Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson are facing a difficult time in their long history.
Back in November 2024, a source told PEOPLE that the famed singer and former NFL player now "live separate lives." This was leaked shortly after Johnson was spotted without his wedding ring on out in public. This would end a marriage of over ten years, but the relationship between Simpson and Johnson goes back further than that.
Here is everything you need to know about their history together.
They started dating in 2010 after previous marriages didn't work out
Simpson and Johnson began their romantic endeavors back in May 2010 and publicly confirmed that they were a couple to PEOPLE in July of that year. At that time Johnson was still legally married to his then wife, Keri, but the two had been separated for some time. Simpson was also in a previous marriage with NIck Lachey, the lead singer of '98 Degrees.' Simpson and Lachey would divorce in 2005, well before she met Johnson.
Johnson met Simpson after getting invited by a mutual friend to a party that took place at her house. The soon-to-be wedded couple was photographed for the first time on July 10, 2010 during a trip in Italy, which was a celebration of Simpson's 30th birthday.
Getting engaged after dating for less than a year
The heavy attraction between Simpson and Johnson was hard for either one to ignore, so much so that reps for both celebrities revealed to PEOPLE that around November 2010, Johnson had proposed to Simpson and she had said yes. During an appearance on The Early Show, Simpson revealed that Johnson asked her parents permission to marry her, and had schemed out the proposal for some time.
Simpson and Johnson had two kids before tying the knot
Some people like to work backwards, and Simpson and Johnson fell into that category. In 2011, singer and athlete announced they were pregnant with their first child together, a girl named Maxwell, who was born in May 2012. While the wedding was still on the table, delays kept getting in the way, including a second pregnancy, their son Ace, who was born in 2013.
Simpson later joked on the Late Night Show With Jay Leno that she would not be having a third child before her and Johnson finally tie the knot.
"We've had two wedding dates, but he keeps knocking me up!" Simpson told Leno. "I'm doing it very backwards, I know." She also joked that she would try not to get pregnant after they next set a date. "I'll just just keep my legs crossed, I guess."
They held a joint bachelor/bachelorette party before finally getting married
Since Simpson and Johnson were living a non-traditional life, they kept that trend going by holding a non-traditional celebration. Both held a joint bachelor and bachelorette party at The Warwick in Los Angeles, California, an event that included 40 of their closest friends and family.
On July 5, 2014, Simpson and Johnson finally married. The special event took place at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California. Over 250 guests attended the happy couple's special day. Their son Ace served as the ring bearer, and their daughter Maxine stepped in as the flower girl.
"We are overwhelmed with complete happiness and love having made our eternal commitment," the newlyweds said to PEOPLE shortly after the ceremony. "To say 'I do' in front of family, friends and, most importantly, our children has been the happiest moment of our lives."
A third child came in 2019
Now that the two could finally call themselves man and wife it was back to growing their family. Simpson revealed she was pregnant around 2018, and her and Johnson welcomed to the world Birdie, their second daughter, in March of 2019. This would make the Simpson-Johnson team a family of five.
Simpson would later share a photo of Birdie meeting her big sister Maxwell online along with the caption, "We are so happy and proud to announce the birth of our perfect daughter, Birdie Mae Johnson."
Simpson would give up drinking in 2020. Johnson joined.
One vice that Simpson shredded in 2020 was her battle with alcohol. She spoke about her decision to quit drinking in her Open Book memoir, recalling an incident where she had an alcoholic beverage before 7:30 am and couldn't even get her kids dressed for Halloween because she was intoxicated."I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape," she wrote. Shortly after that, she made the change.
Johnson decided to give up drinking alongside Simpson, that way she didn't have to do it alone. "He said, 'I'll do it with you, baby.' It was like no biggie and he hasn't gone back or looked back," the memoir revealed.
Where are they now?
Simpson and Johnson would hit many milestones in the early 2020s. The two celebrated multiple anniversaries, with Simpson publicly stating on several occasions how deep their relationship had become.
"I feel like Eric and I learn from each other so much," she said to PEOPLE. "I feel like we're stronger than ever now, [more] than we were even at the beginning."
Yet, at some point, things got weird. As noted, Johnson has been spotted without his wedding ring and while Simpson was splitting her time between their home in Los Angeles and Nashville, Tennesee. The same source that mentioned to PEOPLE that they were separated also added, "Eric spends all of his time in L.A., where the kids go to school."
English (US) ·