Fans of Jessica Simpson are wondering if she is entering a new era, and not just a musical one.
For the last several months, the former reality star has been teasing a return to music — she last released a new album in 2008 — however as she gears up for her comeback, her cryptic posts have also left fans wondering about the status of her relationship.
She and her husband Eric Johnson, a former football player, rang in their tenth wedding anniversary this year, however the pair has been marred with reports as of late that they are living separate lives, and may be headed for divorce.
Though neither of them have addressed the speculation, and Jessica’s sister Ashlee Simpson, who also marked her tenth wedding anniversary with her husband Evan Ross this year, denied the rumors, they have both been spotted out and about separately not wearing their wedding rings.
Below, revisit what they have said about their marriage, and what we know about where it stands.
© InstagramRelationship timeline
Jessica and Eric met and started dating in 2010, while he was still legally married to his first wife Keri D’Angelo, though they had separated in October 2009; four years prior, Jessica had divorced first husband Nick Lachey.
That November, the two announced they were engaged, and one year later, on Halloween 2011, they revealed they were expecting their first child together, daughter Maxwell Drew, who was born in May 2012.
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On Christmas 2012, they announced they were expecting their second child, son Ace Knute, born in June of the following year, and on July 4, 2014, they tied the knot. They welcomed their third child, daughter Birdie Mae, in March 2019.
© InstagramTheir past comments on each other
Jessica and Eric have never shied away from gushing about each other. Just last year, for Eric’s 44th birthday in September, she wrote on Instagram: “Eric turned 44 on Sept 15 and his family gave him all the love cells we have to celebrate his life. My heart is so taken with this Man, I could hardly call it my own… We love youuuu.”
She also told People last year about their more than ten years together: “It’s nuts. It’s kind of crazy. I feel like Eric and I have been together so much longer,” adding: “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.”
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The singer also confessed to the outlet: “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,” but noted: “He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”
© GettyOn getting sober together
Jessica has been candid about her experience getting sober and the toll that drinking had on her body. In her 2020 Open Book, she shared how Eric not only supported her throughout but got sober with her, writing that “Eric gave up drinking the second I did.”
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“He said, ‘I’ll do it with you, baby.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn’t gone back or looked back,” she added, and: “He’s a very selfless and loving person who is the most incredible father on the planet.”
© InstagramWhat’s the latest
Though Jessica and Eric haven’t commented on their relationship, they are reportedly living separate lives, with Jessica splitting her time between Los Angeles and Nashville, and Eric remaining in their California homebase.
Recently, Jessica raised eyebrows when she shared a photo on Instagram from her “Nashville music room,” and wrote: “Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic. This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.”
Source: HelloMagazine
