm just curious. Now that you guys are a hit, just as Ryan's show was a big hit, are you making a lot more money? And are you being well compensated for your show?
SEACREST: This is much -- this is for you, not me. I don't have to answer that. Go ahead. Thanks, Andrea.
LACHEY: That is an excellent question, Andrea. And you know, I -- we are in the process, I guess, of going through those things right now. And you know, these things are...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Yes, I think they are called negotiations.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: Better left untold...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Better left to the attorneys.
SEACREST: Yes.
LACHEY: But you know, we're just thrilled with the success that the show has had. And to see everyone out there embracing it the way they have has been really very gratifying for us, so...
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: What's -- what's the trick to achieving longevity? I mean, that's something I think about often, being young, sort of starting out, trying to make my way. How do we do this for a long time?
SIMPSON: I think it's all about the decisions you make, you know? Like, at first, we were a little bit afraid to do the show because it was, you know -- we just didn't want to...
LACHEY: Not this show, Ryan.
SIMPSON: No, no.
LACHEY: Not this show.
SIMPSON: No. Our show.
(CROSSTALK)
SIMPSON: No, no, no. Our show because, you know, you think about longevity, and it's, like, well, if people really see your life, are they going to like you anymore? You know? I mean, you think about -- you think about stuff like that and the decisions that you make, but then we realized we're pretty good people.
LACHEY: Yes, I think -- I think, really, look at it as a long haul and do things for the right reasons, make your choices for the right reasons and -- you know?
SIMPSON: Don't burn bridges.
SEACREST: All right, so quickly, the albums, the status? What are they called?
SIMPSON: My album is out right now. It's called "In This Skin."
SEACREST: You can get it now?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: OK. And Nick?
LACHEY: My first solo record, called "Soulo," comes out November 11 in stores.
SEACREST: And "Newlyweds," the finale and second season? When's all that happening?
SIMPSON: Well...
LACHEY: The finale's next Tuesday.
SEACREST: OK.
SIMPSON: Tonight.
LACHEY: And yes, the second season starts -- you know, couple weeks here, we'll start filming, so...
SEACREST: A lot going on.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: A lot to keep up with.
SIMPSON: But it's great. It's great to be busy.
SEACREST: And it's all very entertaining.
LACHEY: It is.
SEACREST: All right. We'll be right back. Nick and Jessica with us. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SEACREST: My special thanks to Larry King for letting me guest host tonight, and an extra special thanks to Nick and Jessica for being such great guests.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
SEACREST: What an hour!
Coming up in the next hour, Larry's main man, Aaron Brown with "NEWSNIGHT." From New York, I'm Ryan Seacrest. Good night, everybody.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 14, 2003 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK LACHEY, "NEWLYWEDS": You and I have eaten tuna like this before.
JESSICA SIMPSON, "NEWLYWEDS": Why is it called Chicken by the Sea or in the Sea?
LACHEY: Chicken of the Sea is the brand.
SIMPSON: I don't know. Is that weird, taking my Louis Vuitton bag camping?
LACHEY: You always keep your left arm straight.
SIMPSON: Oh. My boob gets in the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN SEACREST, GUEST HOST: Tonight, pop stars Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. With cameras tracking their every intimate just- married moment, these newlyweds have the hottest reality show on TV. From the tabloids to Oprah to "Saturday Night Live" skits, America can't get enough of them, and they're here for the hour to take your phone calls. Nick and Jessica, "Newlyweds," next on LARRY KING LIVE.
And here we go. I'm Ryan Seacrest, in for Larry King. Thanks, Larry, for letting me sit here with these two young and talented stars, Nick and Jessica. Well, first of all, it's a pleasure to see you both.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
LACHEY: Thank you.
SEACREST: Thanks for being here. I'm obsessed with the TV show.
LACHEY: That's good!
SIMPSON: That's a good thing!
LACHEY: We like that!
SIMPSON: Yes!
SEACREST: Why do you think so many of us are obsessed with "Newlyweds," the TV show?
LACHEY: I think it really comes down to -- one of our main reasons for wanting to do the show, in that I think we're just very normal human beings. I think what we do for our career is sometimes viewed as different and extraordinary. But I think that who we are as people and who we are as -- as newlyweds is very normal. And I think people can identify with the things that we go through, you know, as a newlywed couple, and the fights and struggles and the spending and, you know, all the things that, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: I saw the underwear episode.
SIMPSON: Yes, that was a mistake. I just didn't look at the pricetag. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
SEACREST: Yes, I mean, Nick does have a point every once in a while, slightly pragmatic, and he says...
SIMPSON: Yes, he does.
SEACREST: ... you know, How can you not look at the pricetag? How can you -- see, as guys, we can't quite understand how something under your clothes can cost $750.
SIMPSON: Neither could I!
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: That was the -- that was the whole issue, is that I've never bought a bra over $60. You know, I didn't think that it was going to be...
LACHEY: And to her -- to her credit, she...
SIMPSON: ... like, $700.
LACHEY: ... wanted to take it back. You know, she...
SIMPSON: I did.
LACHEY: ... just didn't think that she was going to be able to take it back.
SEACREST: But I think you made the point that you do get a bill at the end of the month, and you have to actually pay for that off the credit card.
LACHEY: Yes. Yes. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: The credit card concept is -- you know, it's a confusing one, you know? It gets a little foggy in there, you know?
SIMPSON: No, it doesn't!
LACHEY: It's this magic card that -- you know, great things happen with this card, and it's...
SIMPSON: Well...
SEACREST: The first year of marriage is probably, as many say, the most difficult. Were you nervous about having cameras follow every moment of that first year?
SIMPSON: We didn't know what to expect in marriage anyway, so we thought that it was the perfect time to actually have cameras with us because we had no clue what we were getting ourselves into, and we thought that it'd be fun to actually document that reality of -- of being true newlyweds, instead of...
