As they navigate their separation after 10 years of marriage, Jessica Simpson says she and Eric Johnson are prioritizing their three kids.
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson said in a statement to TODAY on Jan. 14. “Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.”
Simpson, 44, and Johnson, 45, married in 2014 and have three children: daughter Maxwell Drew, 12, son Ace Knute, 11, and daughter Birdie Mae, 5.
Simpson frequently posts about her kids on social media, sharing sweet back-to-school photos, birthday posts and candid family moments.
“Being a mother is the greatest gift and also the biggest challenge that I’ve ever been blessed with in life,” Simpson wrote on her blog in 2019, shortly after the birth of her youngest daughter, Birdie.
“Watching Max and Ace grow into their new roles as Birdie’s protectors has swept me off my feet,” she continued. “It is genuinely beautiful when we learn from our children what innocence is all over again. Their faith in me makes me the proudest mom.”
Simpson wrote that her kids make her “beam with smiles and grace” in their most recent back-to-school pic in September 2024. “Keep on showin’ up for yourselves with each step of the way through this new school year! I’m so very proud of y’all for individually shining your light so that in return others feel the glow.”
Read on to learn more about Jessica Simpson’s three children.
Maxwell Drew Johnson
Maxwell “Maxi” Drew was born on May 1, 2012.
Simpson revealed she and Johnson were expecting their first child on her website on Oct. 31, 2011. She posted a photo of herself wrapped in bandages, writing, “It’s true! I am going to be a mummy!”
The proud mom posts frequently about her daughter on Instagram, including when she shared a lengthy post for Maxwell’s 10th birthday.
“How is my first born, best news of my life, and best friend already 10yrs old?!?” Simpson wrote in the caption.
She also called her daughter “a leader without ego, a bleeding heart that inspires and loves deeply and forever,” as well as “funny, empathetic, spacial (sic), loyal, artistic, compassionate, drama-free, timely, hopeful, understanding, creative, athletic, thought provoking, ahead of the curve, resilient, and prayerful.”
Like her mom, Maxwell is a talented singer. In 2020, Simpson shared an Instagram video of her and Maxwell singing a duet of “This Little Light of Mine” on Maxwell’s eighth birthday.
“Maxwell inspires me to be unapologetically myself in every way,” Simpson wrote in the caption. “She has taught me that I don’t have to be perfect by continually reminding me I’m perfect for her.”
Maxwell is also a budding photographer. In 2022, Simpson revealed that her daughter had snapped a picture that was used to promote a personalized necklace for the Jessica Simpson brand.
Simpson also shared on Instagram that Maxwell has a famous friend — North West, the daughter of Kim Kardashian and the rapper Ye.
“One of Maxwell’s best friends is North,” Simpson told Us Weekly in 2022. “She is amazing. She is a great kid, and she will be a part of a change in this world.”
Maxwell even showed off her comedic chops when co-starred with her mom in a funny commercial for Chicken of the Sea tuna in 2024.
The ad was a throwback to Simpson’s memorable moment from her 2003 MTV reality show, “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica,” when Simpson got confused over whether she was eating chicken or tuna from a can.
“Who would ever get confused by that?” Maxwell deadpanned in the ad.
“No one. Not your mom,” Simpson replied.
Ace Knute Johnson
Ace Knute Johnson was born on June 30, 2013.
His distinctive middle name is pronounced “Ka-nute,” US Weekly reported after he was born, and honors Eric Johnson’s Swedish grandfather, Knute Johnson.
While pregnant with Ace, Simpson accidentally revealed she was expecting a boy during an irreverent moment on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in March 2013.
“It’s a total different pregnancy. I just feel awful,” she said. “I never knew that a wiener could actually make me nauseous.”
Then she realized what she’d done.
“Well, I guess I just told the whole world that I’m having a boy,” she said.
Simpson has posted countless glowing posts about her son on Instagram.
In 2022, she celebrated his ninth birthday with a carousel of sweet photos of Ace holding balloons, fishing, golfing and playing basketball.
“On June 30th, my stud of a boy turned 9. This kid is great at everything, and I mean everything!” Simpson wrote. “From love to sports to school to manners to friendships and thoughtfulness, there’s nothing he can’t do or be. Apparently we gave him the right name because he truly Aces it all.”
While Ace is into plenty of sports, it seems he especially loves baseball, as Simpson wrote on the X platform in 2021.
“When Ace was in my belly I told everyone and anyone who’d listen that he would dominate a baseball field when he was old enough and would more than likely never ever end up putting the bat down…so far my intuition was correct,” she wrote, sharing a photo of her son in a baseball uniform.
Back in 2018, Simpson also shared her thoughts about her active son’s “first broken bone.”
“This kid is breaking more than hearts these days 💔,” Simpson captioned an Instagram photo of Ace grinning ear-to-ear while wearing a lime green cast on his arm. The mom of three added the caption, #ICriedMoreThanHeDid.
Birdie Mae Johnson
Birdie Mae Johnson was born on March 19, 2019.
“We are so happy and proud to announce the birth of our perfect daughter, Birdie Mae Johnson … 10 Pounds 13 Ounces,” Simpson wrote on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo of what appears to be Maxwell holding her newborn sister’s hand in the hospital.
Simpson had previously revealed she was expecting her third child on Instagram in September 2018.
“This little baby girl will make us a family of five,” Simpson captioned a photo of her older kids revealing the baby’s sex with pink balloons. “We couldn’t be happier to announce this precious blessing of life.”
Simpson has opened up about the bond Birdie has always shared with her older siblings.
“Oh, she is the cutest. Oh my gosh,” Simpson told People in 2020. “And it’s so cute to watch my older kids with her. My son and her are like BFFs! The cutest. When Birdie is laughing, like cackling, that is a contagious thing throughout the family.”
She added that Birdie’s first word was “Ace.”
Ace was the big brother in every way when in 2021, he gave his then-23-month-old baby sister an interesting new hairdo.
Simpson shared an Instagram photo of unique look Ace had created for his little sister — a gravity-defying ponytail likely held up with hair spray or gel.
“This is what happens when your brother does your hair,” Simpson wrote in the caption.
In August 2024, Simpson shared a cute photo of her and Birdie.
“Me and My Birdie My Birdie and Me…🤍,” she wrote in the caption.
The same month, Simpson shared a photo of Birdie and Maxwell supporting their brother at one of his basketball games.