Jessica Simpson’s 10-year marriage to Eric Johnson was rocky long before their split, Page Six has exclusively learned.
“Jess and Eric had trust issues,” a source tells us. “They were no longer on the same page, and it drove a wedge between them.”
Simpson, 44, announced her separation from Johnson, 45, on Monday, confirming reports that they have been living apart while navigating what she called “a painful situation.”
“Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them,” she said in a statement, referencing the estranged couple’s daughters, Maxwell, 12, and Birdie, 5, and son, Ace, 11.
“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.”
We hear Simpson and Johnson — who are selling their $18 million marital home in Hidden Hills, Calif. — decided to live separately last year “as a trial of sorts” before officially calling it quits.
“Jess thought it would help if they spent some time apart,” our source shares, “but it only made her realize she enjoyed her independence.”
We’re told Simpson, who recently celebrated seven years of sobriety, has “good days and bad days,” but she is “handling the separation well, all things considered.”
Reps for the “With You” singer did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Simpson and Johnson first sparked breakup rumors in November 2024 after she cryptically wrote on Instagram that her plan to return to music was an “apology to [herself] for putting up with everything [she] did not deserve.”
A source later told Page Six exclusively that the fashion designer and the former NFL player, who married in July 2014, had stopped attending their kids’ school events together, creating “gossip among the [other] parents.”
After TMZ reported later in November that Simpson’s friends had started contacting divorce lawyers on her behalf, both she and Johnson were photographed without their wedding rings.
The “Open Book” author and the retired athlete were previously married to her “Newlyweds” co-star Nick Lachey and stylist Keri D’Angelo, respectively.
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