Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey Get Engaged...To Other People

November 14^th, 2010 - PEOPLE Magazine announced just before noon that Jessica Simpson's rep confirmed her engagement to NFL player Eric Johnson. The announcement follows news from last week that Nick Lachey, her ex-husband since 2005, is now engaged to Vanessa Minnillo. "I couldn't be more happy for Nick," PEOPLE quotes Simpson as saying. Simpson and Lachey were married for three years, and enjoyed considerable media coverage, a reality TV show and high popularity as an A-list couple.

Although Simpson has been linked to several celebrities and pro athletes in the five years since their divorce, Lachey began dating Minnillo in 2006-and the pair has only endured one public split, briefly in 2009, since then. "We're excited and incredibly happy about our engagement and we look forward to a wonderful future together," stated the couple in a joint statement to PEOPLE magazine. Minnillo made numerous comments over the last four years indicating her desire to marry Lachey: "Once again it looks as if I'm always the bridesmaid but never the bride," quotes PEOPLE.

Simpson celebrated her 30^th birthday with Johnson in Italy, according to PEOPLE, and the pair intends to spend Thanksgiving together. "We're all gonna be in New York," Simpson reportedly stated. "I'm gonna be on a [Macy's parade] float. It's not always the best way to spend a Thanksgiving, but it's a great way to celebrate. So, maybe I'll just have all families on the float." Fans of Simpson may remember her strong connection to her family, including her parents and fellow Starlet and performer Ashlee Simpson-Wentz; her father's rumored influence was a catalyst of her divorce to Lachey, many fans believed.

According to PEOPLE, Pete Wentz and Simpson's sibling Ashlee Simpson-Wentz support Jessica's engagement to Johnson. "He's a really smart guy, and Jessica really loves him. I think that's the most important thing, seeing her happy," Wentz said about Johnson, to PEOPLE magazine. The question remains whether fans will believe that Simpson put a rush in for her own engagement in the wake of ex-husband Lachey's happy news.

Sources:
PEOPLE, "Jessica Simpson Engaged to Eric Johnson," Stephen M. Silverman, & "Vanessa Minnillo & Nick Lachey Are Engaged," Liz McNeil and Dahvi Shira