Jessica Simpson Focuses on Family and Music Amid Divorce from Eric Johnson

For months, sources have told Star Jessica Simpson’s marriage to Eric Johnson was finished. After 10 years together and three children, the two, sources said, were leading separate lives. Finally, on Jan. 14, the singer confirmed the sad news. Citing a “painful situation in our marriage,” the 44-year-old announced she and the former NFL player, 45, had split, adding, “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.”

If anyone is hoping for a reconciliation, it won’t be happening in their home of 12 years. A few days before going public with the separation — and amid the deadly L.A. wildfires — the exes put their seven-bedroom home in Hidden Hills, Calif., on the market for $17.9 million. “The marriage is over, as far as Jessica is concerned,” an insider tells Star. “She’s telling friends there’s no going back.”

The pair met through a friend in 2010 and wed in 2014, with their two older children, Maxwell, now 12, and Ace, 11, present (Birdie came along in 2019). Sober since 2017, the fashion mogul has been on a journey of self-discovery, she’s revealed. “To take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self-respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity.” The Dukes of Hazzard star subsequently lost 100 pounds and dove back into her music career, working on a new album in Nashville. “It’s been cathartic to get back into the studio,” says the insider.

Jessica, who divorced Nick Lachey in 2006, and Eric, whose first marriage ended in 2010, did have a prenup — though in 2020, she shared that she believed the marriage would last forever. “We connected over both being divorced and having our hearts broken,” she said of Eric. “And then knowing who we wanted for the rest of our lives.”