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Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson split amid 'painful situation in our marriage': A look at their 15-year romance
Johnson and Simpson were last pictured together in March. "Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them," the singer said.
It's over for Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson. After 10 years of marriage, Simpson announced they are going their separate ways. The 44-year-old singer and Johnson, 45, share three children.
"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."
Divorce speculation swirled one year ago when Simpson was spotted without her wedding ring as she spent time recording music in Nashville. The two haven't been photographed together in months. In November, a source told People that Simpson and her ex-NFL player husband lived "separate lives."
Here's a look back at their love story.
2010
The singer met the former football player at a party through a mutual friend. "We connected on all levels," Simpson recalled in her Open Book. "We both were ready for the real deal." Months after they began dating, Johnson popped the question.
2011
Simpson confirmed she's pregnant with her first child. "It's true — I'm going to be a mummy!" she tweeted on Halloween, posting a photo of herself dressed as a mummy holding her baby bump.
May 2012
The Newlyweds alum announced the birth of daughter Maxwell Drew. "Eric and I are elated to announce the birth of our baby girl, Maxwell Drew Johnson," Simpson shared on her website. "We are grateful for all the love, support and prayers we have received. This has been the greatest experience of our lives!"
December 2012
Surprise! Simpson and Johnson announced they're pregnant with their second baby. They shared the happy news news by posting a photo of Maxwell on the beach with the words "BIG SIS" written in the sand. "Merry Christmas from my family to yours!" Simpson tweets.
June 2013
Johnson and Simpson welcomed their first son, Ace Knute.
July 2014
After postponing two wedding dates due to Simpson's pregnancies, the couple finally tied the knot at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif..
"We are overwhelmed with complete happiness and love having made our eternal commitment," they told People. "To say 'I do' in front of family, friends and, most importantly, our children has been the happiest moment of our lives."
Nov. 1, 2017
Simpson gave up a years-long addiction to alcohol.
"There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic," she wrote in her 2020 memoir. "The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power."
In Open Book, Simpson revealed that her husband gave up alcohol to support her sobriety.
"Eric gave up drinking the second I did,” Simpson said. "He said, 'I'll do it with you, babe.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn't gone back or looked back."
Simpson adds: "It's just the way he is. He's a very selfless and loving person who is the most incredible father on the planet."
September 2018
Simpson announced she's pregnant with her and Johnson's third child. "This little baby will make us a family of five," the singer shares on Instagram. "We couldn't be happier to announce this precious blessing of life."
March 2019
Simpson gave birth to a baby girl: Birdie Mae.
February 2020
While promoting Open Book, Simpson couldn't help but gush over her husband — sometimes a little too much. (During her appearance on the Coach Mike Podcast, Simpson reveals that "sex is so much better sober" because "you feel a lot more.")
"We had a lot of fun," Simpson says of their pre-sobriety days. "I'm not mad at our experiences together and we were madly in love with each other through it all."
She also called Johnson "the superstar in my life" and said he's "sexy as heck" as a father.
“We are just connected mind, body and soul,” she shared. “That I never had with anyone, that spiritual connection through even, like, love-making, making babies kind of love."
Simpson credited Johnson's support (and therapy) with helping her stay sober.
"He has no judgment, just as a therapist would," she said. "I just ramble thoughts and he lets them go and just somehow he can let me talk without a filter. ... He loves me for me. He loves me for my vulnerability and my bravery and my honesty, and if my perspective is off on things, you know, he knows how to get me back on the right track into my thought process and the reason why I'm doing what I'm doing, and to not have discouragement."
April 2022
In an interview with People, Simpson said she and Johnson "learn from each other so much."
"I feel like every moment with us, we're growing as long as we're communicating, and our love is only deepening," she revealed. "I feel like we're stronger than ever now, [more] than we were even at the beginning."
August 2023
Simpson gushed about her and Johnson's marriage.
"It's nuts. It's kind of crazy. I feel like Eric and I have been together so much longer," the singer told People. "We have been together for a long time, but it feels like 20 [years]. My life before him, I had a blast. But once I met Eric, I feel like it was more nurtured. Everything was more supported. Everything felt so easy."
Simpson said she "thought that I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or my schedule was too demanding." The actress said she felt secure as Johnson "really embraces my career."
"He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I've ever met in my life," she continued. "I knew the instant we met that I could see my future in his eyes and with a lot of people, I hope for a future in their eyes, but with Eric, I saw it."
Simpson added about keeping their spark alive: "It's good to keep the romance there, even with three kids on top of our head. It's hard, but he'll leave me little notes, because he'll wake up earlier than me. He'll leave me little letters."
"There's a lot of things that make me like, 'I can't wait to get my hands on him later.' I think you have to have those little things as a couple that are just between you two," she says. "And now it's like our kids are so old. It's like, wow, they're gonna walk in on hanky-panky time. So like, what do we do, how do we do this? Where do we go?"
September 2023
Simpson posted a loving tribute to Johnson on his 44th birthday. It appears to be the last time he's featured on the grid of her social media page. "My heart is so taken with this man," she wrote.
November 2023
Trouble in paradise? Fans notice that Simpson is not wearing her wedding ring — and she's not hiding it on social media.
March 2024
Johnson made a rare appearance on Simpson's Instagram stories as the two celebrated Birdie's 5th birthday at Disneyland. In a separate story, Simpson posted photos of her and Johnson visiting Birdie at her school for her birthday.
November 2024
Johnson was photographed in L.A. without his wedding ring. However, Simpson's sister denied rumors the two were on the verge of splitting. Days later, a source told People the couple is living "separate lives."
"She's working on music and splits her time between Los Angeles and Nashville. Eric spends all of his time in L.A., where the kids go to school," an insider alleged. "Jess and Eric very much live separate lives."
January 2025
Simpson confirmed she and Johnson are splitting after 15 years together.
"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."
Simpson put their family home in Hidden Hills, Calif., up for sale days before going public with separation news and amid the devastating wildfires around L.A. It's listed for $17.9 million.
