For months, there was speculation of trouble in Jessica Simpson’s marriage to husband Eric Johnson. They’ve both been spotted without their wedding rings on multiple occasions and — in an out-of-character move for Simpson — neither noted their 10th wedding anniversary in August 2024 on social media. Simpson, 44, also failed to acknowledge Johnson’s 45th birthday in September 2024, and he was notably missing from a set of family back-to-school photos she posted on Instagram that same month. Finally, on January 13, the singer confirmed the suspicions, releasing a statement that she and Johnson “have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage.”
According to sources, the pair — who share kids Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5 — had been living separate lives for over a year before making the announcement. In November 2024, when reports of Johnson flirting with other women began to surface, a source tells Us Weekly they realized their issues were too large to overcome. “There were trust issues caused by the breakdown of their marriage,” the source explains in the latest Us cover story. “She’s sad [about the split] but knows she had to make a tough decision.”
Picture-Perfect
Simpson and Johnson fell fast and hard for each other after meeting at a party in 2010. He had just separated from his first wife, while Simpson — who split from first husband Nick Lachey in 2005 — had recently ended her on-again, off-again romance with musician John Mayer. “We connected on all levels,” Simpson wrote of Johnson in her 2020 memoir, Open Book. “We both were ready for the real deal.”
They appeared blissfully in love as they navigated life with their growing family. Simpson often sang her husband’s praises. In Open Book, she called him “the most incredible father on the planet,” and while promoting the memoir she gushed about him being her “sexual shaman.” When Simpson got sober in 2017, Johnson was by her side. (The former NFL player also stopped drinking at that time.) “Sobriety made the marriage better,” says the source. “They both became more present when they got sober.”
In April 2022, Simpson told an outlet that their marriage was “stronger than ever,” adding, “I feel like every moment with us, we’re growing as long as we’re communicating, and our love is only deepening.” A year later, they still seemed to be solid, with Simpson posting PDA-packed photos of her and Johnson on a March 2023 couples getaway. That September — the last time Johnson was seen on her Instagram page — Simpson wished him a happy birthday, writing, “My heart is so taken with this man, I could hardly call it my own.”
Troubled Waters
Things apparently took a turn after that when, according to a Simpson source, Johnson had been seen flirting with women at a bar. “Jessica is not [the type of] woman to put up with anything,” a third source tells Us. “She’s independent, and she has her own mind and money and her family’s support.”
Job focus may have also been a factor in their demise, with a fourth source explaining they had different goals when it came to their careers. The pop star turned entrepreneur’s bestselling fashion brand is worth $1 billion. Johnson played his final football season for the New Orleans Saints in 2007. “Jessica has been incredibly generous with Eric,” notes the first source. “She’s never had any resentment because she looks at them as a family. Anything that has been earned has been for her family, and they all contribute in different ways. He’s tried to find his place career-wise, and she has always supported that.”
They tried to make it work. “They’d done counseling before, but it didn’t get them anywhere, and Jessica wasn’t interested in doing it again,” says a fifth source. “They’ve had enough of the back-and-forth and ups and downs. They want different things.”
By November 2024, Simpson was saying she was single and that she wanted a divorce. She’d been spending a good amount of time in Nashville recording her upcoming album. In a photo Simpson posted from her Nashville music room on November 11, 2024, she wrote that her comeback would be “personal,” adding, “It’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.” The Simpson source says the singer had spent the last year going back and forth between Nashville and L.A. as she and Johnson had “slowly been separating their lives and figuring out what’s next.”
Looking Ahead
The Simpson source says there’s a prenup in place but adds the divorce “could get messy.” In the meantime, “Jessica isn’t going to worry about what [Eric’s] doing,” notes the third source. “She’s doing her own thing too.” Beyond her return to music, the star is also writing another book and is focused on staying sober and healthy. The third source adds Simpson has worked hard to get in shape and is exercising and eating right. “She is loving her body! Jessica looks amazing and wants to maintain it.”
She’s also leaning on family members, especially her sister, Ashlee, 40. “Jessica’s family just wants her to feel safe, secure and happy,” says an insider. “They support whatever decisions she makes to keep her and the kids in a stable place.” The couple’s sprawling Hidden Hills home — which they purchased in 2013 — was listed on January 11 for $17.9 million. “She wants to sell the house because there are too many memories there,” says the fourth source. “Jessica wants a fresh start. She wants to move on.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams
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