Nick Lachey Ordered to Attend Anger Management and AA After Paparazzi Incident in LA

Nick Lachey, the 98 Degrees singer and former reality TV star, has been ordered to attend anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after his infamous paparazzi incident in Los Angeles last year.

As reported by TMZ, Nick lost his temper after he spotted a woman filming him and his wife, Vanessa, following a night out at the popular celebrity haunt, Mastro’s in Beverly Hills. The incident was captured on camera, and it showed Nick reaching for the woman’s phone, clearly agitated by her actions.

Although Lachey was never charged with a crime, the L.A. County D.A. has a diversion program that allows offenders to avoid prosecution by attending rehabilitation programs. In Nick’s case, he won’t be charged with assault and battery if he completes the court-ordered AA and anger management courses.

The woman at the center of the incident, Jody Santos, spoke to the Daily Mail about the altercation, stating that Nick has had plenty of time to apologize for his behavior. Santos further said that Nick should have thanked her for the free publicity instead of trying to bust his fist through her car window.

In response to the incident, Nick issued a statement apologizing for his actions and stating that he should have known better. The 48-year-old star has been open about his struggles with alcohol in the past, and this latest incident could be seen as a wake-up call for him to seek professional help.

At the time, the singer had also addressed his actions in a tweet after the incident.

“Last night, after enjoying a great dinner with my wife and our dear friend, the paparazzi harassed us as we walked back to our hotel,” he tweeted. “I clearly overreacted. I’ve been in this game long enough to know that their antics are sadly part of the deal. Stupid of me. Done.”

Nick rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the boy band, 98 Degrees. He later starred in the popular reality TV show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson.

The couple divorced in 2006, and Nick has since remarried Vanessa Minnillo, with whom he shares three children.