Real reason Jessica Simpson finally split from Eric Johnson and the desperate attempts she made to save their marriage
Jessica Simpson turned to counseling, spiritual healing and tantric practices in a desperate bid to save her marriage, but ultimately had to walk away after concerned friends feared the strain could break her sobriety.
The actress, 44, announced Monday that she had split from Eric Johnson, 45, her husband of 10 years, after “navigating a painful situation in our marriage.”
DailyMail.com previously reported that the now estranged couple had tried to rekindle their ‘spark’ after being ‘stuck in a quiet period’, with neither party wanting to file for divorce.
But the Dukes of Hazzard star, who had to flee her Hidden Hills mansion this week, grew tired of making the effort as Johnson became increasingly “absent” in recent years.
“Jessica has grown, and Eric hasn’t,” an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘For her, staying for the children was not enough.
“Eric likes to take credit for Jessica getting sober and turning her life around, and while he supported her and her journey, she did it herself. He didn’t put her to have the baby.
Jessica Simpson turned to counseling, spiritual healing and tantric practices in a desperate attempt to save her marriage, but ultimately had to walk away due to fears for her sobriety.
The actress, 44, announced Monday that she had split from Eric Johnson, 45, her husband of 10 years, after “navigating a painful situation in our marriage (pictured in 2016)
‘He has been extremely absent in recent years. The spark was completely gone and she did her best to avoid a divorce.
‘They gave advice. It didn’t work. They did spiritual healing, tantric practices, everything. It didn’t work.’
The final blow came when friends began expressing fears that Simpson, who recently celebrated seven years of being alcohol-free, could relapse.
“She has been sober for seven years now and their arguments and stress made her friends fear she would relapse,” the source added. “She had to walk away from this.
“She’s fragile, but she’s not broken.”
The singer married former NFL star Johnson in 2014. They share Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie Mae, five.
She has spoken openly about her journey to sobriety, which began in 2017 after she realized how much she was missing out on with her children.
“I was in a place where I was literally spiraling with alcohol and missing moments with my kids, and then they saw me and they were very confused,” she told The Kelly Clarkson Show in March 2020.
The Dukes of Hazzard star, who had to flee her Hidden Hills mansion this week, grew tired of making the effort as Johnson became increasingly ‘absent’ in recent years
The couple had tried to carry on for the sake of their three children: daughter Maxwell, 12, son Ace, 11, and daughter Birdie, five (pictured)
Simpson announced their split this week in a statement to People, saying: “Eric and I have been living apart and working through a painful situation in our marriage.
“Our children come first and we focus on what is best for them. We are grateful for all the love and support that has come our way, and appreciate the privacy as we work through this as a family.”
The news came just days after she listed her Hidden Hills mansion for $17.9 million, knocking nearly $5 million off the asking price since they first put it on the market in September 2023.
Speculation that her relationship was on the rocks had been mounting in recent months, with Simpson fueling the conversation when she shared photos without her wedding rings and cryptically told fans that her musical comeback would address the way she “did everything endured what I did not deserve.” ‘
“Interviews in my music room in Nashville, where I discovered my special magic,” she wrote on Instagram in November.
“This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I didn’t deserve.”
A source told DailyMail.com at the time: ‘They are both aware that things need to change to make it work and not end up in a situation where divorce is the only outcome.
‘They’re stuck in a quiet period and they’re both trying to figure out what might have prompted them to bring it back and whether that’s counseling or something else. They don’t want to make hasty decisions during the holidays.”
The pair were spotted without wedding rings this past year, while Simpson was last seen wearing hers in 2023; (L) without her ring in December; (R) Johnson in November
Simpson sparked talk of a breakup in November with a cryptic social media post in which she talked about “putting up with everything I didn’t deserve”
This followed reports that the couple was no longer living together at their mansion in Hidden Hills, California.
A source told Life & Style at the time, “Eric is fed up with her crazy mood swings. And Jessica feels like their marriage has lost its romance.
‘Everyone wonders how long they can go on like this…
‘Eric has been doing his own thing for longer than anyone seems to know. He said very clearly how difficult it is to live with someone who is so obsessed with surgery and usually so detached from reality.”
They were last photographed in June when they attended their daughter Birdie’s graduation from kindergarten.
He hasn’t appeared on her social media since April and she failed to celebrate his 45th birthday on September 10.
It was a stark contrast to her lavish tribute last year, when she shared photos from their family celebration and wrote: ‘My heart is so taken with this man, I can hardly call it my own…
“We love youuuu.”
Simpson was previously married to 98 Degrees boy band singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006 (pictured in 2005)
Johnson has not been pictured wearing his wedding ring during recent outings.
Simpson was previously married to 98 Degrees boy band singer Nick Lachey from 2002 to 2006.
Their relationship was documented on the reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which ran from 2003 to 2005 and gave fans a glimpse into their lives.
She then had a passionate but turbulent romance with John Mayer, whom Simpson called “sexual napalm” in a now infamous 2010 Playboy interview.
He also claimed she was “like crack cocaine to me.”