SEACREST: Do we, as viewers, get to see what it's really like, or is there so much more to the story that we don't get to see?
LACHEY: Well, I think, I mean, you have to keep in mind you're seeing...
SIMPSON: They don't ever show that I'm out of town the whole time, and that's why I, like, freak out when I get home, and all my laundry's all over the place. And I don't have time to cook, and I'm not laying out in the pool while Nick's shooting his video and stuff like that, you know? They -- they definitely edit it very funny.
SEACREST: Yes, you're seeing -- you know, you're seeing 22 minutes, basically, worth of footage every week, and they taped for, you know, 10 hours a day, six days a week, of months of taping. So there's a lot of footage that you don't see, and you know, there's obviously no way to get it all in there. And so the way that it's edited sometimes is -- you know...
SIMPSON: It's entertaining to us!
SEACREST: As you say, do you sit back and watch the show and say, I can't believe they put it together like that?
SIMPSON: We're amazed, actually. We're amazed that we're that entertaining, I think.
LACHEY: It really is, for the most part -- I think it is -- it's very -- it's very -- the pieces you're seeing are accurate. It's just sometimes the way that they're put together...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: ... you know, makes...
SIMPSON: They don't show -- they don't show the back story or the ending.
SEACREST: When you guys -- you didn't live together before you got married. SIMPSON: No.
LACHEY: No.
SIMPSON: So everything's very brand-new.
SEACREST: I was going to say, so how has that been, that adjustment? What has been the biggest surprise, Jessica?
SIMPSON: I think -- I mean, Nick and I have definitely come from different -- completely different backgrounds. You know, I grew up and my parents were together, and my mom was, like, a stay-at-home mom. She taught aerobics in the morning and then just, you know, packed our lunches and made our beds and the whole thing. And Nick -- his parents were divorced, and he had to -- you know, his mom was at work, so he had to do the laundry and he had to have food on the table and that -- we just grew up completely different. So now our lives just meshing together is a little bit of a challenge.
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Really, that is, I think, the biggest thing of -- you know, especially that -- between us and other married couples who have lived together. They've kind of overcome those obstacles, you know, and confronted them before they ever walked down the aisle. For us, it's, like, All right, here you go. You're married. Go live together. And all these things that we didn't -- although we knew each other very well, some of the kind of everyday, routine types of details we didn't know about each other.
SEACREST: Well, it's no secret that people will watch the show, and they'll have some fun with the things that come up on the show and that are said on the show. Does that -- does it bother you?
LACHEY: I mean, sometimes it's hard not to take offense when you're doing an interview and someone's, you know, being pretty hard on your wife and saying some things that are less than complimentary about your wife. But the one thing I'll give Jessica, she's had a great attitude about it from day one. And I think that we knew going in that we were opening ourselves up to, you know, public opinion and criticism. And we've been very good, I think, about having a sense of humor about it and especially...
SIMPSON: Yes. I think that's totally important, just to laugh with everybody else. I mean...
SEACREST: And what you're doing in your new video -- we're going to talk about that a little bit later -- did you see "SNL" over the weekend?
SIMPSON: I did.
SEACREST: "Saturday Night Live"?
SIMPSON: We laughed so hard.
SEACREST: And Timberlake played...
SIMPSON: Yes, he did.
SEACREST: ... Jessica.
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: He made me a little ghetto (ph), though.
SEACREST: Well, we have a clip. Take a look at Nick and Jessica on "Saturday Night Live."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE")
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: So what if I thought Chicken of the Sea tuna was actually chicken? Or that I thought buffalo wings were actually made out of buffaloes. So what if I cried for three whole days when I thought Peter Pan was ground up to make peanut butter? So what if I never learned to read or write, and when I sign autographs, I have to sign with an X?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, honey, that's enough. That's enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Truly a form of flattery.
SIMPSON: Yes! For me, that's -- that's flattering. I think that's hysterical.
LACHEY: I can't ever look at Justin the same way again.
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: Our relationship's going to have to change now. I mean...
SIMPSON: I love it. He had a shawl, the whole thing.
SEACREST: How well do you know him?
SIMPSON: We know Justin very well. I've known Justin since I was 12, so...
SEACREST: And so you'll continue to be friends, even though he...
SIMPSON: Oh, of course!
SEACREST: ... he pulled that shenanigan...
LACHEY: Oh, yes.
SEACREST: ... on "Saturday Night Live"?
LACHEY: That's the thing, is it's all -- I mean, it really is -- it really is flattering. And you know, I never thought in a million years, you know, growing up, I'd ever be spoofed on "Saturday Night Live," you know?
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: It -- it's really -- well, you laugh at it, you know? And we watched the show, the same as everyone else, and we laugh at ourselves, the same as everyone else, and are sometimes appalled at ourselves, you know?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Why did I say that!
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: What was I thinking?
SIMPSON: I've said that many...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
SEACREST: Nick and Jessica are with us. We're going to talk about your individual music careers, the new CDs, and also get more into "Newlyweds," plus take your calls on LARRY KING LIVE. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
SIMPSON: What? Don't make fun of me right now. I'm not in the mood.
LACHEY: You act like you've never had tuna before.
SIMPSON: I've had tuna fish, like, sandwiches and stuff like this.
LACHEY: You and I have eaten tuna like this before.
SIMPSON: Why is it called Chicken by the Sea or in the Sea?
LACHEY: Chicken of the Sea is the brand.
SIMPSON: Oh.
LACHEY: You know, because a lot of people eat tuna. It's like a lot of people eat chicken. So it's, like, the chicken of the sea.
