Jessica Simpson Says Hollywood Publicists Warned Their Clients Not to Date Her

“You'll never be a respected musician if you're dating her.”

I think we can all agree that anyone would be lucky to date Jessica Simpson, right?

Well, apparently, there were some people in Hollywood who were told to keep their distance from the singer, actor, and business mogul following her divorce from Nick Lachey in 2005. In a pretty juicy interview with Drew Barrymore, Simpson explained that publicists were warning off their clients.

“I had my list and I checked my list off as if I was a dude or something, but I felt like any time it started to get a little bit serious, I was the person to run from,” she told Barrymore during a recent appearance on her show. “Because every guy would be listening to their publicist who would be like, 'Stay away. Stay away. You will never be a respected actor, you'll never be a respected musician if you're dating her. But that was back in the day—at least that was the excuse I heard.”

Obviously, not everyone was so easily scared away. Simpson told Barrymore that she actually dated a few musicians that she was able to keep from the press. “Well, I have dated some—a couple of musicians…Some under the radar that people don’t know about," she said, coyly. “We like to keep some secrets.” 

Of course, there was also Simpson's well-known relationship with musician John Mayer from 2006 to 2007. “It was a relationship that was a yo-yo; it was always back and forth. To feel wanted and then to be shut out, and to feel wanted, to be completely shut out,” the Open Book author told Glamour in 2020. “My advice is to pick up on those signs. If there have been three breakups, stop it there. There can’t be 9 to 10, because that’s immature. That’s not love. If you’re actually in love, you’re not going to give up.”

Obviously, Jessica Simpson is now happily married to former NFL player Eric Johnson, with whom she shares three children: Birdie Mae, Ace Knute, and Maxwell Drew. Everything clearly worked out for the best. 

Watch the full conversation from The Drew Barrymore Show, below.


This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Emily Tannenbaum