An Instagram promotion for a home decor store doesn't sound like it has the potential to be particularly controversial, but a new ad for Pottery Barn starring Jessica Simpson got a lot of people talking. On Nov. 3, Simpson posted a video in collaboration with the store in which she showed off her daughter Birdie Johnson's bedroom. While fans didn't take issue with the content of the clip, many did leave comments about Simpson's appearance and voice, which range from concern to judgment to assumptions about her life and health.
Now, Simpson has responded at length to what she calls the "opinionated hate" she received on the video. Read on to find out why fans were disturbed by the clip and what the singer had to say in her own defense.
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Fans commented on Simpson's behavior in the Instagram ad.
Simpson's video in collaboration with Pottery Barn about her three-year-old daughter's bedroom was posted Nov. 3. In the short clip, she talks about decorating with products by the brand and says she was "drawn to the geometric prints and the color scheme" for her child's space.
But it wasn't the look of the room that commenters wanted to discuss. Instead, many replies brought up Simpson's appearance, as well as the sound of her voice. Comments reading "Is she ok?" "Please tell me I'm not the only one that hears her voice being totally slow...is she ok?!?!" and "Wooaa… 😳😳😳😳 blink twice if you need help jess 😖😖" have over a thousand likes.
Other comments read, "Something is wrong here," "Omg. 😳 She does not look well. Her eyes are so sunken. Something is not right," "Is she on drugs? Slurred speech..." and "Wtf happened to her face. She can barely speak. Shame."
Some fans insisted they were commenting out of concern, not criticism.
© Jessica Simpson, Pottery Barn Kids / InstagramWhile some of the comments are more judgmental than others, many fans said that they were commenting out of worry for the star. Others pointed out that commenting on Simpson's appearance or weight wasn't helpful.
"I think the comments are pure concern, not hating," wrote one fan. Another said, "I don't see anyone judging. I see concerned fans." Someone else added, "If she does have an eating disorder it’s not her fault so these comments are not helpful being ridiculed over her weight gain after her pregnancies 😢." Another fan wrote, "Can we normalize NOT talking about other people’s bodies/faces/appearances? She’s criticized no matter what she does."
Simpson spoke up for herself in a response video.
On Nov. 6, Simpson posted a video of herself singing her song "Party of One." Lyrics include: "Look in the mirror / Straight in my eyes / Tell myself I'm not broken / Just 'cause I cry" and "I am more than my body / More than my wealth / I am more than these demons / Holding me down."
Alongside the video, she wrote a long caption in which she addressed hateful comments. "I needed to be in my studio today because this is where I ground myself and heal," she wrote. "As much as I have learned to block out destructive noise…peoples’ comments and judgements can still hurt deeply with their incessant nagging 'you will never be good enough.'"
She confirmed her continued sobriety.
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockSimpson also wrote about how her sobriety puts experiences like this one into perspective.
"The most important thing I have learned through the last 5yrs without alcohol being a guard for escapism, is that I CAN and ALWAYS WILL get through it," the "Irresistible" singer wrote. "I am capable of pretty much anything I care enough about to put my mind to. I am present. I am deeply inspired. I am determined. I am honest. I care about other people. After grounding myself just now with my voice and the lyrics across my heart, I feel compassion for the opinionated hate that some people can so effortlessly just blurt out with such intensity on social media or in the media in general."
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She's dealt with plenty of hate in the past.
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockConfronting negative comments and media coverage is nothing new for Simpson—she's been dealing with it her entire career. In her 2020 memoir Open Book, Simpson wrote about being shamed for her body and how hard she was on herself because of it in the past.
In an interview with People about the book in 2021, she said something similar to her new Instagram post: that today she's better equipped to deal with insecurities. "I spent so many years beating myself up for an unrealistic body standard that made me feel like a failure all of the time," she said. "I am still a work in progress when it comes to self-criticism but now I have the tools to quiet those voices in my head when they speak up."
She offered some advice.
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesAt the end of her Nov. 6 Instagram post, Simpson imparted some wisdom to anyone reading it.
"A little advice…live inside your dreams and move through them," she wrote. "Don’t give up on yourself because someone else did. Stay true to YOU. It has worked for me in this chaotic life thus far. Nothin’ and nobody will rob me of my joy. Ya might come close but it is mine to own. Yours should be too."
