How Much Did Nick Lachey Walk Away With In His Divorce From Jessica Simpson?

Celebrity divorces are a costly affair — and you might be surprised how much Nick Lachey walked away with in his divorce from Jessica Simpson. It's kind of ironic that Lachey and Simpson, one of the most famous couples in the early aughts, had a short-lived marriage. The former 98 Degrees member and "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" singer starred in their own reality show, "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," to document the trials and tribulations of a newly-married couple, but not even airing out the inner workings of their relationship and having couples therapy (sort of) on TV could salvage their union.

According to Lachey, the decision wasn't mutual, and it was Simpson who pulled the plug. He told Rolling Stone in 2006 that he "was told" their marriage was over as Simpson randomly dropped the bomb after a dinner one evening. "'I think I want a divorce,'" she apparently said, but Lachey appealed to her to think it through. "I basically said, 'Please, let's sleep on it.' But when we woke up the next day, Wednesday, she was still sure." He also said that he had no idea why Simpson wanted to call it quits and even came to a point where he wished she had just cheated. "Sometimes I think it would be easier if I had just walked in the house and found her in bed with a guy," he confessed. "That would be clear-cut. End of story. I wouldn't have to deal with the uncertainty of adultery."

When Lachey and Simpson announced they were over, they chalked it up to "irreconcilable differences." And since they reportedly failed to draw a prenup before walking down the aisle, the divorce had been expensive — at least for Simpson.

Celebrity divorces are notorious for being incredibly convoluted and expensive, so many expected Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey to have a drawn-out battle. But they settled things pretty quickly, with People reporting that the two ended up asking the judge to "bifurcate" the divorce to speed things up.

In terms of splitting up their assets and finances, reports are varied. TMZ noted that Lachey walked away with $1.5 million at the minimum, way less than 50 percent of their joint assets because he wanted to dodge further conflict with his ex-wife. While the amount was chump change against Simpson's reported $35 million net worth at the time, she later told CNBC that her "biggest money mistake" was her "first marriage" anyway. It's likely because she ended up paying more, as a source told Radar she doled out a whopping $12 million.

Simpson also admitted she refused a prenup agreement with Lachey. The source added that at the beginning of their marriage, Lachey was significantly wealthier than Simpson, but she wound up outearning him. "The reality is that her dad, Joe, refused to let Jess sign a pre-nup as Nick was worth more when they got married! That came back to bite her in the a**!" they said. Simpson, for her part, genuinely thought that she'd be with Lachey forever. In an appearance on "The Dr. Oz Show," she said: "The funny thing is that Nick wanted me to sign a prenup, and I was so offended. I was like, 'but we're going to be together for the rest of our lives!'"

Unlike other celebrity exes, it doesn't seem like Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson harbor any animosity towards one another. Simpson told Glamour that all things considered, she still thinks highly of Lachey. "He is a good guy. And neither of us wanted to let anyone down, including ourselves. I don't have anything bad to say about him at all," she said. "I don't. And I do have something to lose by talking about it."

The two also congratulated each other when they got engaged to their current partners — Lachey with Vanessa Lachey (nee Minnillo) and Simpson with Eric Johnson. "I am extremely, extremely happy for him," Simpson told Ryan Seacrest in an interview (via People). "You know, our relationship was over a really long time ago, so it would be nice if everybody could move on with us and really just celebrate the love between him and Vanessa. I do, and I wish them nothing but the best." Lachey shared the same sentiments as well. "I will say the same thing I always say: I wish her the very best," he told Us Weekly.

They don't maintain any relationship, though, not even friendship. But that doesn't mean they're sworn enemies. "She and I don't necessarily stay in each other's lives," Lachey explained to Jenny McCarthy's SiriusXM show (via PageSix). "I wouldn't say it's friends and I wouldn't say it's enemies — there is just no contact. We both moved on with our lives... it's not animosity, it's not friendship, it's just kind of nothing."