Jessica Simpson’s Inner Circle ‘Wondering What’s Wrong With Her’ Amid Eric Johnson Divorce Rumors

If she hadn’t posted it herself, her own fans wouldn’t have recognized her. “Who is this? It doesn’t look like Jessica Simpson,” multiple fans commented on the singer’s December 16 Instagram shot of herself lounging in a Nashville recording studio in a skimpy satin skirt, artfully ripped fishnets and sky-high heeled cowboy boots. While some said they mistook her for Bravo star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, another simply asked, “What has she done to herself?”

Makeup and a photo filter may be to blame in this particular instance, but the dramatic transformation certainly has raised a few red flags. “The provocative outfit seems like a cry for help,” a source exclusively tells In Touch of Jessica, who is rumored to be separated from her husband of 10 years, Eric Johnson. “People are wondering what’s wrong with her.”

BIG CHANGES

She has been going through a difficult time. The 44-year-old, who’s been recording in Nashville for the past year, recently called the new album “the soundtrack to my soul” and “an apology to myself or putting up with everything I did not deserve.” The former NFL tight end, 45, has been absent from her Instagram grid since April, and they’ve both been spotted without their wedding rings. And TMZ reported in November that after 14 years together, the couple, who share kids Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5, have both met with divorce attorneys. “It’s definitely over, and no one could blame her for wanting to post a ‘revenge’-type photo where she looks sexy — this one just went a bit too far,” the source says. “Jessica is still adjusting to her new reality and stretching her wings.”

She’s not, as some have feared, slipping back into old habits, insists the source. Jessica celebrated seven years without alcohol on November 1, and while “Eric was always supportive of her as she faced her addiction issues, getting sober changed a lot of her priorities,” says the source. “She reevaluated every aspect of her life and thought about what truly brings her happiness.”

And apparently her marriage didn’t make the cut. “The spark is just gone,” says the source. “Couples counseling worked for a while, but then things went back to the way they were and they grew apart. She’s ready to start fresh.”