SIMPSON: OK. I understand now. I was -- I read it wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
SIMPSON: Oh, I'm so excited about going to this. But maybe I'm thinking that it's going to be worse than it really is, you know? All right, hoochie (ph) mamas, bring it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Nick and Jessica are with us. And tell us what was happening on that episode of "Newlyweds."
LACHEY: That was my dancer audition. We were doing -- we were doing a video for my first single, "Shut Up (ph)," and also for, you know, some live performances. So we had about 75...
SIMPSON: Naked.
LACHEY: They weren't naked!
SIMPSON: Half-naked.
LACHEY: They were...
SEACREST: They were half-naked...
LACHEY: ... scantily...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: ... scantily-clad girls. And they -- you know, also, the choreographer was the same woman who choreographs the Pussycat Dolls (ph), and so a lot of the girls were extra-excited to audition for her, and they came...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: ... strip-prepared (ph), and -- yes, so it was interesting.
SEACREST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) job for you.
LACHEY: Absolutely. It's all business. You know, I...
SEACREST: Yes, but it seemed like, Jessica, you were a little -- were you jealous?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Yes?
SIMPSON: Yes, I'll admit it. I didn't like the fact that Nick had half-naked women dancing all over him when I walked in.
SEACREST: But has he ever done anything to violate your trust?
SIMPSON: Absolutely not.
SEACREST: So you shouldn't be jealous, right?
SIMPSON: Well, I -- I'm not worried...
LACHEY: This is good therapy here.
SEACREST: I'm trying to -- I'm actually trying to help you out a little bit here.
SIMPSON: I'm not worried about Nick. I'm worried about the girls.
LACHEY: Oh, I see. Because I'm...
SIMPSON: You know how girls are.
LACHEY: I'm defenseless, you know. I have no -- you know. Of course, it's all up to the girls. I couldn't possibly...
SEACREST: He couldn't say no, right?
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) not made at you right now.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: I'm just saying that the girls definitely are -- they, like, throw themselves on him. I'm used to that, though. We had that our whole...
SEACREST: I was going to say, have you...
SIMPSON: ... our whole relationship.
SEACREST: ... worked through that issue, or is it still an ongoing...
SIMPSON: Well, see, that's the thing...
SEACREST: ... subtle issue?
SIMPSON: ... is that it used to be just, like, 12-year-old girls, and now it's, like, women and -- women who...
LACHEY: I was propositioned by...
SIMPSON: ... women who've gone...
LACHEY: ... a 52-year-old on...
SIMPSON: ... through puberty.
LACHEY: ... the way over here.
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: No, it's -- I think it -- you know, obviously, in our industry, it's something you deal with, to an extent. And she and I have had a pretty good relationship, you know, in terms of dealing with that issue. I don't think that's really been an obstacle for us.
SIMPSON: No. And the dancers he chose, he let me have, you know, my input on. I kind of helped hire the ones I liked.
SEACREST: And so you...
SIMPSON: The ones who didn't look too...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: You were happy with the ones that made it.
SIMPSON: What?
SEACREST: You were happy with the ones who made it.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: They weren't too...
SIMPSON: Yes, they're very...
SEACREST: ... hoochie mamas or...
SIMPSON: ... very sweet girls.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: Now, how did the two of you actually meet and first start dating?
LACHEY: We used to share the same manager. This was in 1998 we met. And he introduced us, my group and Jessica, and we started, I guess, talking about a month later. I saw her at a Teen People (ph)...
SEACREST: So at the time, it was 98 Degrees.
LACHEY: Yes, it was 98 Degrees.
SEACREST: You were doing that.
LACHEY: And -- and we started talking. And then we ended up going on tour together, 98 Degrees and Jessica. So we spent a lot of time on the road, on the tour bus.
SEACREST: The first time out -- the first time you saw her, what went through your mind? Because every guy, when they first see a woman, we think a million different things.
LACHEY: Well, and I -- my manager kind of hyped her up, too. You know, She's a great-looking girl...
SEACREST: Well, she...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Well, I -- you know, I'm just saying the standards were set pretty high.
SEACREST: OK.
LACHEY: I mean, I saw her, and I was not -- I was not disappointed at all. And I was actually...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LACHEY: We saw each other at the Hollywood holiday parade, and I was there with another girl because I was dating -- kind of dating this other girl at the time. But she was there with her family. It's one of those things where we'd kind of steal glances across the room at each other, and -- no, I was blown away. I thought she was beautiful, and even more impressive to me was you could just tell she had a great -- a great spirit about her and a great attitude and...
SEACREST: Love at first sight?
SIMPSON: For me.
LACHEY: As close as -- yes, as close as I think you can...
SIMPSON: As you -- yes.
LACHEY: ... get to that.
SIMPSON: I got in the car with my parents because my parents were with me. I mean, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) only, like, just turned 18 at the time.
LACHEY: Easy. Easy.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: That scares him!
SEACREST: That's coming on the next segment.
SIMPSON: But I got in the car, and I was, like, you know, everybody was talking about their favorite, and you know, my mom was going off, and we all were going off, and I was just, like, Well, Nick is definitely, by far, my favorite of the guys. And he's the kind of guy I want to marry. He's the kind of -- I mean, I went off on how I wanted to marry this guy. And I had met him for, like, five minutes. But I am a hopeless romantic, too, so I probably said that before he did.
SEACREST: So what was the next step, then? How'd you guys end up together?
LACHEY: Well, the next time I saw her, we were at a Teen People party, and I was there with my mom. And you know, we were going into the party, and -- and I told my mom, I said, I really kind of like this girl, I think, and your -- you know, Your job, your assignment for the night is to get me in good with this girl. And I...
SIMPSON: So his mom made sure to tell me that, you know, he wasn't dating anybody and...
SEACREST: That that girl he was with -- just a friend, platonic relationship.
LACHEY: Just a friend. Just a friend. And my mom is -- I mean, she's a pit bull when she -- once you get her going on something, it's over, so...
