Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson are coming up on 10 years of marriage — but their love story dates back much further.
“I count the first day that we met, because it was pretty instant,” Simpson told ET in a 2020 interview. “It was definitely instant. I think he moved in, like, a month later! So we knew. When you know, you know. Especially both of us. We had been through a divorce, we had other relationships. We knew exactly what we wanted in a person, in a companion, and exactly who we wanted to raise children with. We were that for each other. Through all of this, we’ve only become stronger.”
The longtime couple shares three children — daughter Maxwell, born May 1, 2012; son Ace, born June 30, 2013; and daughter Birdie, born March 19, 2019.
Take a walk down memory lane as we look back on Simpson and Johnson’s love story.
Past Loves
Before they even crossed paths, Simpson and Johnson had each given marriage a go with their respective former spouses.
The pop star was famously wed to 98 degrees singer Nick Lachey for three years after tying the knot in 2002. During their brief marriage, the then-couple starred on a now-iconic MTV reality show together, Newlyweds.
Johnson was previously married to stylist Keri D’Angelo from 2005 to 2010. Though they were still legally married at the start of his relationship with Simpson, they had reportedly been separated since 2009 and were in the midst of divorce proceedings.
The Meet-Cute
Recalling the first time they met on May 21, 2010, Simpson once wrote in an anniversary Instagram post, “By chance he knocked on my dreamy cottage door (sigh), I let him in and never let him leave.”
According to her 2020 book, Open Book, the pair met at a house party. “We connected on all levels,” Simpson wrote. “We both were ready for the real deal.”
Going Public
The singer-turned-fashion mogul was first photographed with the former NFL pro in July 2010.
They’re Engaged!
Johnson popped the question in November 2010.
In Open Book, Simpson recalled their quick connection.
“We got deep real fast, talking about our own spiritual journeys,” she wrote. “With other men, I was afraid to talk, but with Eric, there was no fear of judgment. This was completely new.”
Mom & Dad
One year after their engagement, Simpson announced her pregnancy with a sweet Halloween-themed announcement. “It’s true — I’m going to be a mummy!” she wrote.
Welcome, Maxi
And then there were three! Simpson and Johnson welcomed their first child, daughter Maxwell Drew Johnson, in May 2012.
Years later, Simpson would reflect on her motherhood journey in an interview with ET.
“The most rewarding part of being a mother is really just watching my kids grow,” she said. “It’s like, how much knowledge they have about life is just so meaningful to me, and how much heart they put into everything they do. There’s just nothing like the innocence of a child.”
Baby No. 2
In keeping with the theme of holiday announcements, Simpson and Johnson revealed that they were expecting their second child on Christmas 2012.
In the sweet snap, baby Maxwell wears a red and white striped outfit while sitting on a beach. Scrawled out on the sand in front of her are the words, “Big Sis.”
Two Under Two
Son Ace Knute was born in June 2013. At the time, Simpson speculated that the couple was done having kids.
“Oh, we are done,” she said in an On Air With Ryan Seacrest interview. “I mean, I say we’re done, but I don’t want to accidentally get pregnant one day and then that poor kid feels like it wasn’t meant to be or something. … [But] we’ve got the girl and we’ve got the boy.”
Wedding Bells
The couple made their union official with a wedding ceremony over the Fourth of July weekend in 2014. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson tied the knot in a private ceremony at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California.
“We are overwhelmed with complete happiness and love having made our eternal commitment,” the newlywed couple told People.
A source told ET that Simpson walked down the aisle on her own, but her father, Joe Simpson, did perform the ceremony. The star’s mother, Tina Simpson, and sister, Ashlee Simpson, served as her maids of honor.
In a 2020 interview with ET, Simpson called Johnson’s love for her “unreal.”
“The pride that he takes in our love and in me, as a woman, is so sexy and it is so empowering, because he just knows that this is my calling,” she said. “He knows that this is my path and he’s just there to hold my hand through it. He’s really the backbone to who I am, because anytime I feel like I can’t stand, he’s there to hold me up and tell me that I actually can.”
Getting Sober
Simpson gave up alcohol on Nov. 1, 2017 with the loving support of her husband.
“Eric gave up drinking the second I did,” she later wrote in Open Book. “He said, ‘I’ll do it with you, babe.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn’t gone back or looked back.”
Praising him as a “selfless and loving person,” she added, “It’s just the way he is.”
