Jessica Simpson and Ex Edge Closer to Divorce Amid Teen Daughter Dispute

Cracks are deepening between Jessica Simpson and her estranged husband Eric Johnson, as the Daily Mail can reveal the former couple are inching closer to a full-blown divorce.

The latest flashpoint? Their 13-year-old daughter Maxwell, and whether she should be allowed to step into the spotlight and chase stardom like her famous mom.

Simpson, 45, and the 46-year-old former NFL player split last fall after a decade of marriage, following whispers that he’d been unfaithful. At the time, they agreed to take space and work on things through counseling instead of rushing into a split.

But after a year of living apart, it appears the trial separation hasn’t healed the rift – and friends say it may only be a matter of time before divorce papers are filed.

‘At first Jessica was eager to seek help and hopefully put their family back together,’ a source told Daily Mail. ‘But now that she’s been on her own for over a year, she’s beginning to like the feeling of freedom she now has.

‘And while they have yet to work out the problems that caused the split, a new wrinkle has appeared, as their eldest daughter wants to pursue an acting career. And it’s one more thing they don’t agree on.

‘Maxwell is her mom’s mini – me and she’s the most like Jessica of all the kids,’ says a source. ‘She idolizes her mother and is chomping at the bit to follow in her famous footsteps.

Simpson shares three children with Johnson: 13-year-old Maxwell, 12-year-old son Ace and 6-year-old daughter Birdie Mae.

‘Maxi, as her mom calls her, is super talented,’ the insider adds. ‘She likes to sing, is very creative, and has been looking over her mom’s shoulder while she works on her clothing and jewelry designs.

‘Now that she’s officially a teenager, Jess is willing to let her feet get wet when it comes to show biz.

‘Eric on the other hand feels a Hollywood career is not what he wants for his kids,’ says the source. ‘He’d like them to concentrate on their studies and sports.

‘Max wants to do both,’ says the source. ‘She’s a good basketball player, and she loves to act. 

‘One of her teammates is Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 12-year-old daughter, North West, who has been walking the red carpet with mom and dad for years, and most recently walked for Paris fashion week. And she’s encouraging her pal to take the plunge when it comes to acting.

‘Maxi and North play on the same basketball team coached by Max’s dad,’ says a friend of the girls. 

‘And they are close pals. Recently North also went to bat for Max’s mom.’

Radar Online reported that North petitioned her mom to get Jessica a part on her new show, All’s Fair. And Jess was hired on.

‘That’s literally how it happened,’ an insider told Rob Shuter, who writes for Substack. ‘Kim gave the green light, and Jessica was in the chair getting eight hours of prosthetics.’

A crew member on the show said the Simpson mother-daughter duo were great additions: ‘Maxwell was on set hyping her mom up like a mini producer. It was adorable.’

In return, Simpson gave her daughter her first gig, when she reached out to Chicken of the Sea Tuna with an idea for a new commercial that would feature her and Max.

Back when Simpson was married to Nick Lachey and starring in their hit reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica that ran from 2003 to 2005, she often came across as adorably naïve. 

In one unforgettable episode, while eating a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna, she famously asked Lachey whether it was chicken or fish – a moment that instantly went down in pop culture history.

‘Jess pitched a spot where she is eating Chicken of the Sea and asks her daughter if she’s confused about whether the stuff was tuna or chicken. And Max replies, “who would ever be confused by that?” With Jess answering, “not your mother.”

‘It was a cute bit and Maxi’s TV debut. Now she’s been bitten by the acting bug,’ says the pal.

Instead of healing the wounds of what went wrong in their marriage, Simpson and Johnson seem to be drifting further apart. And the subject of Maxi’s future in front of the camera is just another thing they don’t agree on.

Rumors they were getting back together reignited when they were spotted seated next to each other on board of a commercial plane at Burbank Airport in August.

Their kids were nowhere to be found and once they touched down in Las Vegas, the pair were asked about their relationship status, which Simpson skirted, explaining that they were in town to see her sister Ashlee Simpson perform, according to TMZ.

But talk of a reunion may soon fade, as the estranged couple put up their $18million Hidden Hills California mansion on the market and reportedly moved to separate residences in Nashville so Simpson could work on her music career, a source told Daily Mail.

‘There are currently plenty of TV shows and movies being filmed in Nashville, so there will be lots of opportunities for both Jessica and Maxi.’

And Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon recently announced they were joining forces to bring more filming to Nashville.

‘I’ll be bringing more and more production here,’ Kidman said recently. ‘Reese also lives in Nashville, and she’s one of my best besties. And we want to bring a little Hollywood to Nashville.’