Nick Lachey Ordered To Anger Management & AA Meetings Over Shuffle With Female Cameraman
March 21 2023, Published 3:05 p.m. ET
Almost a year after boyband star Nick Lachey was charged with battery and assault, following an alleged attack on a female photographer, the former 98 Degrees singer was ordered to take anger management classes and attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lachey, 49, was charged in March 2022 over an incident with Jody Santos, a celebrity photographer who was snapping the Netflix host from her vehicle.
While the Love is Blind host was ordered to attend 52 weeks of behavioral education classes for his actions, Santos claimed she was still waiting for an apology from Lachey.
In March 2022, Santos sat in her vehicle, parked on a street in Beverly Hills, as she attempted to snap a few photos for work.
As Lachey and his co-star wife Vanessa left dinner at a nearby restaurant, Lachey allegedly lost his cool when he spotted Santos.
The former boyband member approached the celebrity photographer's vehicle, reached through her window and grabbed her phone, all while cussing her out.
Even after the dramatic incident was caught on camera, Santos claimed "Nick hasn't taken any responsibility."
"He's justified it," Santos told the Daily Mail. "He thought this was done, but it's not done."
Santos alleged that a personal and written apology was both declined by Lachey — and she claimed that no member of his entourage reached out after the incident to check on her.
According to the photographer, it was only after she hounded the Beverly Hills Police Department for months that the Netflix star saw any consequence for his disturbing and violent actions.
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
While the celeb photog didn't expect an apology anytime soon, Santos claimed it was the principle that bothered her — and she accused Lachey of avoiding accountability.
"He's had plenty of time to apologize, but instead he just figured I would go away," Santos said of Lachey. "What he did was wrong. Attempting to bust his fist through my car window when all I was doing was taking photographs of him."
"He should have been thanking me for the free publicity," the photographer continued. "I mean, really. Talk about an oversized ego."
Santos additionally claimed that she was never treated so poorly by a celebrity she was photographing.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
"In all my years of photographing celebrities, no one has ever tried to hit me," Santos claimed. "I am just relieved that I rolled up my window as fast as I did, otherwise he would have knocked me out. No doubt about it."
Under California law, prosecutors can offer what is known as a "pre-filing diversion." The order allows a defendant to maintain a clean criminal record should they complete classes like anger management or AA.
"He has to complete them within a reasonable time which is like a year or so," Santos explained of Lachey's orders. "If he fails to do so, they will move forward to prosecute him with non-compliance and he will get arrested."
