Jessica Simpson had a pointed message for her critics as she surprised fans with a performance at the Luck Reunion 2025 festival in Spicewood, Texas, on Thursday.
The 44-year-old I Wanna Love You Forever singer, who has been making a return to music, flashed a double middle finger to the audience during her set. The gesture, however, seemed lighthearted, as she grinned while making it.
The star — who recently confirmed her separation from husband Eric Johnson — stunned in a cheetah-print dress with a white lace shrug, accessorizing with turquoise jewelry.
It has been an eventful few days for Simpson. On Wednesday, she took the stage at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, marking her first live performance in 15 years.
At Luck Reunion, Simpson delivered a high-energy set, despite recent concerns from fans about her speech. Attendees captured videos of her performing her 2003 hit With You and her 2005 rendition of These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.
She added a personal touch to her performance, draping a silky pink scarf over her microphone stand while her drummer played a vibrant red drum set. She was joined by two backup singers and a bass player, keeping a white Stanley tumbler close by for hydration.
Earlier at SXSW, Simpson performed a mix of her biggest hits and tracks from her upcoming EP, Nashville Canyon Part 1. Her set at the Recording Academy’s Austin Chapter Block Party came just two months after announcing her split from Johnson, following a decade of marriage and three children together.
Her new music has sparked speculation about the reasons behind their separation. While Simpson has not confirmed the rumors, lyrics from her song Breadcrumbs hint at possible infidelity, with the line, “Remember who you are, forget who they told you to be.”
The singer also performed Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Were Made for Walkin’, a nod to her role in The Dukes of Hazzard and her 2005 cover of the song for the film.
Before taking the SXSW stage, she shared a video on her Instagram Stories, saying, “Hey everybody, it’s Jessica Simpson. I’m here at South By Southwest and about to take the stage for the first time in 15 years. I’m very excited. I’m blessed to be here. I think it’s going to go good. I hope.”
She later reshared snippets of her performance, which included her rendition of Dusty Springfield’s Son of a Preacher Man.
Between songs, Simpson got candid with the audience, sharing, “I was just kind of, I don’t know — a byproduct of pop stars. But this time, I needed to remember who I was and why I wanted to sing in the first place.”
For her performance, she flaunted her toned figure in a low-cut brown top and matching skirt, layered with a fringed cream suede jacket.
Her comeback performances come just a week before the release of her new EP, Nashville Canyon Part 1, set for March 21. Simpson’s last album was Happy Christmas in 2010, following previous albums Sweet Kisses (1999), Irresistible (2001), In This Skin (2003), ReJoyce: The Christmas Album (2004), A Public Affair (2006), and Do You Know (2008).
Her latest track Leave, released this month, has fueled speculation about her marriage, with lyrics suggesting betrayal: “What we had was magic/Now you’ve made it tragic/Giving her what you gave me/Now the well that you drank is empty.”
In January, Simpson confirmed the split in a statement to People, saying, “Eric and I have been living separately, navigating a painful situation in our marriage. Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.”
Hints of trouble surfaced months prior, with Eric seen without his wedding ring in November 2024. Simpson also alluded to personal struggles in an Instagram post, writing, “Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic. This comeback is personal. It’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything that I did not deserve.”
Simpson and Johnson met through a mutual friend in 2010, marrying four years later in July 2014. They share three children: daughter Maxwell Drew, 12, son Ace Knute, 11, and daughter Birdie Mae, 5.
