It’s official: After months of rumors about Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson, the couple has now confirmed that they’re going their separate ways. On Monday, the singer issued a statement announcing that she and Eric have separated, calling it a “painful situation” for their family. Jessica and Eric, a former NFL player, were married for 10 years and have three children together.
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Jessica confirmed that she and Eric are 'living separately.'
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Jessica shared in a statement to People published on Monday. “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.”
This news comes after Eric was spotted without a wedding ring.
Though there were already rumors the couple might have been on the rocks, in November, Eric added fuel to the fire when he was photographed without his ring while on a walk in Los Angeles. At the time, a source told Page Six that Eric and Jessica no longer attended their kids’ school events together.
“In years past, Jess always attended events at the school either solo or with Eric. Never Eric alone. But recently it’s just been Eric,” the insider said. “As you can imagine, there’s been a lot of gossip among the parents.”
They may have been separated for a while.
Around the same time, another source told People that Jessica and Eric were 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,” the source said. “Jess and Eric very much live separate lives.”
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Jessica had also stopped sharing photos with Eric on social media.
In September 2023, Jessica shared the final photo with her husband on her Instagram feed: a post to celebrate his birthday. She wrote, “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 ….”
This year, Jessica didn’t wish Eric a happy birthday on Instagram, so something must have changed between them before then.
Jessica has seemed very focused on her musical comeback.
Back in November, Jessica shared photos of herself posing in a chair in her Nashville home, writing, “This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.”
Since then, Jessica has only posted twice, sharing her most recent photo last week. Alongside a selfie, she wrote, “Life is short. SMILE while you still have teeth.”
