Signs Jessica Simpson And Eric Johnson Were Never Meant To Last

Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson's love story seemed like a fairytale. Or, at least, that's certainly how she made it sound in the press. The adorable couple initially met in 2010, got engaged that very same year, and welcomed two children before finally saying "I do" in 2014. Fast forward a decade, and they have officially called it quits — and not in the amicable we-just-grew-apart way you'd expect given their whirlwind romance. Simpson's cryptic tease about her upcoming music says it all: "This comeback is personal, it's an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve," (via Instagram).

While fans may be shocked, there were a ton of signs that Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson were headed for divorce. From overly emotional interviews to poetic social media declarations, it often felt like the "I Wanna Love You Forever" hitmaker was trying to convince herself, more so than anybody else, that her marriage was perfect. But despite all the starry-eyed promises and lovey-dovey captions, there were plenty of red flags along the way. Whether it was the odd timing, her tendency to overshare, or the NFL-meets-Hollywood trope, it was clear that they would not, in fact, love each other forever.

Like most celebrities, Jessica Simpson was often asked questions about her marriage to Eric Johnson. But unlike stars who keep their answers vague or even avoid the topic altogether, the "Dukes of Hazzard" star always took the opportunity to gush about her husband and their seemingly unbreakable bond. In fact, her over-the-top declarations sometimes felt like she was trying a bit too hard. In a July 2020 Instagram post, Simpson called Johnson her "perfect soulmate" and claimed, "Our unity was written in God's sky of colliding stars." A year later, she doubled down, writing "I truly was born to love you" on Facebook.

By 2022, the pop star enthusiastically proclaimed that their love was "only deepening," in an interview with People, reasoning, "I feel like we're stronger than ever now, [more] than we were even at the beginning." And, in 2023, less than two years before their split was made public, Simpson shared a photo of him on Instagram with the caption: "My heart is so taken with this man, I could hardly call it my own." While her passionate words sounded sweet on the surface, it's a known fact that couples post more about their relationships when they're feeling insecure in them. And sadly, Simpson's posts definitely had that vibe.

One of the biggest red flags in Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson's marriage was how she consistently described their meet-cute story as love at first sight. In 2023, the singer gushed about how she knew he was the one in an interview with People, professing, "I knew the instant we met that I could see my future in his eyes, and with a lot of people, I hope for a future in their eyes, but with Eric, I saw it." Notably, Simpson shared this same sentiment in an emotional post on her and Johnson's 2021 anniversary too.

Here's the thing: Science  debunks the whole "love at first sight" idea completely. It's just not possible to instantly build the trust and emotional safety needed for a deep, intimate connection. In fact, experts say that people who fall head-over-heels super fast often have an anxious attachment style (basically, they're terrified of rejection or abandonment). 

And this tracks with what Simpson admitted to People: "I have always thought that I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or my schedule was too demanding." The truth is, anxious attachment messes with relationships to the extent that it can wreck your love life. Of course, no divorce comes down to just one thing, but this was still a huge red flag.

One major clue that Jessica Simpson was headed for a divorce was that her music career came to a grinding halt when the relationship started. Her last studio album, "Happy Christmas," dropped on November 22, 2010 — the same year she met Eric Johnson. Since then, the "Irresistible" hitmaker has been almost silent on the music front, aside from the songs she released exclusively in conjunction with her 2020 memoir "Open Book." What's surprising about this is how often Simpson gushed about how supportive Johnson was. 

"My life before him, I had a blast. But once I met Eric, I feel like it was more nurtured. Everything was more supported. Everything felt so easy," she told People in 2023. Well, apparently not enough to help to reignite her music career. According to multiple sources, Simpson wanted to get back into the studio for years. Back in 2015, In Touch Weekly reported that she was building an at-home studio and had even made recording a new album her New Year's resolution.

Music clearly means the world to her, so if Johnson was as supportive as she claimed, wouldn't Simpson have already made her big comeback? A 2023 study from the Journal of Research in Personality backs this up, showing that having a truly supportive partner can seriously boost career success. And if they're not that supportive? Well, the results tend to speak for themselves. Plus, the fact that Simpson is jumping into the booth right after their split definitely tells us something.

When Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson tied the knot, they were both on their second marriages — a tricky foundation for a happily ever after for sure. The singer was famously married to fellow pop star Nick Lachey, of 98 Degrees, from 2002 to 2006, while Johnson was married to Keri D'Angelo from 2005 to 2010. Statistically, second marriages are even harder to sustain than first ones, with a whopping 67% culminating in divorce according to the Micklin Law Group. Their odds weren't helped by the fact that Johnson was still married when he met Simpson too. 

This raises the question of whether their relationship started out as a rebound. In "Open Book," Simpson described their dynamic during their first meeting in glowing terms: "We connected on all levels. We both were ready for the real deal." Fresh out of a separation, Johnson may have been craving the security of a committed relationship without fully processing the end of his first marriage. Jumping into something so quickly makes it hard to avoid carrying unresolved issues over. And when you skip that crucial healing period, the cracks tend to show up later.