1. Headline
  1. Headline
We're on a quest for the best: Click to send us your homemade birthday cake recipe
Image: Jessica Simpson
Matt Sayles  /  AP
Jessica Simpson began dating Eric Johnson while he was estranged from his first wife.
updated 11/14/2010 12:36:11 PM ET 2010-11-14T17:36:11

Jessica Simpson is off the market!

PHOTOS: Stars dating athletes

  1. Most popular

Sources confirm to UsMagazine.com that the singer, 30, became engaged to beau Eric Johnson on Thursday, just days after Us broke the news that her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, popped the question to Vanessa Minnillo, his love of nearly five years. Simpson and Lachey, 37, split in 2005, after three years of marriage.

PHOTOS: Stars show off their HUGE engagement rings

On Saturday, Simpson flashed a sizable ring on her left hand during an appearance at Dillard's at Oak Park Mall in Kansas City.

PHOTOS: Jessica's dress disasters

The Texas native began dating the former NFL player in May while he was estranged from his first wife, stylist Keri Johnson; their divorce was finalized five months later.

PHOTOS: Jessica's biggest OMG moments

Though Ashlee Simpson-Wentz recently told Us that her sister "is happy, so we're all really happy," sources insist that most of Simpson's friends are concerned about Johnson's motives for dating the singer.

PHOTOS: The many men in Jessica's life

"Eric was never that successful in the NFL, but he's always wanted the celebrity lifestyle," a source told Us in October. "Her friends do not trust him."

Copyright 2012 Us Weekly

Video: Behind Lachey, Simpson’s dueling engagements

  1. Closed captioning of: Behind Lachey, Simpson’s dueling engagements

    >>> we're back with "today's buzz" and all the people and events making headlines this week.

    >> there is so much to talk about. bonnie full certificate eder if in chief of hollywoodlife.com.

    >> a lot to get to.

    >> jessica simpson was flashing her ruby engagement 24 weekend. she had to keep up with nick. he just got engaged.

    >> does that look strange one week after?

    >> it is very curious, that it was a week after his announcement was made.

    >> so who is the guy? don't know much about the guy?

    >> he played for the nfl, didn't he?

    >> eric johnson , he's a former footballer. now he is so in love with her, he turned down the chance to go to wharton business school . he's a guy from yale. he was going to go into business, but now he's living with her and basically he's just following her around from place to place.

    >> actually we'll be able to see them together here in new york. she's performing in the macy's thanksgiving day parade and he's expected to be here too.

    >> on the float.

    >> and his family.

    >> she's a sweet girl. i met her before. she's sweet. i wish her the best but it seems curious.

    >> we wish her the best, we're just worried about it because it only has been seven months and you know you want a guy, oh, here's the other thing, apparently she doesn't want a prenup. that's what we're hearing. what's interesting about that is his ex-wife warneder in advance saying he had no money, so watch out for him.

    >> that was an ex-wife's statement.

    >> this is not her first football player either, right?

    >> he dumped her. it is not the first time, she didn't have a prenup with nick and so she had to pay out a fair bit of money and she complained about that.

    >> she did? he's wealthy himself.

    >> well, apparently she handed him about $10 million to save bye-bye.

    >> i want to marry her.

    >> how does she feel about nick's engagement? do we know anything about that?

    >> she was broken hearted about that. she wished them well but those who knew her said she was just -- it was her first love, she was devastated.

    >> remember, he left her.

    >> it got -- because that got out, she had to go on the radio and then i think she was on the ryan seacrest show and she said, no, no, no, i'm thrilled for him, so happy.

    >> it is weird that people are showing how happy they are. some people are tweeting congratulations. don't you think that's a little bit odd? i noticed that.

    >> why does everything have to be public? why she can't pick up the phone and call him and said, i heard, i'm so happy for you. it is almost like you're not doing it for that person, you're doing for the way it is going to be perceived by the public.

    >> exactly.

    >> so leann rimes , her ex is now engaged.

    >> yes.

    >> her ex-husband.

    >> right. her ex-husband dean and talk about tweeting, she tweeted her congratulations to him.

    >> so everyone knew that she --

    >> yes.

