A loving tribute. Jessica Simpson posted a sweet message for her father, Joe Simpson, on his birthday after detailing the ups and downs of their relationship in her new memoir, Open Book.
“My entire life, all I have ever wanted is to be the brightest light that you ignited within me to shine so that others could be guided into their own personal transcending greatness of being,” the “With You” singer, 39, captioned an Instagram pic of the father-daughter duo posing together on Wednesday, February 19. “Thank you for always guiding me with love, leadership, and compassion to the unimaginable achievement of infinite dreams.”
Jessica continued, “There is nothing in life I am not strong enough for because of your ability to believe the truest purpose is always within reach. Dad, you are my heartbeat and all that I am will forever be held by your love. Happy Birthday!!! I love you 🦋”
In her candid memoir, the Dukes of Hazzard actress touched on her 61-year-old father’s infidelity during his marriage to her mother, Tina Simpson. Jessica claimed that the former minister, who split from Tina, 60, in 2012 after 34 years of marriage, had “betrayed” her mother and was in “full denial mode” regarding his actions.
“[My mom] had just told me what a nice time they had together on their anniversary, and she thought maybe they had turned a corner. I thought so, too,” she wrote. “When she confronted him, my dad began calling me, and I would not pick up.”
When Joe informed Jessica that he planned to leave Tina, the “Irresistible” songstress — who was pregnant in the hospital with daughter Maxwell, now 7, at the time — sided with her mother. “They had been married for thirty four years, and I had a hard time being around them together since they’d stop loving each other,” she wrote.
“I was blindsided by this news, which triggered his natural salesmanship,” the Employee of the Month star continued. “He pitched it to me as a positive thing, ‘You gave me the confidence … You gave me the way out.’ Great, I thought to myself, ‘I broke my own heart.’”
The “I Belong to Me” artist also revealed that when Joe attended her wedding to Eric Johnson in 2014, her father brought a male model as his date.
“My father called me three days before we left for the wedding to tell me he was bringing his friend Jonathan, a young model he often shot for his new photography business,” Jessica explained. “‘He wasn’t on the list,’ I said. There was a pause. I reminded myself that I needed to accept my father for who he was as he worked it out in real-time.”
