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There are a lot of weird celebrity friendships in showbiz. It’s not uncommon for people of different walks of life to find common ground and become friends with one another.

That’s what happened to former NFL star quarterback Matt Leinart and the co-host of Love is Blind, Nick Lachey. Like many friends, they met years ago, and now, they’re still friends to this day. Here’s a quick look at this unlikely pair of buddies. 

Nick Lachey’s life before ‘Love is Blind’ 

Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey | Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

While Lachey may now be best known for co-hosting Netflix’s Love is Blind with his wife, Vanessa Lachey, his fame and notoriety was at their peak in the late 90s and early 2000s. Lachey and his brother, Drew Lachey, were part of a band called 98 Degrees. They were a very popular band at the time, and they’ve sold millions of albums. 

While Lachey became famous for his vocals, he really entered the showbiz world when he started dating other famous celebrities. His most famous partner was Jessica Simpson, who herself was extremely popular at the time. This musical pairing was a big deal back in those days, but like many Hollywood marriages, it didn’t last. 

The two divorced in 2006 and by that time, Lachey was pursuing a solo career in music. Not only that, but he also started branching out into other areas of Hollywood, first by acting and then, by hosting. But, while he was still at his peak popularity, Lachey was still partying hard and that’s where he’d meet Leinart.

How Matt Leinart and Nick Lachey met

In the early 2000s, Leinart was playing college football for the University of Southern California as the team’s quarterback and he was already making a name for himself at the time. In fact, Leinart won a Heisman Trophy in his junior year, according to ESPN. With this fame, Leinart got invited to plenty of parties, especially parties that Hollywood celebrities were also going to.

That’s how Lachey and Leinart met, according to ESPN. Lachey, who also went to USC, met Leinart while the two were partying at the same club. It’s not clear why the two hit it off so well, but both men being famous and both men going to the same college probably helped. 

Leinart would hang out with Lachey very often after they became friends. ESPN even said that Leinart and Lachey would play golf with each other as well as attend the L.A. Angels’ games with one another.

In fact, Lachey even invited Leinart to Halloween parties that he and his then-wife, Simpson, were hosting.

Matt Leinart and Nick Lachey are great friends

According to another interview with ESPN, Leinart almost became roommates with Lachey. That never actually happened however, mostly because of the big age difference between the two men. Lachey is 10 years older than Leinart, so at the time, they were living very different lifestyles. 

Regardless, they were still great friends and they still are great friends to this day. Like Leinart told ESPN, Lachey is one of the few celebrities that Leinart had on his phone back in the day. The other famous celebrities that were on Leinart’s phone included the likes of Wilmer Valderrama and Alyssa Milano. 

But times have changed and now the two men are surprisingly doing similar things. Lachey is co-hosting Love is Blind and Leinart is now working as an analyst for Fox Sports.

But still, despite the years, the two men have maintained their bond with each other. When Leinart married his wife, Josie Loren, People Magazine said that Lachey and his wife were in attendance. Lachey even got up on stage to sing a song for his good friend.

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