SIMPSON: Yes, she -- she was on it. That was her mission.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: So you ended up, then, dating, and took a break before you came back and got married.
LACHEY: Yes.
SIMPSON: Yes, we took, like, a five-month break...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Which I think, in retrospect, was about the best thing that could have -- I mean, you always say that, but it really was...
SEACREST: Is that because -- was it because, Jessica, you were -- you felt like you were so young?
SIMPSON: Yes. I didn't -- I didn't ever want to regret not ever dating anybody else because Nick was -- you know, he was the love of my life, the -- you know, the first guy that I really fell, like, head over heels, I want to marry this guy. You know, I never really dated at all. And...
LACHEY: You can just say it. You were sick of me. That's what it came down to.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: Shut up. We're not -- we're not doing our television show right now. We're trying to be interviewed.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMPSON: No, I'm kidding. So we, like, completely, madly, fell in love, don't you think?
LACHEY: Yes. I mean, I think -- I think it really was -- I don't think if she would have gotten married to me without having that break in there, I think in the back of her mind would have always been a...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: ... a doubt or, you know...
SIMPSON: We fell in love all over again. Like, we had our separation, and it made us realize -- you know, it made me realize without him in my life, what I was missing out on. And I was out there searching to date other guys, yet I had the perfect guy in front of my face, and it didn't really hit home and -- to me until he was out here for the September 11 incident and immediately, like -- I mean, he called me, and immediately, I wanted him to come home, like, all the selfishness -- I mean, that was just the worst time in my life. I was really, really selfish, and I just -- it was all about me, me, me. And that made me realize what I was about to lose and...
SEACREST: Now, you also, Jessica, have been public about, you know, advocating abstinence.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: So was that something, obviously, that came from the way that you were brought up? And was there a story about a ring that your father gave you?
SIMPSON: It definitely came from the way that I was brought up. My mother did the same thing. My grandmother did the same thing. And you know, everybody always thinks it's a religious thing, but really, it was just kind of -- not just a family thing, but it was, like, a deep -- I'm so romantic, and I -- I loved the thought of sharing this one intimate moment with -- with the man of my dreams, the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. So when I was 12, my dad and I -- you know, we had talked about and he had gave me a -- he gave me a purity ring. And I wore that until I lost it. When I lost it, I was, like, Oh, maybe this is a sign! But it wasn't. No, I -- I still kept hold to that, and that's one other thing that is so amazing about Nick, is that, you know, through all of it, he just -- he stuck there right behind me and supported it...
SEACREST: Well, I was going to say, I mean, in theory, I understand it. But how do you really do it? How do you...
SIMPSON: Yes, it's almost...
SEACREST: ... pull that off? It's very difficult.
SIMPSON: Almost impossible.
LACHEY: Yes, it's really -- it's really, really hard, and you know, I think it just -- you have to have a mutual respect for one another. And she told me, I think -- in the very first phone conversation we ever had, she told me about her -- you know, her belief in saving herself and -- and so I mean, she laid it out there right away. SIMPSON: I had to tell him in the beginning.
LACHEY: You know what I mean? And I respected that. I really did. And I think you just -- you just have to really, you know, support each other and help each other to execute that kind of wish (ph).
SEACREST: Well said.
(LAUGHTER)
SEACREST: I'm Ryan Seacrest, in for Larry King. Nick and Jessica are my guests. We're going to take a break and come right back. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "NEWLYWEDS")
LACHEY: Actually tried to get out of it. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) work at the house, and I was, like, You know what? I wouldn't mind just staying here tonight and -- so I called Michelle (ph), and she's, like, I just think it's -- it would look bad, you know, and we already confirmed you to go. And I think it's a lot of publicity, and blah, blah, blah. So I said, Well, I mean, if it's going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going to play badly, I'll still go. OK. 'Bye.
Must be cold in Detroit.
SIMPSON: I'm not very happy right now because I know that Nick is at the Playboy mansion. I asked him not to go, and then I didn't want to be stupid about it, you know, like a jealous wife or anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SIMPSON: It's really two lives coming together and trying to be one. And there's a lot of adjustments to make.
LACHEY: Which piles are yours and which piles are mine?
SIMPSON: I don't think there's a difference in piles.
LACHEY: I can't believe that someone broke into our house, and all they did was take all our clothes and throw them around the master bedroom.
SIMPSON: Through a huge duration of my life, someone has always picked up after me. And when you're on your own and you're trying to be independent, it's definitely different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: So how long did those clothes sit in the middle of the house there?
SIMPSON: Well, I figured if I threw them over the balcony, that if I was walking through them, maybe I would walk them through to the laundry room.
SEACREST: Maybe was the operative.
LACHEY: No, yeah.
SIMPSON: No. I didn't do it. They just sat there. Nick ended up -- we ended up having like a photo shoot in our house or something, and Nick picked them all up and just threw them in the laundry room, and literally you could barely open the door to our laundry room.
SEACREST: You guys come from two different places on this. Because I know you're a do-it-yourselfer, Nick.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: And you actually -- you like to have help at the house. Have we resolved that issue? It's been an ongoing issue on the television show.
LACHEY: It's an ongoing exercise in compromise. You know, we do have someone who comes now and helps, you know, helps with the laundry a little bit, helps clean up a little bit. But I never want to feel like I'm completely dependent on someone else to do...
SEACREST: I saw you one night, you were moving a piece of furniture, you were dragging it across a ladder over an alley -- it was like a table. And I thought, just hire a guy for $20.
LACHEY: It was a challenge, you know.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
LACHEY: It's a challenge. To see if we could pull it off. You see, my brother and I kind of, we get off on stuff like that.
SIMPSON: Oh, I don't know why.
LACHEY: It's a macho thing.
