Jessica Simpson says she was drunk during 2017 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' interview in her memoir 'Open Book'
Jessica Simpson was one of the reigning queens of pop back in the 90s and early 2000s. She was also a reality star thanks to her show 'Newlyweds' with then-husband Nick Lachey.
But then she seemingly disappeared and her new memoir gives us the details about why.
Signs that Simpson was struggling first came to light during a 2017 interview she did on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' to promote the 'Collection'. Simpson was at times incoherent, appearing to be unsure of many details about her own life — such as the length of her marriage to current husband Eric Johnson — and repeatedly veering off-topic to discuss things like her daughter's birthday and her own uterus, much to the annoyance of the show's host. The interview generated a lot of buzz with viewers expressing concerns for the star's wellbeing.
Turns out they were right to worry. Speaking about the interview in her book, Simpson reveals that she finds the interview too painful to watch, admitting she was drunk as well as on steroids for a chest infection. She continues, "I was nervous, but I'd always been able to turn it on for talk shows...Instead, I couldn't find Ellen’s rhythm, mumbling and second-guessing everything I was saying. At first, Ellen tried to help and then she gave up. Her blank stare at my conversational freefall was tough love."
Following the painful ordeal, Ellen chose to say nothing more to the singer-turned-designer who "awkwardly walked off the stage and took in the look on the face of my publicist and friend Lauren." Her publicist's response? "You could have done better," which Simpson says was "probably the most critical thing this kind woman has ever said to me."
Simpson, now two years sober, adds, "I want to say it here to Ellen and the viewers: I'm truly sorry. I disrespected them by trying to make an appearance when I had no business doing so."
What prompted the star to turn to alcohol in the first place? She says it was her infamous on-again-off-again relationship with John Meyer, which she also credits with destroying her relationship with quarterback Tony Romo.
Speaking about the tumultuous relationship in her memoir Simpson reveals that John Mayer had a 'hold' over her, describing it as an addiction. In an interview with Hoda Kotb of NBC's 'Today', Simpson says she "went back to him close to nine times." Simpson says she was finally able to break free of the cycle when Mayer referred to her as "sexual napalm" in an interview with Playboy magazine in 2010.
The damage, however, had been done. Simpson reveals that her relationship with Mayer was the start of her alcoholism. Her insecurities manifested into anxiety around disappointing Mayer, constantly feeling like she wasn't "smart enough for him." She relied on alcohol to "mask the nerves," and the habit eventually turned into a full-blown addiction.
The turning point for Simpson came a few months after the Ellen interview, during a family Halloween party in 2017. Speaking to Kotb, Simpson says she started drinking at 7 am and got so drunk she could not even recall who got her children dressed for the day.
She says, “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." Simpson posted pictures of the family in their costumes on Instagram, but says I took the picture and I made the world think that I showed up.”
The next day Simpson sought therapy for her addiction and hasn't looked back since. "I just realized that I had to surrender...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," she says.
'Open Book' also talks about sexual abuse Simpson endured at the age of 6, her dependence on diet pills after she was told to lose weight at 15, her relationship with Nick Lachey, and the upcoming release of new music for the first time in 10 years.