The Most Shocking Moments From Jessica Simpson’s New Memoir | Betches

Is there anything better than a tell-all celebrity memoir? Don’t answer that, because the answer is probably yes. But while some celeb tell-alls are annoyingly light on the tea, there are some that really deliver. (We’ve already made a list of some of the messiest ones, if you need something to read on an upcoming flight.) The latest entry in the celebrity memoir canon is Jessica Simpson, which feels right at this point in her career. She’s a mom, has a successful business, and her peak acting and singing days are behind her, so what better time to hire a ghostwriter to listen to you talk about yourself?

Jessica’s book is available for preorder now, and she’s creatively titled it Open Book. Yup, that’s the title she’s going with. I don’t really know what I expected from someone who didn’t know if Chicken of the Sea was chicken or fish, tbh. But despite the hilariously literal title, based on some advance excerpts, it sounds like Jessica Simpson really is… an open book. I’m so sorry, but it actually is true, so maybe it was a good title after all? Jessica is refreshingly open and honest in her new book, and here are some of the most interesting parts that have already come out.

Her Experience With Sexual Abuse

In her book, Jessica Simpson gets candid for the first time about her experience as a survivor of sexual abuse. She says the abuse began when she was staying with a family friend at age six. Echoing the guilt that many survivors feel, she says, “It would start with tickling my back and then go into things that were extremely uncomfortable…I wanted to tell my parents. I was the victim but somehow I felt in the wrong.” Thankfully, she told her parents when she was 12, and they never stayed with those friends again. While she does say that they “didn’t talk about” what she said, at least her parents didn’t put her in that situation again.

Getting Sober

Jessica also details her struggles with drugs and alcohol. She writes, “I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills,” and details the 2017 moment that made her realize something had to change. On Halloween, she and her husband were headed to their daughter’s school for an assembly, and Jessica writes, “It was 7:30 in the morning and I’d already had a drink.” Later that day, she says she was “zoned out” as the family got ready in their costumes, and she “was terrified of letting them see me in that shape.”

She details in the book how, over the following weeks and months, she decided to get sober, working with “a team of doctors,” and attending therapy twice a week. Jessica writes that she turned to alcohol and pills to combat the trauma of her past experiences, and that “This feeling of being alone and scared in the dark was one I’d had since I was abused as a child.” Props to Jessica for making a positive change in her life, and getting healthy for her kids.

John Mayer’s Obsession With Her

I don’t know where I was in 2006, but I had completely forgotten about Jessica Simpson’s relationship with John Mayer. Wow, what a couple. In her book, Jessica makes John sound like a total stage-five clinger, which somehow doesn’t surprise me. According to Jessica, “Again and again, he told me he was obsessed with me, sexually and emotionally.” Hey John, just a note, usually “obsessed” isn’t the word women want to hear. That sounds like Jessica is going to end up in your glass box.

Jessica also addresses John’s infamous 2010 comment about her being “sexual napalm,” saying that she was “floored and embarrassed” when she heard it. She says after that, she deleted his number, and they never talked again. I never thought I’d say this, but is Jessica Simpson… my hero? I’m the biggest fan of deleting numbers, but like, I never actually put it into practice until I’ve been burned by the same guy at least 3 more times, so I really admire her strength.

Her Company’s Insane Success

Much like Kylie Jenner’s cosmetics company, it turns out that Jessica Simpson’s self-named brand of clothing, accessories, and fragrances is worth over a billion dollars. I mean, who knew?? Unlike Kylie, she’s not the sole owner/investor of the company, so that doesn’t directly mean she’s a billionaire, but a quick Google search places her estimated net worth at $200 million. Not too shabby, especially considering the last time I really thought about her was like, 2010.

Open Book (still obsessed with that title) comes out on February 4th, and I’m sure there will be a few more shocking revelations in the full thing, but honestly, this was already more than a lot of celebrity memoirs deliver on. But if you want more, you can preorder the book here. Jessica will also be releasing six new songs along with the audiobook version of her memoir, which is what I’m really excited for. It’s 2020, and Jessica Simpson deserves her comeback.

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