SIMPSON: We ended up having to like spend more money than what we would have paid movers, because there were holes in our walls. We had to patch them up.
LACHEY: How much did that cost, to patch them up?
SIMPSON: I don't know. You paid for it.
LACHEY: You see? Spend more money.
SEACREST: What do people say to you, now that the show has been on the air, what do they say when they see you on the streets?
SIMPSON: I think we get, like -- I mean, I get men that come up to me, my wife is just like you, and there are people that actually do say, my wife thought Chicken by the Sea was chicken.
LACHEY: It's chicken of the sea.
SEACREST: We're not going to have that scene again. How many people say that? A lot of people?
SIMPSON: A lot of people. They're mostly foreign, but...
SEACREST: What did you -- I have to ask you, what did you think when you watched that back on television?
SIMPSON: Yeah. I didn't -- the funny thing is that before the show, it started airing, they showed us just little selects that we were going to be on. I didn't even remember. Like, that was the moment that I didn't even really remember. Like, I was just sitting there with Nick trying to do the Atkins diet and eating tuna fish out of a can, and that's just...
LACHEY: See, that's the thing. People think that would be like some memorable moment in our lives. That stuff happens every day.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: ... in our lives as viewers.
SIMPSON: Exactly.
LACHEY: It's every day, and so it's just really -- until we see the actual episode on Tuesday nights, we don't really even know ourselves.
SIMPSON: Yeah.
LACHEY: ... what's going to happen.
SEACREST: But is part of what you're trying to show the people who watch television and are fans of yours, is part of it the real misconception of celebrity? I mean, the fact that we get to see you out on the red carpet, we get to see you at a concert, but we don't expect to see you sitting on the coach eating out of a can of tuna?
SIMPSON: You see perfection. You know? You see the Hollywood love life that looks so romantic and perfect like it's a movie. And we thought it was so important to show, or at least we don't have perfection. I don't know if any of those others do, but I doubt they do.
LACHEY: I think the last thing we wanted to do is say, oh, here we are, the perfect happy couple, it's you know, let's shove it down everyone's throat and show everyone how beautiful our relationship is. And I think it was important when we decided to do the show that we talked about this, was that we want to -- if there's a fight, you can't hold back from that. That's part of life, too. And that's part of being a newlywed too, and we have to be willing to let that hang out, you know, because that's part of the experience we wanted everyone to see.
SEACREST: So, as you get ready for the second season, no regrets in deciding to do this?
SIMPSON: Oh, no. We're so happy we did it. We are so happy. I mean, the response is amazing. And, you know, we have widened our demographic of, you know, ages, and it's just -- it's been huge for us. I mean, who knew?
LACHEY: It's actually -- it's good therapy in a sick twisted kind of way.
SIMPSON: It is.
LACHEY: We sit and watch the episode and, you know, oh, man, we shouldn't do that anymore.
SIMPSON: I know.
SEACREST: What do you call the second season? Still newlyweds?
SIMPSON: I don't know.
LACHEY: It's a good question.
SIMPSON: That's a good question. We haven't been asked that.
SEACREST: Think about that. We'll name the title of the second season.
SIMPSON: Are you only a newlywed the first year? I guess. Maybe.
LACHEY: That's how it works.
SEACREST: I guess so. I mean, it's newlyweds still learning? I don't know, we'll come up with a title for the second season.
We'll be right back on LARRY KING LIVE. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you like it, yes, Nick?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was your guys' budget here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did it in 172.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was your budget?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, after seeing her video, it is obvious that mine is not up to snuff. I mean, it was a half-assed video, a half-assed treatment and a half-assed shoot, and it comes off that way. So we're going have to go back and reshoot the whole stupid freaking thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we told you we could do this whole thing like it's done, if we could do it for 55, does that terrify you or is that a real number?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It terrifies me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of money, what kind of numbers are you talking about, just so we know like who we're looking at asking and how to make it work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're looking at $10,000 to spend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: Is it easier or harder sort of doing the same thing, being married, both being pop stars and going after that similar if not the same demographic. I watch that clip, you're talking about the music video and you're comparing yours, Nick, to Jessica's, right?
LACHEY: Yeah.
SEACREST: So does that make it more difficult?
LACHEY: I think -- I really think it's been easier for us. I think we certainly offer each other, you know, support system for whatever we're going through. We understand what each other is going through. And we can always compare budgets. And you know...
SEACREST: So in that moment, you seem really frustrated, really upset.
SIMPSON: He was like on the phone like all morning, like all day on like two phones at once.
LACHEY: I mean, it's a hard time in the music business.
SIMPSON: It's really hard.
LACHEY: And if people out there are seeing these articles on downloading and file sharing and stuff and they don't believe that it's impacting our business, it's...
SIMPSON: It is.
LACHEY: It absolutely is. And it's, you know, record labels are struggling to stay alive and stay afloat, and it affects everyone, even established artists. And so it's, you know, it's a frustrating time, I think, for everybody.
SIMPSON: Because what we would do two years ago and have so much budget money for, now we are having to do it for, like, not even half as much. I mean...
LACHEY: So it's...
SIMPSON: It's crazy.
LACHEY: It's a trying time, and it can be very, very frustrating. And that was certainly one of my more frustrated moments.
SEACREST: Is there ever any envy between the two of you for something, you know, you may have more for a video or you may have more for a promotional tour, or vice versa? Is that ever...
LACHEY: I'm insanely jealous of Jessica. I'm insanely jealous. It's like, you know, she's shooting the cover of "Rolling Stone" tomorrow. And you know, I'm not on the cover. Which I'm so happy for her. You know, and I think it's important that we always understand each other like that. I'm her biggest fan. You know? And we just did the cover of "Us Weekly" together. So that's like, you know, I can take some satisfaction in that. But I'm her biggest fan. Whatever she does, I hope she knows I'm always the first in line. Always ...
