Jessica Simpson Defends Flying 1st Class With Her 3 Kids in Coach

Jessica Simpson set the record straight on seating her kids in coach while she enjoyed a first class flight to Hawaii.

"My mom bought those tickets," Simpson, 45, told photographers on Wednesday, May 20, per Page Six, noting she didn't choose the seating arrangement. "It was my mom's treat for us to go to Hawaii."

Paparazzi then asked the singer if she would have sat with her kids - Maxwell, 14, Ace, 12, and Birdie, 7, whom she shares with estranged husband Eric Johnson - if she bought the tickets herself. "Of course!" she replied.

Simpson's revelation comes after her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, shared that he ran into her on the flight during an episode of Watch What Happens Live.

"I believe her kids and her - I'm not familiar with where they stand, but - her husband, maybe, were on the plane but not with us," Lachey, 52, said, noting that her mom, Tina Ann Drew, was also on the flight.

Host Andy Cohen then asked if all her children were on the flight, but in "in a separate class of service," to which Lachey confirmed.

As for their first run-in in 20 years, Lachey said it was "strangely OK."

"You know, it's been 20 years, and so we hadn't seen each other in those 20 years and then spent six and a half hours on a flight to Hawaii together," he recalled. "When I say ‘spent,' [I mean] in the same vicinity. Everyone was very cordial, very respectful." Lachey added, "It was honestly … it was fine."

Lachey, for his part, was flying with his wife, Vanessa Lachey, and their three kids: Camden, 13, Brooklyn, 11, and Phoenix, 9.

Fans were quick to share their thoughts on Simpson not sitting with her little ones in the comments section. "Andy so messy ~ pointing out the coach seats 🤣," one wrote. A second commented, "Mother's Day gift for the win.. the moms get first class and let the dad deal with kids behind you 👏." A third fan commented, "Good for her putting the kids in coach LOL she deserves a break."

Simpson and Lachey met in 1998 and began dating a month later. In February 2002, they got engaged and tied the knot later that year. Lachey and Simpson then starred in MTV's Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, where they navigated life together for three seasons before they confirmed their separation in November 2005. Their divorce was finalized in June 2006.

Simpson then found love with Johnson, 46, in 2010. Four years later, they got married in California. In January 2025, Simpson confirmed that they split.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 5:01 PM.