Last week, Nick Lachey appeared on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live. During the interview, he confirmed rumors that he and ex-wife Jessica Simpson had run into each other on a flight to Hawaii on March 29. TMZ claimed that they went out of their way to avoid each other. However, an exclusive source told People that despite not seeing each other in 20 years, Jessica, Nick, and Vanessa Lachey had actually had a “cordial” conversation.
Nick said that he ran into Jessica in first class, where he and Vanessa had been sitting with their three kids and Jessica was sitting with her mother, Tina Simpson. He also mentioned that Jessica’s three children were seated elsewhere with her estranged husband, Eric Johnson. The seating arrangements were mentioned as a context detail, but people latched on to the fact that Jessica was in first class while her children were in coach. Since there’s been some debate about it online, Us Weekly spoke to an expert about the proper etiquette of families booking seats in different airline class sections.
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the [Nick Lachey] confirmed he unexpectedly crossed paths with his ex-wife nearly 20 years after their divorce. During the interview, Lachey, 52, recounted that the two families “spent six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together.” Though, he quickly clarified that by “spent” he meant they were simply in the same “vicinity.”
“Her mother and her were together,” Lachey says of the “Irresistable” singer, adding that the kids and Simpson’s estranged husband Eric Johnson “were all on the plane, but not with us.”
“The kids were in a separate class of service?” Cohen asks.
“Yes,” Lachey confirms. “A separate class of service.”
Simpson, 45, and the former professional football player, 46, share three children: daughters Maxwell, 14, and Birdie, 7, and son Ace, 12. The pair wed in 2014 and she announced their separation in January 2025 after 10 years of marriage.
According to Lachey’s account of the flight, Johnson remained with the kids over the course of the trip. But the story raises a popular family travel debate: is it appropriate to book a seat in a different class than one’s kids?
Longtime educator and parenting coach Josephine Hunt tells PEOPLE the decision depends on a variety of factors, including the child’s age, length and timing of the flight, any medical needs, the child’s ability to advocate for themselves and proximity to trusted siblings.
She says the question depends less on a specific age and more on “the child’s emotional maturity, regulation skills, communication abilities, anxiety level, temperament, travel experience, sibling dynamics, and ability to independently problem solve in unfamiliar environments.”
“There is also an important resilience component to this conversation,” she adds. “Gradually building independence through manageable experiences can help children develop confidence, adaptability, and self-trust. However, resilience develops best when challenge is paired with appropriate support, not abrupt overexposure to situations children are not yet emotionally prepared to handle.”
“Ultimately, parents know their children best. The decision should prioritize emotional safety, developmental appropriateness, and realistic expectations over convenience, upgrades, or assumptions about maturity based solely on age,” Hunt concludes.
Real talk: I don’t think it’s a big deal that Jessica and her mom flew separately from the rest of the family. It’s not like she left her children alone to fend for themselves. They were flying with their father. Jessica has no responsibility to buy a first class ticket for Eric now that they are separated. Also, the first class section only has so many seats. I think the ultimate irony here would be if Jessica’s children couldn’t fly first class because the Lacheys were already taking up six spots.
I absolutely think that families who fly coach should not have to pay to sit together. That said, first class is a luxury upgrade that customers pay a lot to sit in. As a parent with children who fly fairly regularly, I agree with US Weekly’s expert that it depends on the child. Not all kids are great travelers. Some kids can handle long flights while others simply cannot. It’s the same for adults! If I paid thousands of dollars to fly first class, I wouldn’t want to take a six-and-a-half hour flight with a kid who isn’t mature enough to behave on a plane.
Nick Lachey ran into his ex Jessica Simpson on a flight to Hawaii #WWHL pic.twitter.com/c7zRRM2pWc
— Watch What Happens Live! (@BravoWWHL) May 14, 2026
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