Jessica Simpson gave birth yesterday. To a little boy, which we knew already. Jessica announced she was having a boy months ago, and sources kept claiming that she and Eric Johnson had already picked out their perfect boy’s name: ACE. Ace Johnson. And that’s exactly what happened, only it’s so much worse once you know the kid’s middle name. Ace… Knute… Johnson. Pronounce it with the “K”. Ka-nute. Apparently, “Knute” is for Eric’s Swedish grandfather. The shenanigans are heavy with this one.
Maxwell’s baby brother has arrived! Jessica Simpson and fiance Eric Johnson have welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Ace Knute Johnson, her rep tells Us Weekly exclusively. Little Ace was born in Los Angeles via scheduled C-section on Sunday, June 30, the rep adds.
“Ace Knute (pronounced Ka-nute) Johnson has arrived! Mom and baby are doing great,” her rep tells Us. “Jessica, Eric and Maxwell are thrilled to welcome the new addition to their family.”
The singer, 32, and Johnson, 33, are already parents to daughter Maxwell, nearly 14 months. Us exclusively revealed in November 2012 that Simpson was pregnant again just seven months after Maxwell’s birth; Us also broke news in February that Simpson planned on naming her child “Ace.” (Ace’s middle name honors dad Eric’s Swedish paternal grandfather, Knute Johnson.)
In true Jessca fashion, the Fashion Star mentor accidentally confirmed the sex of her second baby-to-be to back in March. “The crazy thing is I never knew a wiener could make me nauseous,” she joked of her morning sickness. After realizing her mistake, Simpson added, “Well, I guess I just told the world that I’m having a boy!”
And gender wasn’t the only difference for pregnancy number two. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on March 7, Simpson shared that “this pregnancy is the complete opposite. Like with Maxwell, I felt amazing. Like I could do everything, eat everything. Do whatever I wanted. I had a lot of energy,” she recalled. “This time around . . . I’m like exhausted. Eating Tums. That’s my snack of choice.”
After about six months of dating, Simpson and Johnson, a Yale grad and former NFL player, got engaged in fall 2010, but were forced to postpone their nuptials twice due to her unexpected, back-to-back pregnancies. But a source recently told Us they’re hoping to (finally!) tie the knot soon.
At the Weight Watchers spokeswoman’s April 14 baby shower, she “was telling friends she wanted to get married a few months after the baby is born,” the source told Us. “Jessica said, ‘Let’s have this wedding already before I get pregnant with another one!'”
Well, congrats. It sounds like mother and baby are doing fine. I bet Ace Knute was a big baby, just like Maxwell Drew. And I hope that Jessica went on the pill (or whatever) two seconds after giving birth, because if she doesn’t do that, Eric is just going to impregnate her again. I also have to give Jessica some props for having a much healthier pregnancy this time around – she didn’t pack on the pounds like she did during her first pregnancy. That being said, I’m sure she’ll be in the gym as soon as possible because sources keep claiming that she wants to get married soon.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Gee, I thought Knute was for the polar bear. Oh well, congrats.
Knut/Knute is NOT pronounced Ka-nute.
/ the swede
I was just going to say that!
I thought the same thing!
I hate how, excuse the stereotype, Americans can’t be bothered to pronounce foreign names correctly. What’s up with that? I have never met one who actually tried to pronounce my name correctly (not the nickname)…and it’s not as if they don’t have the sounds needed in their language. And even if they did, they forgot several minutes later and called me Anne again.
I hate how, excuse the stereotype, Europeans and people from other countries are so quick to be judgmental about Americans not necessarily understanding the customs and words or names from their country. Consider this – maybe that particular name doesn’t occur frequently here and the person is making effort to say a certain name correctly, but just isn’t familiar with it. Or should people just acquire knowledge though osmosis and magically understand new things and words they are unfamiliar with? Your superiority complex is showing…
@ Lilo, you don’t get out much then, do you?
My last name is Italian and 9 letters long, and 50% of the people I meet pronounce it correctly. It is not a common last name. And if they can’t pronounce it? I correct them and let it go.
It never gets tiring to see yet another person paint all the millions of Americans as exactly the same. Don’t ask us to excuse the stereotype. You’re using it. It’s incorrect. Why would I excuse it?
I’m an American and have an unusual last name. I don’t hold it against anyone for not “trying” to get it correct– I mispronounced it, too, when I met my husband.
As for other cultures not trying– one of my best friends was from Venezuela. Her family never tried to say my name the correct way– they called me the Spanish version of my name.
It is what it is.
And, while we’re at it, kudos to them for using family names.
In that name, Ace is the horrible part. Knut is kinda cute.