Reflecting on her decision to get sober in a later interview with ET, Simpson looked back at an image of herself taken on the last day she drank.
“I don’t even know that person,” she said. “That person was not feeling. Now I’m in the world of just feeling everything and, no matter what, even if it’s a sad emotion, I get through it quicker and I don’t hold on to it. So for me, eliminating alcohol was like eliminating fear.”
Baby Love, Again
After four years of wedded bliss, the stork came calling again as Simpson and Johnson prepared to welcome their third child.
In September 2018, the then-38-year-old entertainer announced her pregnancy on Instagram. Maxwell and Ace both adorably participated in the gender reveal.
“This little baby girl will make us a family of five,” Simpson wrote. “We couldn’t be happier to announce this precious blessing of life.”
Months earlier, Simpson joked with ET that she and Johnson “always practice” making babies, and admitted that she was having a little baby fever as her other kids started getting older.
“My daughter is about to turn 6, May 1 is her birthday, and my son is going to turn 5 on June 30 and it’s just like, ‘Wait, so this is no longer toddler, this is full-on kid,'” she shared. “My daughter [already] thinks she’s a teenager. My son at least wants to be a baby still.”
“We always practice,” Simpson added of having more kids. “But it would definitely have to be a miracle.”
A Tough Pregnancy
While pregnant with her third child, Simpson faced a series of health issues, including sciatica pain, bronchitis, and extreme swelling in her feet.
“I crave everything!” Simpson told ET in October 2018. “It’s like, with a girl, I just want, like, Pop-Tarts and cinnamon rolls and cinnamon gummy bears and sour cherries… bring it on!”
When it comes to other pregnancy tips, Simpson says she doesn’t have many. “I kind of just, like, go with it,” she said. “I go with the waddle — Immediately when I found out I was pregnant, I was like, stick the stomach out, pop the hips out and waddle. Just own the waddle.”
“Hand on the tummy,” she noted. “Not that anybody doesn’t know that I’m pregnant, but just to make sure everybody knows there’s a baby in there.”
Birdie Mae Is Born
The Johnsons’ miracle arrived in the form of little Birdie Mae, born in March 2019.
“We are so happy and proud to announce the birth of our perfect daughter, Birdie Mae Johnson. 3.19.19 10 Pounds 13 Ounces,” Simpson wrote on Instagram.
Family of Five
In their first public outing as a family of five, the Johnsons were all smiles while celebrating the February 2020 launch of Simpson’s memoir.
“When I was writing the memoir, it was really me compiling a lot of my journals from my past,” she would later tell ET. “I was going through a time in my life where I gave up alcohol. I wanted to just journey back to the person that I was before that, and discover parts that I miss, and parts that I was trying to put a Band-Aid on.”
“If we admit to it and own it, I feel like it makes life, and choices, and everything so much easier,” Simpson continued. “… I feel like now, since the memoir has been out, I have never felt more of myself. It gave me permission to be who I am.”
Done Having Kids
Simpson confirmed to ET in 2021 that Birdie Mae is going to be the family’s forever baby, as their family is complete.
“Oh lord, no. That’s done. … That was the last pregnancy my little body could endure. She was almost 11 pounds, so that was a hard pregnancy for me. It was a lot and three kids is a lot,” she said. “I want to give them all that I have and be a working mom too, I just can’t even imagine.”
Parents Night Out
It was a date night sans kiddos for the duo as they enjoyed an art exhibit in Los Angeles, California, in June 2023.
Stepping Into Her Icon Era
In November 2023, Simpson stepped out solo for her first red carpet in five years — since her pregnancy with Birdie — to be honored with the Icon Award at the Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York City.
“I don’t have major expectations for myself, I kind of take one step at a time,” Simpson admitted to ET in a backstage interview. “I will not believe that there is a way to fail, so I don’t. I think maybe for your average person it’s risky to do what I do and to invest in yourself, but I believe in myself so much and I believe in myself enough to know my worth and to invest in my worth, and to hopefully achieve that and then some for my kids.”
As she ventures back into the music industry, Simpson said she’s thrilled to be sharing that side of herself with her children.
“Music is very exciting for me right now because I have just finished writing, so now I’m about to record it,” the mom of three revealed. “My kids will be introduced to me as an artist, and that is the most powerful part about it — to see them see me as, like, what my childhood dreams were. To watch me, as a woman, walk on stage as their mother, and be that for them. I’m very excited about that part.”
RELATED CONTENT:
