Reality TV OG Jessica Simpson and her husband, former NFL player Eric Johnson, are separating.

Jessica started off as a pop star in the late 1990s, but in 2003, she reached new levels of fame vis-à-vis a then-new genre: reality television.

Jessica and then-husband Nick Lachey – of the boy band 98 Degrees – starred in MTV’s Newlyweds: Nick And Jessica in 2003.

Newlyweds was a cultural sensation at the time, and the show emphatically depicted Jessica as ditzy.

One of the most memorable scenes depicted her apparent confusion over a can of tuna:

Both Newlyweds and Jessica’s marriage to Nick ended in 2005, and the couple’s divorce was finalized in 2006.

Nick went on to marry Vanessa Lachey in 2011, and Jessica married Eric Johnson – with whom she shares three children – in 2014.

In late 2024, rumors of a rift in Jessica and Eric’s marriage began spreading.

Jessica Says She And Eric Have Been Living Separately

Late on Monday, January 13, Jessica issued a statement disclosing her separation from Eric.

In the statement, Jessica said the couple had been living separately:

“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage.

“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.”

As People pointed out, her statement followed months of rumors about their marriage.

Back in November, the outlet reported that Eric stopped wearing his wedding ring, and quoted an unnamed source who claimed Jessica and Eric were functionally separated:

“She’s working on music and splits her time between Los Angeles and Nashville. Eric spends all of his time in L.A., where the kids go to school. Jess and Eric very much live separate lives.”

On January 14, the New York Post reported that the couple had listed their home just days before Jessica’s statement:

“Jessica Simpson and her estranged husband, Eric Johnson, put their multimillion dollar mansion in Hidden Hills, Calif., back on the market just two days before announcing their split.

“The carefully-curated seven-bedroom, 13-bathroom, 13,274-square foot property was listed on Jan. 11 for $17.9 million, which is an 18.6 percent decrease from its first sale price, per online real estate records.”

According to US, a supposed insider said the couple planned to spend the holidays together in spite of their ongoing separation: “Jessica and Eric plan on being all together for the holidays with the kids. It’s all about the kids and family. They don’t hate each other.”

Although Jessica’s statement confirmed her separation from Eric, it didn’t mention any plans to divorce.