Vanessa Lachey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanessa Lachey
Born	Vanessa Joy Minnillo (1980-11-09) November 9, 1980 (age 44) Angeles City, Philippines
Occupation	Television personality, host, actress, model
Years active	1985–present
Title	Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998 Miss Teen USA 1998
Spouse(s)	Nick Lachey ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	3
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major competition(s)	Miss South Carolina Teen USA 1998 (Winner) Miss Teen USA 1998 (Winner)

Vanessa Joy Lachey (born November 9, 1980), whose maiden name was Minnillo, is an American television host, model, and actress. She won the title of Miss Teen USA in 1998. Vanessa has worked as a reporter for Entertainment Tonight in New York and hosted Total Request Live on MTV. She has also acted in TV shows and hosted many competition and reality programs. From 2021 to 2024, Lachey played the main character in the CBS crime drama NCIS: Hawaiʻi.

Early Life and Moving Around

Vanessa Joy Minnillo was born in the Philippines at Clark Air Base. Her father, Vincent Charles Minnillo, is American and has Italian and Irish family roots. Her mother, Helen Ramos Bercero, is from Manila, Philippines. Vanessa has an older adopted brother.

Because her father was in the Air Force, her family moved often. She lived in many places like Washington, California, Nevada, Florida, Germany, and Japan. She went to eight different schools in nine years!

Vanessa's parents separated in 1983 and divorced in 1986. When she was nine, her mother left the family. Vanessa and her brother later moved to Turkey with their mother and new stepfather. In 1991, they returned to their father's home. They eventually settled in Charleston, South Carolina. There, Vanessa attended Bishop England High School and was a cheerleader. She lived with her father and stepmother, Donna, from then on.

Vanessa's Career Journey

From Beauty Pageants to TV Host

In 1998, Vanessa Minnillo won Miss South Carolina Teen USA. She then went on to win the national title of Miss Teen USA. She was the first person from South Carolina to win Miss Teen USA. She also won the "Miss Congeniality" award at the pageant.

After her pageant wins, Vanessa became a TV host. She hosted The Morning After (2003) and Total Request Live (2003–2007) on MTV. In 2005, she became a reporter for Entertainment Tonight in New York City. She also hosted the Miss Teen USA 2004 and Miss Universe 2007 beauty pageants.

After leaving MTV and Entertainment Tonight, Vanessa appeared in ads for Bongo Jeans. She also launched her own makeup line with Flirt! Cosmetics in 2007.

Lachey hosting TRL in 2005

Vanessa was a finalist to host Wild On! for E! channel. She also hosted ABC's TV show True Beauty. This show started in 2009. It featured 10 contestants competing for $100,000 and a spot in People magazine's "100 most beautiful people issue." The show was produced by Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher. True Beauty had a second season in 2010. In December 2011, Lachey became a co-host of ABC's game show Wipeout.

Early in her career, she had small acting roles in many TV shows. These included That's Life, 30 Rock, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Hawaii Five-O. In 2008, she played Ashlee in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. She also played Amy in the movie Disaster Movie (2008). This movie was a comedy parody. It made almost $35 million at the box office. In 2009, Minnillo and Kim Kardashian appeared together again on the CBS police show CSI: NY.

In 2011, Lachey had a guest role in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. In 2015, she played Tracy in the NBC sitcom Truth Be Told. This show was about two best friend couples who were neighbors. It ended after one season. On September 6, 2017, Lachey was announced as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. She competed against her husband, Nick Lachey. Vanessa was paired with professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. On October 30, Vanessa and Maksim were the seventh couple to be eliminated. They finished in seventh place.

NCIS: Hawaiʻi and Her First Book

On April 30, 2021, it was announced that Vanessa Lachey would star in the CBS police TV series NCIS: Hawaiʻi. This was her first main role in a TV series. Lachey played Jane Tennant, the first female Special Agent in charge of NCIS: Pearl Harbor. Her role also marked the first female lead in the NCIS TV series family. NCIS: Hawaiʻi is a spin-off from the popular NCIS series. Filming began on the North Shore of Oahu on June 16, 2021. The show first aired on September 20, 2021, and ended in April 2024. The final episode was on May 6, 2024.

Lachey's first book, Life from Scratch: Family Traditions That Start with You, was released on November 16, 2021. It was published by HarperCollins. She wrote the book with Dina Gachman. The book includes recipes, tips for parents, birthday ideas, date night suggestions, and personal stories.

In 2023, she appeared in a General Motors and Netflix commercial during the Super Bowl. This ad promoted electric vehicles. She was also named one of Variety's "40 Most Powerful Women on Reality TV in 2023."

Vanessa's Personal Life

Nick and Vanessa Lachey in Sydney, Australia on March 30, 2012

In 2006, Vanessa started dating singer Nick Lachey. They met after she appeared in the music video for his song "What's Left of Me". They got engaged in November 2010. They married on July 15, 2011, on Sir Richard Branson's private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Interestingly, both Vanessa and Nick were born on November 9, exactly seven years apart. They have three children, born in September 2012, January 2015, and December 2016.

Vanessa's Film and TV Roles

As an Actress

As a TV Personality or Host

Awards and Recognitions

Books by Vanessa Lachey

• Lachey, Vanessa: Life from Scratch: Family Traditions That Start with You, HarperCollins, 2021.

See Also

In Spanish: Vanessa Lachey para niños

• Filipinos in the New York metropolitan area