Jessica Simpson Admits She Was Drunk During ‘Ellen’ Interview in 2017: ‘I Can’t Even Watch’

In May 2017, Jessica Simpson was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and delivered an interview that had some fans concerned about her well-being. She was confused about several topics and slurred her speech, and the interview concluded with DeGeneres letting out an exasperated sigh.

During an appearance on the Today show this week, Simpson reflected on the viral appearance, revealing that it was a low point for her.

“I can’t even watch the interview,” she said. “It was a weak moment for me and I wasn’t in the right place. I had started a spiral and I couldn’t catch up with myself … and that was with alcohol.”

In her upcoming memoir, Open Book, Simpson revealed that the trauma of being sexually abused as a child combined with other factors led her to self-medicate with alcohol and pills. The 39-year-old wrote that her abuse began at age 6 and she eventually told her parents at age 12. Simpson wrote that the trauma of the abuse combined with later pressures eventually led her to later self-medicate with alcohol and stimulants.

“This feeling of being alone and scared in the dark was one I’d had since I was abused as a child,” she explained. “I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills.”

The mom of three wrote that she decided to get sober after a Halloween party at her and husband Eric Johnson’s home in 2017.

“I had a glitter cup that was always filled to the rim with alcohol,” she said on Today. “I honestly couldn’t even tell you who got [my kids] ready [for the party]. I was just dazed and confused and I just wanted to go to sleep.”

“I didn’t take them trick-or-treating, I didn’t show up for my family,” she continued. “I took the [Instagram] picture and I made the world think I showed up.”

The next day, Simpson called her close friends and told them, “I need to stop.” With the support of her friends, parents and a team of doctors, as well as therapy twice a week, she ultimately got sober and has been since.

“I just realised I had to surrender,” she said. “I just wanna continue on the path that I’m on, and now I’m strong enough to deal with anything that comes my way because I don’t have something to retreat to that will numb me from actually going through it.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Jason LaVeris