Articles by Christina Dugan Ramirez

Technology

Jessica Simpson details the dark side of alcohol that nearly derailed her dreams

Jessica Simpson is reflecting on eight years of sobriety. On Saturday, the 45-year-old pop star took to social media to celebrate the milestone while sharing the dark side of alcoholism that nearly "blocked" her from chasing her dreams. "8 years ago today I made the choice to confront, to confess and to let go of the self sabotaging parts of my life that I was choosing," she wrote on Instagram, alongside a selfie. "Making that decision allowed me to fully live in the pursuit of Gods purpose for my life." JESSICA SIMPSON SUGGESTS ‘MISTAKES’ WERE MADE BY ESTRANGED HUSBAND IN CANDID COMMENTS ABOUT DIVORCE "Alcohol silenced my intuition, blocked my dreams and chased my circulating fears of complacency," she continued. "Today I am clear. Today I am driven by faith. Both fear and faith are something that we feel and may not see. I’m so happy I chose faith over fear. It was not in the fight that I found my strength, it was in the surrender." APP USERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW POST View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson) In an interview with The Cut earlier this year, Simpson opened up about the positive impact her sobriety has had on her personal and professional life, and shares why she was "a little afraid" of herself while drinking alcohol. "Around 2016, '17, I was writing out here in Los Angeles with some of the biggest hitmakers. I have songs from those times that I never released because they just didn't feel like me," she said. "Every time I would write, I was a little afraid of myself. It was almost too much, especially because I was drinking at the time." "But once I gave up the alcohol, the fears just diminished. They went away. And it was so much easier for me to access myself artistically," she continued. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "I overthought it when I drank," she added. "Making this record wasn't about having a hit. It was just about having a vibe. There's really not a lot of that in Los Angeles right now. It's formulaic. I wanted to break that mold for myself personally. I don't care if anything's a hit. I'm not with a record label. I don't expect it to even be on the radio." Simpson has been open about her journey of self-discovery — especially since her split from ex-husband Eric Johnson. Simpson revealed she had separated from Johnson after 10 years of marriage in January. At the time, she shared that the couple "have been living separately" but did not reveal any details on the timeline of her split from Johnson. "Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage," Simpson said in a statement to People magazine. "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." CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP In 2023, Simpson took to social media to celebrate her six-year sobriety anniversary. The original post featured a photo of Simpson taken on Nov. 1, 2017, the day she decided to get sober — she's said that her last time drinking was on Halloween night of that year. "This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself. I had so much self-discovery to unlock and explore," Simpson captioned the original post. "I knew in this very moment I would allow myself to take back my light, show victory over my internal battle of self-respect, and brave this world with piercing clarity," she continued. "Personally, to do this I needed to stop drinking alcohol because it kept my mind and heart circling in the same direction and quite honestly I was exhausted." "I wanted to feel the pain so I could carry it like a badge of honor," she continued. "I wanted to live as a leader does and break cycles to advance forward- never looking back with regret and remorse over any choice I have made and would make for the rest of my time here within this beautiful world." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER "There is so much stigma around the word alcoholism or the label of an alcoholic. The real work that needed to be done in my life was to actually accept failure, pain, brokenness, and self sabotage," she added. "The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was. I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do."

Technology

Demi Moore says Tom Cruise felt 'awkward' and 'embarrassed' about her pregnancy on set of 'A Few Good Men'

Demi Moore is recalling her experience working with Tom Cruise while eight months pregnant in the early '90s. During a Q&A at the New Yorker Festival on Saturday, the actress said Cruise was "embarrassed" about her pregnancy while the pair prepared for the 1992 legal drama, "A Few Good Men." "I think Tom was quite embarrassed," Moore, who was pregnant at the time with her second child, Scout Willis, said, per People. "I actually felt OK about it. I was moving around, though, right? But I could tell he felt that it was a bit awkward." The "Substance" star — who also shares daughters Rumer Willis and Tallulah Willis with ex-husband Bruce Willis — said she felt Cruise's discomfort may have stemmed from the ongoing pressure set upon women to choose a family or a career at the time. DEMI MOORE SAYS FAME PUT HER 'THROUGH THE WRINGER' "It’s one of the many things, for me, that I just felt didn’t make sense," she said of the societal pressure she felt. "And so I challenged that to say, you know, ‘Why not? Why can’t you have both?’ But with that, I think, came a lot of pressure I put on myself to, in a sense, prove that it was possible." "I was going to be in a military uniform, and probably overly anticipated and started working out and trying to get in shape even before she was born," Moore said of preparing for her role as a lawyer in the Navy’s Internal Affairs Department. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP "I did a two-and-a-half-hour hike the day my water broke. I did a 24-mile bike ride, and then was dancing at a reggae club — hence why she came two-and-a-half weeks early," she added. A representative for Cruise did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Earlier this year, Moore opened up about the downfalls of fame, explained how it has put her "through the wringer" and revealed how she's been able to evolve into the person she is today. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER "It’s put me through the wringer," the Golden Globe Award-winning actress told People in April. "Not unlike what ‘The Substance’ [her 2024 horror film] is and why they made the character an actor. Because it really forced me to address my issues of self-judgment and lack of appreciation." While the mom of three has been candid about her past struggles – including a tumultuous relationship with her mom, marriage woes, body image challenges and alcoholism – she's noticed a shift in mindset these days. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "I did torture myself. Crazy things like biking from Malibu all the way to Paramount, which is about 26 miles. All because I placed so much value on what my outsides looked like," she admitted. "I think the biggest difference today is it’s so much more about my overall health and longevity and quality of life. I think I’ve evolved into greater gentility toward myself. I was so harsh and had a much more antagonistic relationship with my body. And straight up I was really just punishing myself." "Now I have a much more kind of intuitive, relaxed relationship with my body," Moore continued. "I trust when it tells me it needs something to eat, that it’s thirsty. I listen to my body today, and I have a lot less fear. When I was younger, I felt like my body was betraying me. And so I just tried to control it. And now I don’t operate from that place. It’s a much more aligned relationship." "I have a greater appreciation for all that my body has been through that brought me to now," she added. "It doesn’t mean that sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t go, ‘Oh God, I look old,’ or ‘Oh, my face is falling’ – I do. But I can accept that that’s where I’m at today, and I know the difference today is that it doesn’t define my value or who I am."