Jessica Simpson opened up about her life in, out, and before the spotlight earlier this year with a tell-all memoir, and now the singer/author/actress has elaborated on her abusive past. Simpson shared the story of a woman who had sexually abused her when they were both girls, and the heartbreaking account came to a surprising ending about Simpson confronting her abuser.
Speaking with Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt on The Gift of Forgiveness podcast, Jessica Simpson explained:
I would say about eight years ago I confronted her. I went to her and I just said, ‘I know you know what was going on and I know that you were being abused,’ cause she was being abused by an older guy. And he was always there at the house as well. He never touched me, but he would abuse her and then she would come to me and do the stuff to me. And so in so many ways I felt bad for her and I was allowing the abuse to happen.
Although Jessica Simpson didn't name names or give away a lot of details about what she went through, she did explain on the podcast that the abuse happened at the house of a family friend, when she would have sleepovers with the daughter of the family. When Simpson did finally feel ready to open up to her parents, they supported her and the visits stopped.
According to Jessica Simpson, she went to her former abuser and revealed that she knew that she had been abused as well. The situation was clearly complicated, to say the least. She went on to describe what she told her former abuser, the advice she gave, and how she had come to view what had been done to her. Simpson recounted:
I told her in the moment, ‘I know that you have a lot to deal with,’ and I told her that I think she should probably talk to someone and find a way to understand those moments and to forgive those moments and to heal from those moments. And ‘I just want you to know that I forgive you and I don’t really care to be around you that much ever again, but I do want you to know that I know what happened between us and I’m not going to live in denial about it.'
Jessica Simpson shared that she forgave her abuser, and even told her so, then suggested that she talk to somebody to help "heal" from what happened. She also revealed that her abuser stayed as a person in her life, but she felt ready for the confrontation eight years ago.
While Simpson couldn't recall what exactly made that feel like the right time, it was after her divorce when she did "a lot of soul-searching" and was celibate. She knew that she couldn't move forward if she left what she needed to tell her abuser unsaid, because she "left it unsaid for far too long." Simpson even sent her abuser a copy of her book in the hope that it "brings healing."
Jessica Simpson seems to be happy with where her life is at this point. A married mother of three, her book that released in early 2020 hit the top of The New York Times Best Seller List. She posted a rocking bikini photo ahead of her 40th birthday, and she has opened up about other difficult moments in her past, including her infamous Ellen DeGeneres interview when she was struggling with alcohol.
She also said that she would never want another reality TV show back in 2017 and, true to her word, her only reality TV appearance since was an episode of Ashlee+Evan, centered on her sister Ashlee Simpson. Jessica Simpson's book, Open Book, is available now. For some viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, check out our 2020 summer TV premiere schedule and our 2020 fall TV premiere guide.
