While Jessica Simpson came off as cool during her American Idol season 23 finale performance, she was actually a bundle of nerves on the inside.
“Oh, my God, I was dying,” Simpson, 44, quipped in an interview with Extra published Monday, May 19. “I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been that nervous. Like, I had to put hairspray on my feet to stand still, like, not that it actually keeps me put, but, like, my feet were sweating. I’m like, ‘My feet don’t sweat.’”
She added, “I just kept telling myself, ‘Do not cry. Do not cry. I know this is a big moment … do not cry.’ And then I see my dad [Joe Simpson], like, up in the corner and I’m like, ‘Ah, I’m going to cry. I’m going to cry. Do not cry. Just sing your songs. Just sing your songs.’”
Jessica took to the stage during American Idol’s Sunday, May 18, finale to perform her new song “Blame Me” and her version of Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.’” She was joined by contestant Josh King, who was eliminated earlier in the season after a performance of the former song.
Host Ryan Seacrest noted that the performance marked Jessica’s first TV appearance in 15 years.
“That’s a really long time, and, like, the last time was a Christmas song, so that’s easy,” Simpson told Extra after the episode. “So, this is my new EP Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1, I mean, Pt. 2 comes in the summer, but it is so much a part of my soul, and so to sing a song off of that I felt naked, to be honest, like, it was very bare and raw and very vulnerable.”
In addition to receiving applause from the show’s live audience, Jessica also got support from her kids back at home. “I had my kids FaceTiming everybody to tell me I did a good job,” she shared. “And I haven’t gotten to talk to them yet, but I’m so excited to talk to them because they’ve never seen me sing live like that.”
Jessica shares Maxwell, 13, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 6, with her estranged husband, Eric Johnson. After sparking split rumors in late 2024, the pair officially announced in January that they were separating after 10 years of marriage. The two have not filed for divorce.
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” she said in a January 13 statement to Us Weekly. “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.”
Despite their split, Jessica praised Johnson, 45, for supporting her return to music in a February interview with The Cut. “It is a gift. Eric supported that gift. My kids supported that gift,” she gushed.
A source exclusively told Us earlier this month that the exes “are getting along well and everyone seems to be very happy,” adding, “They talk and see each other all the time and have decided that no matter what happens, they will get along for the kids.”
Jessica released her Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 EP in March and performed on stage for the first time in 15 years at the Recording Academy’s Austin Chapter Block Party during SXSW in Austin, Texas, that same month.
