There will be a period of separation between Jessica Simpson and her husband, Eric Johnson.
The singer and actress, who is 44 years old, and her husband, who was a former NFL player and is 45 years old, have decided to divorce after ten years of marriage, Simpson has revealed exclusively to PEOPLE.
Simpson made this revelation to PEOPLE in a statement. “Eric and I have been living separately while we navigate a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson said. Our children are our first priority, and we are concentrating on doing what is most beneficial for them. We are thankful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and we would appreciate it if you would give us some privacy as we work through this as a family.
The announcement comes less than a week after Simpson, who is married to Johnson and has three children together, uploaded a bright photo on Instagram, in which she reminded her fans that “Life is short.” Make sure to smile while you still possess teeth.
At around the same time that Simpson was teasing her “comeback” to music with a mysterious Instagram post that contained photographs of herself in a recording studio, Johnson was seen without his wedding band in the month of November.
“Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic,” she captioned the photographs. “It was there that I discovered” “It is a personal return with this. The purpose of this is to express my regret to myself for enduring all that I did not deserve.
PEOPLE was informed by a source a few days later that the singer of “With You” and her spouse “very much live separate lives.”
After dating for four years, Simpson and Johnson tied the knot in July of 2014. They have three children together: an 11-year-old boy named Ace Knute, a 12-year-old daughter named Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, and a 5-year-old daughter named Birdie Mae.
After dating for a period of six months, the couple were engaged in November of the same year, having previously met via a mutual acquaintance in the year 2010.
The author of Open Book and the retired tight end welcomed their first two children, Maxwell and Ace, in May 2012 and June 2013, respectively. Both of their children were born in America.
At the wedding ceremony that took place in Montecito, California, in front of more than 250 guests, the couple’s son and daughter presented themselves as the ring bearer and flower girl, respectively.
“A true love will never make you question yourself or what’s real,” she said in an interview with PEOPLE in the century 2023. “Thanks to my amazing soulmate I am able to love passionately and without fear of being hurt.”
During the same year, Simpson said in an interview with PEOPLE that Johnson “embraces” her professional endeavors.
“I don’t find it hard to love anybody, but I have always thought that I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or my schedule was too demanding,” she said in an interview. “He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”
Additionally, Simpson said that their relationship has always been “easy” and that they have always made an effort to “keep the romance there, even with three kids.”
In September of 2023, she paid respect to Johnson by posting photographs from their family birthday party on Instagram and accompanied them with a heartfelt statement. Johnson’s birthday was in September of the same year.
Because my heart is so completely captivated by this man, I scarcely feel like I can call it my own…. What she wrote was, “We love youuuu.”
In the beginning of 2023, the couple also went on a vacation together in March, during which they did not have any children. During that time period, the celebrity shared photographs from their trip on Instagram, along with a caption that said that she had “stole [her] lover” for the weekend.
In 2022, Simpson gave an interview to PEOPLE in which she discussed how communication was at the forefront of her marriage. “I feel like every moment with us, we’re growing as long as we’re communicating, and our love is only deepening,” she stated in response.
“I feel like Eric and I learn from each other so much,” she said in addition. “I feel like we’re stronger than ever now, [more] than we were even at the beginning.”
Within the context of an interview with PEOPLE in the year 2021, she also spoke on the difficulties that they had in their marriage.
“I think the takeaway is that it’s not easy and every day presents challenges and blessings,” she said at the time of her interview. “Life is a blessing to be lived, and the more we overthink things, the more we fall behind on our personal journey.”
Nick Lachey was Simpson’s former spouse, and the couple was married from 2002 to 2005.