SIMPSON: I do know that.
LACHEY: ... Always there for her. And it works the other way, as well.
SEACREST: Well, what's it like with the pop landscape right now to be a pop star? Is it over saturated? Is it a good time?
SIMPSON: It's -- oh, that's a hard question, because I don't want to offend anybody, but it's hard.
LACHEY: It's a very urban time in pop music.
SIMPSON: Very urban.
LACHEY: I think for the first time in the history of "Billboard" magazine, which is, you know, over 100-year history, the top 10 records in the country are all urban records.
SIMPSON: All urban.
LACHEY: Which has just -- it's never happened before, and so it's -- music's always changing. It's really...
SEACREST: So do you react to that? I'm just curious. I mean, can you react to that, or do you just wait it out? What do you do?
LACHEY: Yeah, it's tough.
SIMPSON: I just don't know if it would be believable if all of a sudden I came with like this urban record, just to get on radio. I don't -- I would rather stick with what I'm good at and what I know I love doing and know that pop music always does come around. You know? I'm about to release my second single, and it's definitely straight up pop. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope that people will love it and embrace it, and just because it's not played in a club or has a hip-hop beat behind it doesn't mean that it's not good music. And it's just -- it's weird. Music is definitely really strange right now. But, you know, we're definitely hanging in there. I love my album. I believe in my album. I wrote my album. And that's the first time I ever got to do that. And so I feel really like I'm expanding as an artist, even though the record labels and the record business is, you know, very...
LACHEY: Unstable.
SIMPSON: Unstable. Thank you.
SEACREST: Do you feel like you're compared to Britney Spears a lot, like you guys -- are or aren't?
SIMPSON: I have been my whole life.
SEACREST: And how's...
SIMPSON: Since I was 12 years old, auditioning for the Mickey Mouse Club, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears both beat me out. You know, I froze in the audition, I forgot everything, and I ended up not getting it. And then, you know, I signed with Columbia, and I hear -- when I was 17, and I hear that Britney signed with Jive, you know, the week before, and Christina signed with RCA the week after, and it like came back around, and then the media has always kept it.
So it's been like this ongoing thing for me, to try to differentiate myself and try to separate myself, and I try to do that with my image and I try to do that, you know, through love and through the kind of music that I sing, and hopefully, people can just get over the comparisons. Even though they're great comparisons, you know, I'd rather be known for Jessica Simpson.
SEACREST: Well, there's a moment that I have seen many times on television, that was from the VMAs, where Britney kissed Madonna. What did you guys think about that when you saw that happen on stage?
LACHEY: I had heard about the kiss leading up to the night, and I was actually looking forward to it. And after it happened, I was a bit let down. I thought it was executed not the best it could have been. You know? But it's an attention grabber. The shock value certainly was there.
SIMPSON: Made the cover of magazines.
SEACREST: You probably would have done it, Nick, but Jessica, would you have done something like that, if that were you out there?
SIMPSON: Depends on who I was kissing.
SEACREST: Well, if it were Madonna.
SIMPSON: If she asked me to kiss her? Would I do it on stage? I don't know. I don't know.
LACHEY: I mean -- I'll take Madonna and Britney any day over Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley, so.
SIMPSON: Very true.
LACHEY: I have no problem with what happened.
SIMPSON: Very true. I don't know. Depends on -- I wouldn't tongue her. Wouldn't stick my tongue in there.
SEACREST: Let's talk about...
SIMPSON: But for me, that's what I'm saying. I'm not that kind of publicity, attention-grabber type of artist. I'd rather do it with my music.
SEACREST: Let's talk about what's happening with your record, for example.
LACHEY: The conversation, I had to get some water.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: He's calming himself down with some cold water. In terms of getting that attention, though, I mean, you have a record that's out, Jessica, and Nick, you have one that's coming out. So what do you do to get the attention? What do you do to let people know that you have got this album that is -- it's an album where you have grown a lot on. You've written the songs, you're definitely a different person, you're older, more mature. So what do you do?
SIMPSON: You do anything that comes your way. You do all the press you can. You go to the radio stations when it's unheard of right now for labels to be, you know, putting money behind you to go from city to city, to go to all the stations to promote your stuff. I mean, I'm working my butt off. I am working harder now, having sold, you know, millions of records than I did when I first started. So it's like you have to work way, way, way hard.
LACHEY: And I think for us certainly the show provided a way to reach, you know, our target fan base.
SEACREST: Was that the strategy?
LACHEY: Well, you know, we were already doing albums. You know, I was basically done with my album when they approached us about the show. But you know, certainly a chance to tie those two things together makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels, so, you know, it is connected, you know, everything we do -- you're celebrity kind of it's one big, you know, circle of different things. Our music career, and now the reality show, and maybe one day, you know, Jessica will be doing movies and it'll all tie together. So it's certainly...
SEACREST: Is that something that you're pursuing?
SIMPSON: Yes, yes.
SEACREST: What's the story? Are you going on auditions? Do you have offers?
SIMPSON: I haven't really gone on many auditions. I've met with some directors, and you know, I love Amy Paskal (ph), who is the head of Sony Pictures, and you know, there is a project that I really, really, really want, which is "I Dream of Jeannie." That would be like the ultimate movie for me. I think it would be so much fun to be Barbara Eden.
SEACREST: It's a media empire, here it comes.
LACHEY: I don't know what I'm going to do with her. She's out of control.
SEACREST: And your single is out. When does your album comes out, Nick?
LACHEY: Comes out November 11. It's called "Soulo," s-o-u-l-o, and I'm very excited about it. I've worked really hard on it. I think it's always a challenge when you step out of a group to kind of identify what you're going to do.
SEACREST: It's a difficult place to be.
