A moment of clarity. Jessica Simpson candidly reflected on the time she started drinking at 7 a.m. on Halloween in 2017 — which caused her to become too inebriated to take her children trick-or-treating — in a new interview with Hoda Kotb.
“I honestly couldn’t even tell you who got them ready,” the “With You” singer, 39, said on the Wednesday, January 29 episode of the Today show in promotion of her upcoming memoir, Open Book. “I was just dazed and confused, and I just wanted to go to sleep. I didn’t take them trick-or-treating. I didn’t show up for my family. I took the picture and I made the world think that I showed up.”
The episode pushed Simpson to reevaluate her coping mechanisms and seek treatment. The next day she decided to quit drinking and began seeing a therapist.
“I just realized that I had to surrender,” she said. “I just want to continue on the path that I’m on, and at this point in my life, now I’m strong enough to deal with anything that comes my way. Because I don’t have something to retreat to that will numb me from actually going through it.”
Simpson also shared how her marriage to Nick Lachey was affected by filming their hit reality show, Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica.
“I would watch episodes back and I didn’t like what I saw,” the “I Think I’m in Love With You” singer said. “I saw what people were laughing at and what [they were] loving about it, but I also saw a lot of eye-rolling, and that wasn’t just editing.”
In her memoir Open Book, Simpson called the 98 Degrees member, 46, her “first love” who was attracted to her “wide-eyed innocent approach to life.” Lachey proposed to Simpson in February 2002 and the couple wed in October that same year.
She wrote, “We were young and pioneering our way through reality television, always miced and always on. We worked and we were great at it but when it came time to being alone, we weren’t great at it anymore.”
Simpson filed for divorce in 2005, citing irreconcilable differences, and partly credited the public scrutiny for the breakdown of their marriage.
“We really got crushed by the media and by ourselves,” she continued. “I couldn’t lie to our fans and I couldn’t give somebody hope that we were this perfect golden couple.”
Simpson wed for a second time to Eric Johnson in 2014. She and the former NFL player, 40, are the parents of 7-year-old daughter Maxwell, 6-year-old son Ace and 10-month old daughter Birdie.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
