Jessica Simpson Celebrates Four Years of Sobriety

Singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson has had a rollercoaster of experiences during her time in the entertainment world. Rising to fame at the tender age of 16, Simpson soon became a household name whose chart-topping singles were played on radios and MTV screens around the world.

Now 41 years old, Simpson has remained in show business for her entire adult life—and has most recently gained attention for sharing her story of sobriety. Today, Simpson celebrates four years of being in recovery from alcohol addiction and misuse of prescription medication.

In a poignant Instagram post commemorating the occasion, Simpson shared a photo of herself from November 1, 2017. She wrote in the caption that, “This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self discovery to unlock and explore.”

Simpson spoke out about her sobriety early last year upon the publication of her memoir, Open Book, stating at the time that she was “killing [her]self with drinking and pills.” After a 2017 Halloween party, Simpson realized that she had reached her breaking point, and she admitted her struggles to friends and family. From that point on, she has maintained sobriety through therapy, family support, and treatment from medical professionals.

Married to Eric Johnson since 2014, Simpson is the mother of three young children. Simpson’s kids played a huge role in her choice to become sober, as on that same Halloween, she realized she was “too intoxicated” to help them dress up for the holiday. In an interview with Today, she stated that her children continued to be her reason “why” as she navigated the early stages of sobriety.

Simpson’s memoir Open Book provides greater insight into her childhood and upbringing, and how particular traumas affected her into her adulthood. In the book, she revealed that she was sexually abused as a young child, and that she later coped with the effects of the trauma with alcohol.

As a young star in the public eye, Simpson also dealt with pressures from the music industry, including the intense pressure to stay thin. In multiple interviews, Simpson stated that record executives encouraged her to use diet pills to lose weight. The executives’ direction would lead to a 20-year reliance on diet pills, which ended around the time she became sober from alcohol.

Today, Simpson is breaking down the barriers associated with addiction, and letting her fans—and the world—know that starting over comes from within. The path to sobriety involved a great deal of hard work—and even more self-reflection.

“There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage. The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do,” she continued in her Instagram post.

Simpson continues to inspire those who are in recovery from addiction, providing hope that long-term sobriety is possible—and that therapy and the right treatment can make all the difference in one’s future and success. In her celebratory and reflective post, Simpson, now 41 years old, is able to recognize the pain and hard work it has taken to achieve four years of continuous sobriety—and the tremendous impact it has made in her life.

Amazon Studios has announced that they will be releasing two series—one scripted and one unscripted— based on the experiences that Simpson recounted in her memoir. While the series remain untitled, they are likely to detail her path to sobriety and her journey through stardom at an early age.