celebrity breakups

Jessica Simpson and Her Husband, Eric Johnson, Have Split

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I smell a divorce album in the works. On Monday, Jessica Simpson confirmed to People that she and her husband, Eric Johnson, have separated after ten years of marriage. The couple wed in 2014, and share three children: 12-year-old Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 11-year-old Ace Knute, and 5-year-old Birdie Mae.

“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson said in a statement. “Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.”

While Simpson has previously fawned over her retired NFL player in the press, according to “Page Six,” fans began speculating about a divorce last year when they noticed she hadn’t posted a photo with her husband since 2023 and hadn’t been spotted with her wedding ring since January 2024. That, plus she started wearing a lot of black shag jackets, corsets, and knee-high boots, while posting selfies with captions like “self love hugs” and “Smilin’ with joy is a choice.”

But the cherry on top? Nearly 17 years after her last original studio album, Do You Know, the 44-year-old announced she’s been working on new music in Nashville, calling it her “comeback” and “the soundtrack of my soul.” “It’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve,” she wrote on Instagram in November. There’s no release date yet, but nothing drums up interest in the music of an early aughts semi-retired “It” girl like a mid-life divorce. Here’s hoping Simpson’s pop-princess revival sounds like “Irresistible” on steroids.

Jessica Simpson and Her Husband, Eric Johnson, Have Split