As we discussed yesterday, The Enquirer claims that Jessica Simpson’s father, Papa Joe, is now gay, that he’s always been gay, and that his marriage crumbled because of it and now he has several boyfriends or something. Just hours after Radar excerpted the Enquirer’s report, People Mag and Us Weekly got a statement from Joe and Tina Simpson – they are officially divorcing now. It was kind of a crazy PR strategy to announce that on the same day that everyone was discussing whether or not Papa Joe loves dong. Crazier still, the statement included this cryptic part: “It is an amicable split and there is no third party involved. Any other related allegations are completely false.” Hmm.
So, it’s kind of funny that The Enquirer and Radar are still going after this story. Today’s version is “poor Jessica and her poor gay father, she still loves him because she loves gay people.”
Jessica Simpson was completely blindsided by her father’s reported gay bombshell, a source close to the Simpson family exclusively tells RadarOnline.com. The pop star-turned-fashion-designer is struggling to come to terms with the revelation that dad Joe, 54, a former youth minister and Baptist pastor, has come out of the closet the source says.
But the insider insists that the 32-year-old Dukes of Hazzard star, who has a number of close gay friends in her life, has vowed to stand by her father despite his sexual preference.
“Jessica had absolutely no clue that her father was gay, not even the slightest inkling,” the source tells Radar. “She thinks she has very good gaydar, especially since a lot of her friends are gay, but she did not see this coming at all.
“It was a complete shock to the system, she feels terribly for her mom who was left reeling by the announcement and her sister Ashlee has also taken the news quite badly. Jessica’s been trying to process the information slowly, but she’s having difficulty dealing with it. She can’t understand why Joe stayed married to Tina for so long, and can’t help wondering how much of their life was a lie,” the source continues.
“Despite that, she’s going to stand by him and support his decision. After all, he’s still her father and Joe’s always been there for Jessica whenever she’s needed him… And not just as a father, but as her manager too.”
The National Enquirer broke the bombshell news that Tina filed for divorce after Joe came out as gay and confessed to an affair with a 20-something boy toy, according to a source close to the Simpson family.
“Joe got the family together about two months ago and came out of the closet,” an insider told the Enquirer. “He told them that he’d tried to continue in his marriage to Tina, but he couldn’t go on any longer and deny the fact that he had these feelings for men.”
On the same day that explosive news broke, a spokesperson for the Simpson family confirmed that Joe and Tina had officially filed for divorce, but the rep denied that the split involved anyone else.
“It is an amicable split and there is no third party involved,” the rep said in a statement Wednesday. “Any other related allegations are completely false. The family appreciates your respect for their privacy at this time.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Joe has been spiraling out-of-control for some time. He was busted for drunk driving in Sherman Oaks, Calif., on August 4.
“The police report stated that there was someone else in the car with Joe,” a source close to the Simpson family told the Enquirer. “Some reports have stated it was Tina, but now the belief is that it may well have been a boyfriend.”
In the Enquirer’s story, sources claimed Ashlee “lashed out” at her father, asking him how long he’d known he was gay. Papa Joe apparently replied that he’d known for “quite a while” and Jessica said “that he’d not only deceived their mom, but her and Ashlee as well.”
All joking aside… is this story for real? I’m actually thinking that there’s a good chance it might be. I mean, we have to throw “allegedly” around and all, but I think most of us felt, “Wow, this makes so much sense.”
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
No no no no…who is that child with him in the second picture? He looks like a teenager!?!
That’s Calvin Goldspink. I was wondering too so I felt the need to look it up. No clue what he does though!
So after all these years the big question is – is he top or bottom?
Lool. Bottom.
Well that explains why he kept pushing Tony Romo at his daughter .. dude had a major crush!!