LACHEY: You want to evolve, but you don't want to evolve to the point where your -- the fans who have been loyal...
SEACREST: You can't alienate that core group of people that know you for what you do.
LACHEY: Those 98 Degree fans who have been so loyal, you certainly don't want to alienate them and have them thinking, what in the world is he doing now?
SEACREST: We'll be back with more Nick and Jessica, but take a look at Nick, here's some video action.
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SEACREST: We're back with Nick and Jessica. What was that sound? That (UNINTELLIGIBLE). SIMPSON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SEACREST: Who's the cute blond, huh?
Is it more difficult to do all of this?
Is it more difficult than you would have imagined as you used to watch singers and television stars now that you're in the middle of all of it?
SIMPSON: Of course. I mean, me watching my idols, it was like, oh, they have the perfect life. They get to sing and drive their Ferraris and live in Mansions, the whole thing. And that's not what it's like. I didn't realize how much work actually went in to making yourself successful. You know, it's -- a lot of stress.
LACHEY: Especially...
SEACREST: Nick, you were in college, right? Decided to move to Los Angeles?
LACHEY: Yes, yes.
SEACREST: Go for this band.
LACHEY: Yes. I was studying sports medicine in school. I was going to tape ankles and this opportunity came along. Kind of a once in a lifetime thing.
SEACREST: Did you say, I'll give it a shot for a year and see what happens?
And at least I'll have a peace of mind I went for it and gave it my all?
LACHEY: Yes. My grandmother was crying, you can't leave school. You can always go back to school. You know, school will always be there. This opportunity won't necessarily always be there. You have to -- if I didn't do it, I would have regretted not having taken a chance.
SEACREST: I totally understand that. Let's take some calls.
Johnson City, Tennessee, you have Nick and Jessica. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hey, Jessica, hey, Nick.
SIMPSON: Hey.
LACKEY: How you doing?
CALLER: My name's Mary and from Jessica's message board. My question is, Jessica, you were raised Baptist, your father a minister.
SIMPSON: Yes. CALLER: On "Newly Weds" we see the drinking on the show. And people from the message boards have been asking you, do you think that affects how people look at you?
And how do you respond to that?
SIMPSON: I hope it doesn't affect how people look at me. I am 21 and I don't think it's wrong to have a couple drinks here and there. It is very, very important for me to be a positive role model and I still like -- still like I am. I would hope that wouldn't, you know, I would hope that that wouldn't hurt somebody else's character. But I did -- I used to have, you know, the same issues because I did grow up Southern Baptist. And you know, my family had -- you know, they never drank a lick of alcohol. But I think I just became a little bit more accepting to it. Maybe it's just because I -- I was in the entertainment business or whatever. I don't really feel like having a glass of wine is a sin.
SEACREST: Thank you for the call. What is the trick, I mean, obviously, we talked earlier about the fact it was how you're raised to be balanced and grounded.
What's the trick when you leave that and move to Hollywood and there's so much pressure and, you know, just so many other thing that is are happening?
SIMPSON: Well, for me, I grew up very Southern Baptist and I definitely lived in my bubble. You know, I lived in my bubble that was in my church. And, you know, my dad was a minister, and things were, you know, you had to stay away from. My parents were great in the way they raised me, though, because they always taught me responsibility. And my dad was also an adolescent therapist. So, you know, I would sit outside of his office and watch pregnant teenagers go in and cry their eyes out. I would watch people who abused alcohol or abused drugs and that's really -- that was my dad's way of teaching me, you know, right from wrong. It wasn't like you can't drink this because this is a sin. Or you can't don't do this because this is a sin. He showed me in his action. And I think that once I moved out to Los Angeles, and traveled the world, and I realized that it really didn't make somebody a bad person if they had a glass of wine. You know, I think definitely that it's, you know, if you have a problem with it, and if in your family's history there's a problem with abuse, that you definitely should stay away from it, but I'm in the clear.
SEACREST: All right. Let me do one of the Larry's right now. He does this, right?
Columbus Ohio, you're on.
CALLER: Knowing what you know now, do you think things would have been easier if you lived together before you were married?
SEACREST: Good question.
SIMPSON: That is a good question. I don't think things would have been any easier because I would still be the same person and Nick is the same person and still those adjustments to make.
LACHEY: We would have dealt them in a different time, I think. We have -- Jessica's come a long way. She'll clean the house now. She'll get out the Swiffer and clean the floors.
SIMPSON: I used to think only mops had strings. I didn't know that they had the nifty clever things to Swiff around the house.
SEACREST: There's nifty stuff, you know, to do that.
SIMPSON: Yes, I know. It's fun. I like using Windex.
LACHEY: Yes, I think we would have had to deal with certain issues whether it was before we got married or after we got married, you know, so...
SEACREST: But did you -- I mean, would have pushed if she wasn't so adamant about, you know, waiting. Would you push to try to give it a dry run and audition the relationship living together.
LACHEY: I thought you were going...
SEACREST: No. No. No. I wasn't going there.
LACHEY: Yes. Well, you know what, I think that...
SIMPSON: You never really lived with anybody though.
LACHEY: No. I didn't. I never got to that point in any relationship in my life. But I think that there's something fresh about never having lived with someone and hey, you know, we're married. And here's the house we share together and the fun things kind of learn about each other. And there are times when it's hard and times when it's challenging, but I think that's, you know, looking back 50 years from now and we are hopefully celebrating the 50-year anniversary we'll say, you know, that first year of marriage was, you know, it was a fun one and an important one.
SEACREST: And we have a lots of tape. We can relive that first year over and over again.
LACHEY: One of the best home videos ever. We can show our grand kids one day.
SIMPSON: Yes. I'm very old fashioned. He definitely respected that.
SEACREST: We still have a few more minutes to name the second season of "Newly Weds." OK, so I need you guys to concentrate on that during the break.
