Jessica Simpson is continuing to speak openly about her sobriety journey – this time from the stage.
Onstage Update
The 45‑year‑old singer paused her performance at Yaamava Resort and Casino in Highland, California, on June 1. She then shared a raw moment of reflection before launching into her song Give It All Away.
Simpson told the audience that her relationship with alcohol once pushed her further into emotional turmoil rather than numbing it.
She said, “I realized that the drinking wasn’t numbing my pain, it was actually causing more pain.”
Simpson sees herself as “a work in progress,” telling fans she celebrates every day she feels “alive and in my body.” Plus, she’s genuinely proud of the progress she’s made.
Before performing the track, she explained why it felt right to share it in such an intimate setting.
She said, “I want all of you to know that you should have a little grace for yourself. Everything is gonna be okay if you just give it all away – and that’s what this song is about.”
Candid About Alcohol
Simpson’s onstage message echoes the reflections she’s shared publicly over the past several years. The star has been candid about the role alcohol once played in her life, admitting it dulled her instincts and kept her from confronting emotions she needed to face. She has described her sobriety as a turning point that allowed her to reconnect with her creativity, her faith, and her sense of purpose.
Marking eight years of sobriety, she wrote on Instagram in November, “8 years ago today I made the choice to confront, to confess and to let go of the self sabotaging parts of my life that I was choosing.”
“Making that decision allowed me to fully live in the pursuit of Gods purpose for my life. Alcohol silenced my intuition, blocked my dreams and chased my circulating fears of complacency.”
“Today I am clear. Today I am driven by faith.”
“Both fear and faith are something that we feel and may not see, I’m so happy I chose faith over fear. It was not in the fight that I found my strength, it was in the surrender.”
Reclaiming Her Voice
Simpson said giving up alcohol helped her reclaim her voice as a songwriter, explaining that drinking during writing sessions in 2016 pushed her into self‑pity and emotional avoidance. She has also spoken about how sobriety helped her become more honest – both with herself and in her music.
The music star, who was married to pop star Nick Lachey between 2002 and 2006, told People, “The moment I started drinking too much was when I started writing music in 2016 and it was making me go to places and feel sorry for myself.”
“I don’t know why I wanted to feel sorry for myself other than the alcohol was lying to me and saying, ‘You’re braver because you can say this with me on your side.'”
“I actually am so much more honest without alcohol, and I actually believe myself so much more without alcohol.”
Simpson, who separated from former sports star Eric Johnson, 46, last year after a decade of marriage, observed that drinking “made my emotions quiet. Instead of addressing them, dealing with them and getting through it, I was just letting them be.”