'I can't watch it.' The story behind Jessica Simpson's incredibly awkward Ellen interview.

This post discusses alcohol addiction and may be triggering to some readers. 

When Jessica Simpson was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2017, fans instantly speculated whether the singer was drunk.

Appearing on the talk show to chat about her fashion line and her new music, Simpson’s conversation with Ellen DeGeneres soon veered off track.

Although the interview started with talk of pregnancy, as Simpson had previously appeared on the show while pregnant, the mother-of-three soon began talking about her daughter’s birthday party, which involved a number of children’s entertainers dressed as mermaids.

In 2017, Jessica Simpson made a very awkward appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Post continues below video.

“Silicone tails,” she announced, randomly. “They had… manhandlers. It’s not called manhandlers. No… they had to be carried if they had to pee… cause they can’t pee on my children in the pool. They pick them up, and carry them… it’s a business.”

Later on in the interview, Simpson appeared to have trouble remembering how long she had been married to her husband, Eric Johnson.

“Seven years now. Well, coming on seven years. Well actually seven,” she said.

“It’s a long time. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a seven-year relationship. Other than with a woman. Well, not that kind.”

After telling DeGeneres she’d been with her husband for seven years, Simpson went on to say that he was talented enough to massage her in his sleep.

“Even if he’s snoring, somehow he knows how to massage my back. It’s a very awesome talent,” she said.

“Maybe he’s not really sleeping, Jessica,” DeGeneres responded.

Ellen’s reactions and facial expressions were priceless when @JessicaSimpson was on @TheEllenShow ???? pic.twitter.com/iBC5rmvyc8

— Jacob (@EDM_Jacob) May 26, 2017

Now, three years on from the disastrous interview, Simpson has admitted that she “can’t even watch” the footage now.

Appearing on US talk show Today to talk about her upcoming memoir, Simpson admitted that she was intoxicated during the interview.

“I knew that I wasn’t present,” she said. “I knew that something was off.”

“It was a weak moment for me and I wasn’t in the right place,” she added.

“I had started a spiral and I couldn’t catch up with myself. That was when I was with alcohol.”

When it came to her relationship with alcohol, Simpson hit rock bottom after a Halloween party in 2017.

In her memoir, Simpson recounted that on the morning of Halloween, her and Johnson were on their way to a school assembly for their daughter, Maxwell.

“It was 7:30 in the morning and I’d already had a drink,” she wrote. 

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After the assembly, Simpson and her husband went home to prepare for the Halloween party they were hosting at their house.

When Johnson asked her if she wanted to get the kids ready, Simpson realised she wasn’t in the right state of mind to help.

“I was terrified of letting them see me in that shape,” she wrote. “I am ashamed to say that I don’t know who got them into their costumes that night.”

Since then, Simpson has twice-weekly therapy and has remained sober since that day.

“When I finally said I needed help, it was like I was that little girl that found her calling again in life,” Simpson told People. “I found direction and that was to walk straight ahead with no fear.”

“Honesty is hard but it’s the most rewarding thing we have. And getting to the other side of fear is beautiful,” she continued.

“Giving up the alcohol was easy. I was mad at that bottle. At how it allowed me to stay complacent and numb.”

Speaking to People, Simpson shared that her husband quit drinking alongside her.

 

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A post shared by Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson) on Nov 29, 2019 at 7:53am PST

“Eric gave up drinking the second I did. He said, ‘I’ll do it with you, babe.’ It was like no biggie and he hasn’t gone back or looked back,” she said.

“It’s just the way he is. He’s a very selfless and loving person who is the most incredible father on the planet.”

Simpson and former NBA player Johnson have three children together – seven-year-old Drew Johnson, six-year-old Ace Knute Johnson, and six-month-old Birdie Mae Johnson.

Simpson’s upcoming memoir, Open Book, delves into her marriage to Nick Lachey and her relationship with John Mayer.

She also opened up about some of the painful moments in her life, including the abuse she faced as a child and her use of diet pills as a teenager.

The memoir and audiobook will be released on February 4.

Feature Image: YouTube.

For more on this topic:

• Abuse, diet pills and ‘hitting rock bottom’: Revelations from Jessica Simpson’s book.
• From Jessica Simpson to Renée Zellweger: Just every celebrity that John Mayer has dated.
• In 2004, Ashlee Simpson shot to worldwide fame. This is what her life looks like now.

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