All The Signs Jessica Simpson & Husband Eric Johnson Are Headed Toward Divorce

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson seemed to have it all when they married in 2014. The singer-turned-fashion mogul and former NFL player were already parents to daughter Maxwell and son Ace, and they couldn't stop gushing about their love. "I count the first day that we met [as our anniversary] because it was pretty instant. It was definitely instant. I think he moved in, like, a month later! So we knew. When you know, you know," she told Entertainment Tonight in February 2020. The two then went on to welcome a second daughter, Birdie, in 2019 and regularly shared adorable family photos on social media. But, sadly, they haven't been able to shake divorce rumors since then.

Neither officially confirmed nor denied trouble in paradise, but there have been more than a few signs Johnson may not be getting Simpson's "Sweet Kisses" anymore. "Jessica and Eric have had a lot of ups and downs. Right now, there's talk that they're on a break," a source claimed to Life & Style in September 2024. "Their marriage seems to be hanging by a thread," they added. But that's hardly the only sign Simpson and Johnson could be headed for splitsville.

As the divorce rumors swirled, Jessica Simpson's social media activity has been... interesting. Simpson posted sweet family photos with her kids on Instagram in September 2024, but Johnson wasn't in any of the 10 snaps she shared. And fans noticed. "Are you still married? Kids look great," one fan commented, as another asked, "Is she divorced?" Though the two haven't announced divorce plans, it was almost a year to the day that Simpson had posted a photo of herself and Johnson to her grid, despite snaps of the two once featuring prominently.

She uploaded a birthday post for him in September 2023, but seemingly ignored his big day on social media in 2024. Instead, she posted a video to her Instagram Story of a preacher who stated, "Forgiveness doesn't change the person who hurt you. Are you listening to me?" (via In Touch). Also very telling? Simpson uploaded an adorable Instagram post in May 2020 to celebrate a decade since she and Johnson got together but was radio silent when their 10th wedding anniversary rolled around in July 2024. Notably, Johnson featured in a series of family vacation photos Simpson posted on Instagram in April 2024, but the parents were not pictured together.

Simpson also engaged in some social media activity involving one of her most notorious exes, John Mayer. Simpson liked several of his posts amid the divorce rumors in 2024, including a photo of his injured finger and a video of him opening a new SiriusXM studio. But Mayer, who dated Simpson on and off from 2006 until 2007, doesn't follow her back.

Jessica Simpson gained notoriety for "Newlyweds," the 2003 reality show that documented the ups and downs of her marriage to her former husband, Nick Lachey. It seems Simpson wants the cameras back in her life to document her return to music — she hasn't released a full album since 2010's "Happy Christmas" — but Eric Johnson reportedly isn't interested in being a TV star. "Eric is private and not sure he wants to be a part of something as public as that," a source said. The retired athlete certainly keeps himself to himself more than his wife and doesn't even have a public Instagram account.

Simpson admitted in 2023 that she was open to a family reality show and suggested her daughters would enjoy it, but didn't explicitly confirm what Johnson might think. "A docu-series or a documentary, I think they wouldn't mind being on camera," she told E! News. "My son, maybe not so much. Both daughters, definitely entertainers, but my son is an entertainer on the [football] field I will say."

Despite Celebrity Net Worth's claim Jessica Simpson's net worth is a huge $200 million, money — specifically Simpson's spending — has reportedly been a sticking point for her and Eric Johnson. "Jessica had not been ... financially insecure in years, and Eric and her mother, Tina, had to have a sort of intervention with Jess about her spending habits. She was spending way above their means," a source claimed to Life & Style in September 2024.

That wasn't the first time Jessica Simpson and lost money came up in the same sentence. Simpson told Bustle in July 2023 that she'd invested a huge sum to save her fashion line, The Jessica Simpson Collection, and even borrowed money against her home. Simpson also needed her mom, Tina Simpson, to get involved in the 2021 deal, with the two jointly paying out $54 million. Simpson's mom told the "With You" singer at the time, "You're going to have to not live not quite as extravagantly. Because I am on a path to pay this off." A source dished on how Simpson felt about the pay-out to In Touch. "She's feeling a major financial crunch, which is a huge 180 from her old life, where finances were never a concern, and she bought the best of everything," they said. Though plenty of couples make it through financial difficulties together, Forbes reported in May 2024 that as many as 38% of divorcees cited financial problems as at least one of the reasons for their split. Yikes.

Though there are plenty of couples who live apart and still make things work, Jessica Simpson raised a few eyebrows when she moved from Los Angeles to Nashville in 2023 — without her husband and kids with her full time. Though the five spent the summer together in Tennessee, Simpson told People in November 2023 that Johnson and their children had gone back to L.A. "They helped me find a house [in Nashville], we all moved there, they picked their rooms, that type of stuff, but they're in school, so I have two weeks [in Nashville], two weeks home," she explained. Simpson also shared that Johnson had taken on more parental duties while she was away, noting, "He's with the kids. I had to have somebody with the kids."

According to an insider who spoke to Life & Style in September 2024, Johnson didn't adjust to their new normal too well. "They went into it with a plan, but as time went on, it created a lot of tension. Eric felt abandoned, while Jess felt she wasn't asking too much, and neither saw the other's point of view," they claimed. Having differences of opinion on how (and where) to raise their children doesn't seem like a good sign for Simpson and Johnson's relationship.

Before the divorce rumors, Jessica Simpson usually had something on her left ring finger to represent her and Eric Johnson's bond. Case in point? This cute family photo she shared on Instagram in May 2023. But, after that, Simpson was repeatedly snapped with a bare finger and even shared several photos on Instagram that clearly showed her sans ring.

In February 2024, a source claimed to Life & Style that the star would purposefully take off her wedding ring when things weren't smooth in her marriage. "It makes her feel like a fraud wearing her ring if they're not getting along," they explained. However, the insider also suggested that she and Johnson weren't ready to give up on their relationship. "Issues come up — just this year they've gone through ups and downs and faced challenges — but they're both dedicated to the relationship," they shared. Seven months later, though, Simpson still didn't appear to have put her ring back on. She once again posted multiple Instagram photos without her engagement or wedding rings but didn't address the split speculation.