That’s not the point for her or her sister, if all the reports are true. First, to have your father say he’s gay in his fifties would be shocking and have to adjust, but the real issue is his deception to your mom all those years and now your mom is in her fifties being blindsided and hurt and in pain (since they said it was a shock to all). As a daughter, my heart would be broken for my mom. Also, if he had an affair with a boytoy in his twenties (whether it was a girl or boy), the disugst you would have to your father in his fifties for cheating with someone younger than you, in their twenties, would be hard. Jessica has a lot to deal with on this more than just the gay issue at all.
agree on all counts. I have a friend whose parents divorced a week after we graduated high school because her father announced he was gay. Her mother was upset but weirdly enough, was “happy” it at least wasn’t another woman involved because “she couldn’t help the equipment she didn’t have that could make him happy”. Her parents are still friends after the initial property/alimony war in the divorce and my friend has accepted her dad’s new partner as a step-parent. So maybe Jessica Simpson’s situation may turn out to be ok too…hopefully. Jessica’s mom looks great for her age so she would have no problem finding a new (not creepy) man.
My mom works with so many older (50-60) gay men. A lot of then had wives and had children, and are still close with their children and still (at least) speak to their ex wives. It was just so taboo when they got married to be gay, it makes me feel sorry for all parties involved
Ugh. Weight fluctuation, gay dad, no brain…Jessica’s going to have a talk show in a year and then we’ll never be rid of her.
FML
Sadly, you are probably right, neelyo. And the show will be be sponsored by “Jessica Simpson Assless Chaps For Men” which she pretend-designed to show her support of her father.
It is the Simpson standard…sell private moments to the highest bidder. No sense in letting a family member’s struggle with his sexual identity go to waste when it can be used to expand the brand.
I feel bad for the family. Him being gay isn’t the issue, but living a lie for so long and not being honest about it is. Some of our family friends went through the same thing where the husband came out, but he left his family as soon as he did, all four kids and a scorned wife whom he was married to for 20+ years. He just up and moved to another state with his lover and that was that.
I felt bad for his wife and children because all the kids were still pretty young and probably didn’t understand the situation. I don’t condone him for being gay but for rather living a deceitful
lie and hurting other people when he knew all along how he felt, which he confessed.
I wish people didn’t feel like they had to live in a closet. People will respect you when you’re honest with them and yourself and the ones who don’t, then you’ll know who really cared about you and who didn’t.
If it’s true, this really sucks. It’s bad enough when your parents drop bombshells like this on you but then it’s discussed in public … ugh. Not that they didn’t choose to make all their sh*t public. It’s just always sad when people live a lie for decades.
Anyway, I don’t think she supports her dad because she loves gay people (I’m sure she does love them). She loves her dad and her image. What is she going to do? Kick him out of her life? She can’t function without both her parents.
He reminds me of Travolta in the 2nd pic.
Uhh, she loves him “because she loves gay people”, not because he’s her father?
If she’s choosing to support him, it’s not because he’s gay, but because he’s her father and she loves him.
But I bet everyone is angry at him – not for his sexuality, but for lying and deceiving them all, and possibly having an affair. That’s some tough stuff to get past.
I feel sorry for him if he spent 50 years living a lie, but this now is hurting a lot of people.
I think it is true. It’s sad. I am of course feeling sorry for Tina, Ashlee, and Jessica but I do feel really sad for Joe if this is true.
I grew up around a lot of Southern Baptists who stuck together really well and had this deep sense of family, mostly because they didn’t fit in to the largely Catholic, Mormon, and Presbyterian culture there (ugh). They were super tight and one of them was gay, he was a year ahead of me in school. He was tortured by it, all the time, because he knew that if he came out he would lose everything–family, friends, acceptance at church (huge for these people). He did try and fake it, tried to pray away the gay as well, and couldn’t stand it anymore.
So he pretended to be straight and got married, but ended his life shortly after, leaving a note to his wife about how sorry he was and how guilty he felt and how he was going to rot in hell anyway so he might as well speed up the process and spare his loving (but frustrated) wife. It was incredibly heartbreaking.
So yeah, I know what strict religion does to people, and I’m not jumping on the “Papa Joe’s a selfish bastard for not coming out sooner” bandwagon.
