Jessica Simpson's father, Joe Simpson,
is hitting back at claims he is divorcing his wife of 34 years
because he is gay.
Simpson, a former pastor, is quoted by
celebrity site TMZ.com
as calling the allegations “ridiculous.”
Stating that the marriage “has become
insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities,”
Tina Simpson filed divorce papers in September in Texas.
The
National Enquirer reported that the alluded conflict is Joe
Simpson's sexual orientation. The supermarket tabloid quoted a
“family insider” as saying that Mr. Simpson announced he's gay
and having an affair with a 21-year-old male model named Bryce
Chandler Hill.
Other outlets have fanned the story,
quoting sources close to the family.
“Bryce is desperate to become famous,
he's done lots of modeling shoots and wants to become an actor,”
Radar Online quoted an unnamed source. “When he met Joe, he knew
what a good job he had done in managing Jessica and Ashlee's careers
and wanted a piece of the pie himself. But the sad thing is, he
mocks and laughs at Joe behind his back. He doesn't care for him in
the same way Joe does about him.”
Mr. Simpson is also Jessica's manager.
The pop star is worth an estimated $100 million. Her line of fashion
apparel, which includes everything from shoes to dresses, is
reportedly worth over a billion dollars.
Tina Simpson also played a key role
turning daughters Jessica and Ashlee into household names.