Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Spotted Without Ring as Source Says They're Living 'Separate Lives' (Exclusive)

Jessica Simpson's husband Eric Johnson has been spotted without his ring as a source tells PEOPLE the pair has been spending time apart.

Johnson, 45, was photographed walking in Los Angeles sans wedding band on Tuesday, Nov. 12 amid rumors of a rift in his marriage to Simpson, 44, who's preparing to release new music about 16 years after her last original studio album.

"She's working on music and splits her time between Los Angeles and Nashville. Eric spends all of his time in L.A., where the kids go to school," the source tells PEOPLE. "Jess and Eric very much live separate lives."

Over the last several weeks, speculation about the state of their relationship grew after fans noticed Jessica hasn't been wearing her wedding ring for many months.

"Hasn’t posted a pic of her husband in a year," one social media user wrote on Sept. 23. Another social media user added, "She reminds me of a newly single girl in her latest posts 🤷🏻‍♀️"

A different fan noticed she wasn't wearing a wedding ring: "Where is the wedding ring ???
Ugh dang it. Another one bites the dust 😢"

Jessica's last Instagram feed post with the former NFL player was from September 2023, when she wished him a happy 44th birthday.

"Eric turned 44 on Sept 15 and his family gave him all the love cells we have to celebrate his life. My heart is so taken with this Man, I could hardly call it my own…. We love youuuu," she wrote. "(he ain’t an Instagram guy, but I always think the more good wishes the better 😜)"

She also posted him on her Instagram Stories in March for their daughter Birdie's 5th birthday, when they treated her to a day out at Disneyland. They were joined on the trip by Simpson's family, including her dad Joe, mom Tina and sister Ashlee Simpson. Jessica and Johnson's two elder kids, Maxwell, 12, and Ace, 11, were also there along with other family members.

On Monday, Nov. 11, Jessica teased her musical "comeback" by sharing photos of herself in a recording studio to Instagram with a cryptic caption.

"Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic," she wrote alongside the post.

Jessica continued: "This comeback is personal. It’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve."

On Monday, Nov. 11, Ashlee shut down speculation around her sister's marriage when TMZ asked the "Pieces of Me" singer, 40, to address rumors that it was on the rocks. and she responded with a simple, direct answer.

"Ashlee, fans are speculating that Jessica might be looking to get a divorce from her recent Instagram post," said reporters in a clip shared by the outlet. "Do you know anything about it? Is it true? Do you know?"

"No," she bluntly told TMZ while walking with her husband, Evan Ross, though it's unclear which question she was answering.

Jessica married Johnson in July 2014. They first met through a mutual friend in 2010 and were engaged after six months of dating.

When they tied the knot in Montecito, Calif., their kids Maxwell and Ace served as the flower girl and the ring bearer, respectively.

"A true love will never make you question yourself or what's real," Jessica told PEOPLE in 2023. "Thanks to my amazing soulmate I am able to love passionately and without fear of being hurt."

At the time, she also revealed about how he "embraces" her career — and taught her she was worthy of being loved.

"I don't find it hard to love anybody, but I have always thought that I was hard to love, that I was too much for people, or my schedule was too demanding," she shared.

Jessica added, "He knows my heart and understands my heart more than anyone I've ever met in my life. I knew the instant we met that I could see my future in his eyes and with a lot of people, I hope for a future in their eyes, but with Eric, I saw it."