All right, we are going to come back. More with Nick and Jessica after the break. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SIMPSON: I take my bag everywhere I go. Every single place I go. You know, it's my pet. My pet Louie. I don't know. Is that weird taking my Louie Vuitton bag camping?
Will you tell me how to hold it?
LACHEY: Stand with your feet like shoulder width apart. You want to rotate -- you always keep your left arm straight.
SIMPSON: My boob gets in the way. My boob makes a curve.
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SEACREST: The hair of 1999, I think.
SIMPSON: Right. That was old!
LACHEY: Back into the archives for that one.
SEACREST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for that. So we've established that the second season of "Newlyweds" won't be called...
SIMPSON: "She's not having a baby."
SEACREST: ... "We're not having a baby"?
SIMPSON: Exactly.
SEACREST: Right?
SIMPSON: No baby.
LACHEY: It won't be called "The Baby."
SEACREST: It won't be called "The Baby"?
SIMPSON: Uh-uh.
LACHEY: To the best of our knowledge.
SIMPSON: Unless they're referring to me!
SEACREST: Well, what are the -- what are the plans? What have you guys talked about, though? Obviously, not imminent, but for the future.
SIMPSON: Well, my biological clock's not ticking yet. I just -- you know, not yet.
SEACREST: Nick has this look on his face tonight...
SIMPSON: I always...
SEACREST: ... I see so many times on that show. SIMPSON: That's because he's about to turn 30, and he really wants a baby.
LACHEY: Well, you know what? I -- it's the one thing in my life that I truly look forward to 100 percent. I can't wait to be a father. But that being said, I'm -- I also realize it's not a good time right now. I mean, there's a lot of things career-wise that -- that Jessica and I both want to pursue that...
SIMPSON: Yes.
LACHEY: You know, but -- I mean, should it ever happen unexpectedly...
SIMPSON: Oh, we would embrace that! But I'm just...
LACHEY: ... I will be -- I will be...
SIMPSON: I'm...
LACHEY: ... ear to ear smiling.
SIMPSON: I think we need a puppy first, or something. I need to learn how to...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: You have plants. You have a hard. You know, you've got the laundry puppy, working your way up.
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: Let's go to Cincinnati, Nick's home town. Cincinnati, you're on with Nick and Jessica. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hey, Ryan. This is your old roommate, Andrea. How're you doing?
SEACREST: Oh, hi, Andrea! My old roommate. Nice to hear from you.
CALLER: Good to talk to you. I will get...
SEACREST: Strange we catch up on LARRY KING LIVE, worldwide right now, isn't it?
CALLER: Yes. Well, congratulations on your success. And Nick and Jessica, congratulations on your success...
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: I'm expecting a good question, then, Andrea.
CALLER: Well, first of all, we loved your Cincinnati version of "Newlyweds." That was great...
SIMPSON: Oh, thank you.
CALLER: ... with all the -- the landmarks and all that. And also, I'm just curious. Now that you guys are a hit, just as Ryan's show was a big hit, are you making a lot more money? And are you being well compensated for your show?
SEACREST: This is much -- this is for you, not me. I don't have to answer that. Go ahead. Thanks, Andrea.
LACHEY: That is an excellent question, Andrea. And you know, I -- we are in the process, I guess, of going through those things right now. And you know, these things are...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Yes, I think they are called negotiations.
(CROSSTALK)
SEACREST: Better left untold...
(CROSSTALK)
LACHEY: Better left to the attorneys.
SEACREST: Yes.
LACHEY: But you know, we're just thrilled with the success that the show has had. And to see everyone out there embracing it the way they have has been really very gratifying for us, so...
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: What's -- what's the trick to achieving longevity? I mean, that's something I think about often, being young, sort of starting out, trying to make my way. How do we do this for a long time?
SIMPSON: I think it's all about the decisions you make, you know? Like, at first, we were a little bit afraid to do the show because it was, you know -- we just didn't want to...
LACHEY: Not this show, Ryan.
SIMPSON: No, no.
LACHEY: Not this show.
SIMPSON: No. Our show.
(CROSSTALK)
SIMPSON: No, no, no. Our show because, you know, you think about longevity, and it's, like, well, if people really see your life, are they going to like you anymore? You know? I mean, you think about -- you think about stuff like that and the decisions that you make, but then we realized we're pretty good people.
LACHEY: Yes, I think -- I think, really, look at it as a long haul and do things for the right reasons, make your choices for the right reasons and -- you know?
SIMPSON: Don't burn bridges.
SEACREST: All right, so quickly, the albums, the status? What are they called?
SIMPSON: My album is out right now. It's called "In This Skin."
SEACREST: You can get it now?
SIMPSON: Yes.
SEACREST: OK. And Nick?
LACHEY: My first solo record, called "Soulo," comes out November 11 in stores.
SEACREST: And "Newlyweds," the finale and second season? When's all that happening?
SIMPSON: Well...
LACHEY: The finale's next Tuesday.
SEACREST: OK.
SIMPSON: Tonight.
LACHEY: And yes, the second season starts -- you know, couple weeks here, we'll start filming, so...
SEACREST: A lot going on.
LACHEY: Yes.
SEACREST: A lot to keep up with.
SIMPSON: But it's great. It's great to be busy.
SEACREST: And it's all very entertaining.
LACHEY: It is.
SEACREST: All right. We'll be right back. Nick and Jessica with us. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SEACREST: My special thanks to Larry King for letting me guest host tonight, and an extra special thanks to Nick and Jessica for being such great guests.
SIMPSON: Thank you.
SEACREST: What an hour!
Coming up in the next hour, Larry's main man, Aaron Brown with "NEWSNIGHT." From New York, I'm Ryan Seacrest. Good night, everybody.
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