Joe Simpson, aka Papa Joe, rose to prominence on her daughters’ reality shows Newlyweds and The Ashlee Simpson Show. The Simpsons recently celebrated Joe’s 65th birthday, with Jessica, Joe’s eldest daughter, posting photos of the festivities on Instagram.
Strong indicators suggest that Joe Simpson is gay or a member of the queer community
Joe Simpson’s sexuality is unclear, but strong rumors suggest he is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Jessica supposedly confirms that Joe is queer in her memoir Open Book. She writes that after her parents’ divorce, Joe surprised her by inviting a male model to her 2014 wedding as his plus one. Jessica wrote:
“My father called me three days before we left for the wedding to tell me he was bringing his friend Jonathan, a young model he often shot for his new photography business. ‘He wasn’t on the list,’ I said. There was a pause. I reminded myself that I needed to accept my father for who he was as he worked it out in real-time.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jessica refused to answer questions about Joe’s sexuality. “That’s not something we talk about,” Jessica said. “That’s not my story to tell.”
Joe denied that he cheated on his wife with a male model
In Open Book, Jessica writes that it was painfully clear that after 34 years of marriage, Joe and her mom Tina had fallen out of love. She notes that shortly after the couple’s anniversary, Tina discovered that Joe had ‘betrayed’ the marriage.
“In August [2012], my mother discovered that my father had betrayed their marriage, just as she and I thought things were turning around for them,” Jessica writes. Joe told Jessica that he hadn’t cheated.
In October 2012, Radar Online reported that Joe had cheated on Tina with Bryce Chandler Hill, a male model 33 years his junior. The report supported rumors that Tina had filed for divorce after Joe came out as gay.
“Joe Simpson being outed by the National Enquirer was no surprise to the gay community in Hollywood; Bryce has been bragging about hooking up with Joe for a while now,” a source told the outlet. The insider added Jessica had no idea Joe was gay:
“Jessica had absolutely no clue that her father was gay, not even the slightest inkling. She thinks she has very good gaydar, especially since a lot of her friends are gay, but she did not see this coming at all.”
“Yes, I’ve read the story… it’s simply NOT TRUE,” Joe tweeted. After the finalization of the divorce, a rep for the family stated the split was amicable and didn’t involve a third party. “Any other related allegations are completely false,” the representative said.
Joe has persistently denied dating being gay. After tabloids linked him to Jonathan Keith, the model he took to Jessica’s wedding, he tweeted: “More mis-information in the news. The guy in the pics is my modeling Client. He was in Miami taking agency meetings. That’s it!!”