Jessica Simpson claims publicists warned other stars not to date her after her messy divorce from Nick Lachey
Jessica Simpson opened up about her dating life after the end of her first marriage to Nick Lachey in 2002 on Thursday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
While many of the 40-year-old Open Book author's post-divorce relationships were highly publicized, like her nine-month love affair with John Mayer, she claims many went unreported due to publicists warnings their clients to 'stay away' from her.
'Anytime it started to get a little bit serious, I was the person to run from because every guy would be listening to their publicist who would be like, ‘stay away, stay away,' she recalled.
Speaking up: Jessica Simpson opened up about her dating life after the end of her first marriage to Nick Lachey in 2002 on Thursday's episode of The Drew Barrymore Show
She claims past partners were told: 'You’ll never be a respected actor, you’ll never be a respected musician if you are dating her.'
Share this article
While Barrymore listened in disbelief, Simpson, who has been married to husband Eric Johnson since 2014, quipped: 'That was back then. At least, that was the excuse I heard.'
Despite revealing that she has dated more celebrities than the world knows, the mom-of-three declined to to give their names on TV.
Dating life: While many of the 40-year-old Open Book author's post-divorce relationships were highly publicized, she claims many went 'under the radar' due to publicist warnings their clients to 'stay away' from her; seen with ex-husband Nick Lachey in 2005
Brief fling: Simpson and John Mayer dated for nearly a year from 2006 to 2007; pictured in 2007
'I have dated a couple of musicians, some under the radar that people don’t know about, we’ve got to keep some secrets,' she teased.
Simpson did, however, tell the talk show host to call her privately for the details.
Barrymore related to wanting to keep new relationships out of the spotlight because it can be 'really embarrassing' when 'you go on like one date with a guy and then all of a sudden you are inextricably linked and everybody thinks that you’ve had this whole thing.'
Messy breakup: Simpson dated Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, from 2007 to 2009; pictured together in 2008
While reflecting on her divorce, she said Lachey knew her as a 'young, innocent 18 year old that had never been introduced to the world.'
'I went straight from my father to him. Nick's very smart. He was eight years older than me, but he was also young,' she noted. 'We meant a lot to each other and we always will.'
She continued: 'I want to be very respectful because I married him for a reason and we were together for seven years. He has a family now and I would never say anything to disrespect that.'
Happier than ever: Simpson has been married to Eric Johnson since 2014 (pictured in 2018)
Family matters: Simpson shares daughters Maxwell, eight, Birdie, two, and son Ace Knute, seven, with her husband
