Month: January 2026

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As you very likely know by now, Jessica Simpson is single.

The singer and former football player Eric Johnson split last January after a decade of marriage.

But the question these days on the minds of plenty of observers goes something like this:

Is Jessica Simpson single… and ready to mingle… as the lead of The Bachelorette?!?

After separating from Johnson just about a year ago, there’s been some chatter around the Internet that Simpson was in negotiations to join the ABC franchise.

It’s not entirely clear why, of course.

Because Simpson seemingly hasn’t dated anyone since and did star a long time ago on the MTV reality show Newlyweds with Nick Lachey?

Maybe? We guess?

Either way, TMZ caught up to Simpson outside of the airport in Los Angeles this week and asked if she had any interest in being The Bachelorette.

“I have options, I’m good,” the singer replied.

So there we have it.

To their credit, considering they are the parents of three young children, Simpson and Johnson continue to spend a lot of time together.

They took a family vacation together in August, months after Jessica issued a statement that read as follows:

“Eric and I have been living separately, navigating a painful situation in our marriage. 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.”

As for The Bachelorette? ABC does seem to be headed into a more famous direction with its leads.

The network announced in September that Taylor Frankie Paul from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives will head up the show’s next season.

Here is now ABC teased the new Bachelorette in a press release at that time:

“The 31-year-old Utah native is ready to trade headline-making heartbreak for hometown dates as she begins making her mark on Bachelor Nation.

[Taylor] is the breakout star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, captivating millions with her raw, unapologetic storytelling. Off-screen, she’s a TikTok powerhouse whose comedic, heartwarming and bitingly honest content has earned her a massive following.

As a single mother of three, [Taylor] shares the highs and lows of her life with unfiltered candor. With humor, resilience and a fearless openness, she inspires others to embrace life’s chaos and own their story.

Jessica Simpson as The Bachelorette?!? The Singer Responds! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip

Reading Time: 4 minutes

High School Musical 3‘s most notorious actor is becoming even more notorious.

Failed actor Matt Prokop was arrested a couple of years ago for domestic violence. This was not his first allegation.

Just weeks ago, the now 35-year-old man was arrested again.

He is now facing “child pornography” charges for allegedly possessing child sex-abuse material.

On December 24, authorities in Victoria, Texas arrested Prokop.

The former actor, who has not worked in the industry for over a decade, was arrested for violating bond conditions and for evading and resisting arrest. (We’ll explain that shortly)

On December 31, authorities added an additional charge: possession or promotion of child pornography.

He is now facing two felonies and four misdemeanor charges.

As of January 10 of 2026, he was still in custody at the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office Jail. His bail is set at $117,500.

We do not have many details on the case.

It is unclear whether authorities discovered the alleged child sexual abuse material (CSAM) upon his arrest, or if there was a separate investigation.

In May of 2024, authorities arrested Prokop for aggravated assault against his girlfriend. (Some reports say that this was assault with a deadly weapon)

This stemmed from a public incident in Victoria. (Anecdotally, when violence is taking place in public, it usually means that the abuse is so frequent in private that the abuser briefly forgot to hide their true nature)

This is the crime for which Prokop allegedly violated his bond conditions.

Matt Prokop (Sarah Hyland of Modern Family abusive ex) arrested for assault and CSAM.

So unsurprising.

[image or embed]

— AskAubry 🦝 🐆 (@askaubry.com) January 10, 2026 at 9:24 AM

The 2024 arrest was not Prokop’s first time with accusations of domestic violence.

After leaving his hometown of Victoria for Los Angeles to pursue acting as a teenager, he dated Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland for almost four years.

During that time, he participated in most of his acting projects — appearing on Modern Family and taking on a producer role in Hyland’s (who was more famous and successful) different jobs.

In August 2024, Hyland broke up with him — with one of her co-stars present to support her and for her safety — and filed a domestic violence restraining order.

The world soon heard horror stories about Prokop’s alleged abuse of Hyland throughout their relationship.

Prokop appeared in High School Musical 3.

Beyond that, he is best known for two things: for having dated Hyland, and for having allegedly abused her.

He has not worked in the entertainment industry since her allegations went public.

In fact, due to her (now permanent) restraining order, he did not attend the premiere of their final project together.

It looks like he has moved back to his hometown, having ruined a once-promising career. But his legal records do not seem to indicate that things have changed.

Are domestic violence and CSAM a surprising combo?

To many people, it may not seem intuitive to link crimes like possessing CSAM, for which he is now facing charges, and domestic violence.

Our society often teaches us to imagine one as being about a sick attraction and the other as being about anger.

The truth is that many people have desires that would be evil to act upon (not limited to CSA), and many people feel incredible anger — even at their loved ones.

It takes a lack of care about other people and their rights to make these feelings into someone else’s problem. It takes a lack of moral clarity for your desires, your impulses, to include a victim.

In that sense, no, it’s not a surprise that someone notorious for alleged domestic violence to face charges for alleged CSAM possession. These evils are like two peas in a pod.

Matt Prokop Arrested in Texas, Charged with Child Pornography Possession (And More) was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

​The Hollywood Gossip