Jessica Simpson has been dealing with criticism about her weight for her entire career, and the latest barrage came after she released an ad for Pottery Barn Kids in 2022. Fans immediately began speculating that she was taking Ozempic — a diabetes drug — to assist with her weight loss. In a June 2023 interview with Bustle, which was published on July 6, Jessica shut down those rumors. “Oh Lord,” she said. “I mean, it’s not [Ozempic].”
She then expanded on how she’s been able to keep off the weight since giving birth to her third child, Birdie, in 2019. “It’s willpower,” she insisted. “I’m like, do people want me to be drinking again? Because that’s when I was heavier. Or they want me having another baby? My body can’t do it.” Jessica quit drinking in 2017, and was open about her struggles with alcoholism in her 2020 memoir, Open Book.
After having Birdie, Jessica lost 100 pounds, and has worked hard to keep the weight off and tone her figure in the years since. While she said that she’s still “hurt” when it comes to negative comments about her body, she’s able to rise above it. “Am I going to let the negativity derail me? No, I’m too old for that,” she shared. “I’m too connected to myself right now to let that derail me. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt.” Plus, Jess said that having “been every size” helped her when it comes to her brand and “understanding” the women who buy her products.
Despite not having released music or acted in anything in years, Jessica has managed to maintain a spot in the limelight, and even she admits that it “boggles [her] mind” that people are still so curious about her. Her old reality show with ex-husband, Nick Lachey, Newlyweds, has even gotten a new following from TikTok in recent months. Fans who have discovered the show today have started labeling Nick as the “villain” on the show for how he treated Jessica. When asked about how the public viewed him as a “stand-up” husband back in the day, Jessica simply responded, “It’s amazing what publicity can do.”
Now, Jess is married to Eric Johnson. In addition to four-year-old Birdie, they also share a daughter, Maxwell, 11 and son, Ace, 10.