    >> interestingly enough, he's engaged before she is because, remember, there were the false rumors that she and eddie cibrian were engaged and they weren't.

    >> he got on his knee in front of everybody.

    >> and tweeted the picture.

    >> kanye west is -- he made a lot of headlines here with us in the "today" show studio and he was, again, heard more about him on "snl."

    >> that's right. it was very funny, hilarious sketch with him and george bush coming on. and they are supposedly buddy, buddy because george revealed in their memoirs that at a very low moment for him is when he was called racist by kanye.

    >> the two best lines out of that performance had to be when george bush talked about wearing the gucci brand sunglasses and kanye west said, he didn't know what clearing brush meant. he thought it was going out to nightclubs and picking up ugly women.

    >> oh, gosh.

    >> it is amazing the man can sing without putting his foot in his mouth.

    >> has kanye learned anything from the last couple of years of rude behavior? has he learned anything?

    >> he hired a media manager, but that didn't go well.

    >> she left after a week.

    >> it is not about that. it is not about someone spinning you. it is about being --

    >> it is about being decent to people.

    >> i don't know. but speaking about people, have they learned, what about lindsay lohan ? she was released a couple of times this weekend, she went shopping, she met with the director from inferno and she's doing a fashion shoot to make some money to pay for her rehab.

    >> for a russian designer.

    >> so what -- the same old, same ole, you think then?

    >> i hope not. but it seems like --

    >> that, to me, is responsible behavior. if they think she's doing well enough to let her go, and she's actually working and then going right back in, i think that can only be helpful.

    >> i do think it is great that she's getting back together with her fath her father. as difficult as their relationship has been in the past, you only have one father.

    >> they would net lot let her out if she were not performing well. someone picked her up and stayed with her the whole time.

    >> she's going in the right direction.

    >> sarah palin 's "lalaska," how did that work out?

    >> the scenery was beautiful. she'll do more for alaska than all of the tourism ads could possibly take out.

    >> it was gorgeous. i watched it. alaska is amazing. and i have to hand it to sarah, she climbed a part of mt. mckinley, it looked terrifying.

    >> and she's terrified of heights.

    >> she and her husband are terrified of heights.

    >> it does look gorgeous. we'll see if it is a prepresidential run, right?

    >> we'll see.

    >> positive reinforcement for her.

    >> thank you, ladies.

    >>> up next, if you think you can't lose the last ten pounds, wait until you hear how this woman dropped

Discuss:

Discussion comments

,

Most active discussions

  1. votes comments
  2. votes comments
  3. votes comments
  4. votes comments

More on TODAY.com

None
  1. Pitbull heats up plaza with ‘Love’

    video Worldwide music sensation Pitbull helps TODAY kick off the Memorial Day weekend by performing the song “International Love” off of his latest album, “Planet Pit.”

    5/25/2012 1:25:58 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T13:25:58
  2. video Pitbull dishes out ‘Everything’

    video Latin music superstar Pitbull rocks the plaza with a song that made it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, “Give Me Everything.”

    5/25/2012 1:24:57 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T13:24:57
  3. video ‘Mr. Worldwide’ heads ‘Back in Time’

    video Armando Perez, also known as Pitbull, gets the plaza bumping with his new song “Back in Time,” which is featured in the highly anticipated film, “Men in Black 3.”

    5/25/2012 1:25:29 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T13:25:29
None
  1. TODAY

    Michelle Parker’s mom: Her kids are ‘not the same’

    5/25/2012 2:04:18 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T14:04:18
None
  1. All you need to know! Food, fashion, travel tips for Memorial Day

    video Experts fill you in on last-minute travel, great summer fashions, tasty food and tips for planning the perfect Memorial Day party.

    5/25/2012 1:27:29 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T13:27:29
  2. Driving, playing: Tips to stay safe this weekend
  3. video Hitting the road? Gas prices down for holiday
None
  1. Nick Ut / AP

    video ‘Bittersweet’: Football star cleared of rape after years

    5/25/2012 11:50:32 AM +00:00 2012-05-25T11:50:32
None
  1. TODAY

    Jilted groom suing for $61K: ‘I tried to be a nice guy’

    5/25/2012 2:54:51 PM +00:00 2012-05-25T14:54:51