Yes I agree with you. Nicely said.
Thanks Dawn 🙂
I was raised a Southern Baptist until I left it at 17, so I know what you speak of. My mother would have been ashamed if I was gay. It’s how she was raised in the Baptist church in a small rural town she grew up in. Joe is a little different. He has been living the Hollywood flashy lifestyle for quite a while as her manager, not living in a small southern town anymore. So while still difficult to come out to your family and the world, not exactly the same as though living in a small, close-knit Southern Baptist community where you feel ostracized by everyone.
I see what you’re saying, and I was prepared to get that defense of the bandwagon, but he is a Baptist PREACHER. He is supposed to be a poster boy for that religion, no matter where he lives. If anything, moving to Hollywood is what brought him to come out AT ALL. If not for his daughters’ fame, he’d probably still be a guilt-ridden closet case. Or was he supposed to have had this epiphany the minute he moved to Cali? There’s some grappling involved, if you didn’t know.
You can take the man out of the South, but taking the South out of the man is much harder.
Same goes for lifelong guilt trips from a crappy religion.
nothing would surprise me about this being true.
Joe will be alright and continue to be rich and so will the family.
And the infamous Jessica’s boobs comment alllllllllllll makes sense now.
EXACTLY what I was thinking!!!
At least he’s finally being honest with himself, his family, and the public.
really? they didn’t know? I did
For some reason this makes me think of the scene from Heathers… I love my big gay Dad! lol
Maybe he is gay and has always been gay. But maybe, I don’t know, he’s bisexual and is just now divorcing because his preferences were always towards the masculine variety, but hetero life was easier as a Christian? Or maybe his preferences evolved over time towards the masculine variety? I don’t know, I just get irritated whenever scandals like this happen, and it seems as if the only option for explanation ever is “OMG, he was gay, and he was only gay forever, and so everything before was a complete and total lie.” C’mon, human sexuality is more complicated than that…
Nicely said, Fiona. +1
Now when I look at him he looks outrageously gay now. I should have seen it before.
Yes, @aurelia I agree. Especially that last pic w/his hair styled like he’s trying to be some pretty boy….an epic FAIL because it just makes him look cheesy…no…take that back….makes him look downright GREASY! And look at those punk/youth-styled tennis shoes he’s wearing. Oh, & the black jeans…another “youth trick.”
That last pic pretty much says it all for me….trying to look youthful and attractive….and it comes off just all so wrong. Too much attention to his grooming/styling…..yeah, he likes the Hershey Highway alright….LMAO.
He’s a perv preacher. If anyone thinks I’m being too hard on this jerk, please forgive me. For all too personal reasons, I have a real problem w/men who may know, or even SUSPECT they’re gay, & marrying unsuspecting women and wasting many, MANY years of the women’s lives. It’s plain treacherous and totally selfish on the part of the men…I mean perv’s.
I have nothing but RESPECT for straight-up gays who ADMIT it….not for the one’s who waste the lives of innocent others.
The truth of the matter is people just cannot accept people being gay so the hide it. They marry, have a family all the while wanting toi be who they really are. Joe was a minister and he had to listen to the church sayingf how gays are sinners and are hated by God and all this bullsht. So he hid and I dont for one minute think that his wife did not have a guess that he was gay. Not for all those years,not buying it. Ashely needs to grow up because it is NOT her marriage that went poof after 32 years and even if he is gay or not, he is her dad and he loved those kids and was good to those kids. He was born that way, he tried to be what other people wanted him to be, and that is sad. Maybe now he can live in peace because so far his life has been a turmoil. I hope he finds happiness.
Well golly gee whiz @jk….after reading your perfectly good explanation/sympathy how people who are gay MARRIED UNSUSPECTING HETEROS just to “fit in,”….oh…it makes perfect sense to me now that you “explained” it……NOT!
Guilty much?
Jessica once said on David Letterman that Joe and Tony Romo were friends for a year before Tony started dating her. Obviously Tony loves daddy pole.