Americans from Humboldt county are the best – you’ve gotta go there! Shout out to T and Sunshine 🙂
Both of my parents are Europeans, and on behalf of them I’d like to say how offensive this comment is. America has one of the most diverse populations in the world, so clearly it can’t be full of bigots who don’t bother to learn how to pronounce things.
And do you travel abroad much? Because I can tell you that my name has been mispronounced 5 or 6 different ways in different countries – far more than in America. At least most Americans will ask you if that’s the right way to pronounce something, and will apologize if they get it wrong.
I’m an American living in Canada now, but everytime I got a new job or was in college in states, everyone wanted to mispronounce my name. My name is pronounced onnn-dreee–ahhh not anndd–dree–ahh. I actually had a few people in the US say well around here, it is ALWAYS pronounced the way I do not pronounce it, as though , my folks should have known better or something. I actually also had people continue to mispronounce it and when corrected, act like I am being a bitch for trying to change them. I will say, thus far, in Canada, I only have had to correct people once at my new job and no one has given me grief about it. I don’t get why it is sooo hard for some people.
I had a summer job working as a receptionist in a hostel. My name is Marta ( with a rrrr). We had guests from all over, but only Americans insisted on calling me Martha, even when I corrected them. We had Canadian, Irish and English guests and none of them did that. They at least tried to pronounce it correctly. Most of the Americans were really lovely people, though, so it didn’t bother me that much.
I’m an American, living in the American South, in a tourist town. My name gets hosed all the time. I don’t give a shit. When I meet people in passing or through my job, I deeply don’t care if/when they pronounce my name wrong. I will probably never see them again, and if I do it is within the purview of my job. These people are not my mom. They don’t have to say my name they way I prefer. I’m not that special and neither are they. Jeez. It doesn’t matter.
This is how you pronounce it:
http://www.carla.umn.edu/lctl/VAVA/audio/norwegian/knut.wav
Don’t like the name, but it’s not that hard.
/ the german 😉
Hello other German 😉
My last name is Knuth.
Interesting middle name. I like it.
No one ever gets my last name correct. NEVER.
When you run it together with that pronunciation, it’s pretty cool actually. As for whether or not people say names the correct way here, I have run into multiple people with the same name, spelled the same way and pronounced differently. (ie-Andrea (after reading this site-3 pronunciations, Amy, Sonya). Don’t even get me started on spellings. So whatever.
It’s his grandfather’s name. I’m pretty certain his grandfather knows how to pronounce his own name and if he says the ‘k’ he says the ‘k’.
I think she’s referring to the ‘a’ added in Ka-nute, there is no ‘a’ in Knute, just a ‘hard’ K.
@Freya I think them saying “Ka-nute” is more of a way to help with pronunciation. Hard K sounds are typically given a Kuh or Kah/Ka phonetic longhand in English. They spell it Knute and added a way to help with pronunciation after it, so what?
Maybe that *is* the way his grandfather’s name is pronounced.
it is ka nute
I like both names, but NOT together.
PS) Knute is pronounced “Noot.” Like the famous football star, Knute Rockne. If they pronounce it correctly (which apparently they’re not), the baby’s name is two one-syllable names together, which never (or rarely) sounds very good.
Actually, Knute Rockne’s name is pronounced with a hard K.
I don’t know why, but I keep reading the name as Acne…..
Ace Knute?? Honestly, Blue Ivy kicks ass as a name compared to all these crappy names I keep hearing. Infact Blue Ivy sounds quite beautiful to me now, Jazzy.
Blue Ivy sounds like a longer singer and even though I don’t like the names Jessica picked Ace isn’t that bad it is the daughter who got the bad name. Now both of their children sound like boys Ace and Drew.
…….Drew is the middle name
I sort of like Blue Ivy! Is it pretentious? Ludicrously so? Hell yeah! But it sounds pretty, unlike so many other celeb names. Apple and Zuma are dreadful for example.
It sounds like a cheap cocktail. But, apparently they named her after a blue ivy tree they saw while on holiday in Hvar, Croatia. They get bonus points just because the name has something to do with Croatia 😀
Congrats !
I think it’s sweet that they included a grandfather in the name! And really it isn’t the worst celebrity baby name of the year that I’ve heard. Congrats to Jessica and Eric!
I actually like that she gives her kids names with meaning to her and her fiancé. It’s not like she’s pulling these names from thin air so I’m not going to ridicule her for it. It’s sweet.
Congrats to her and her family.
I agree. They are honoring family members and a cultural heritage. Not every kid can be named Henry and Jack and Michael.
I enjoyed Jessica so much years ago. Now, I always feel a little sorry for her. But she seems happy with her two children so I’m happy for her. Hope the relationship works out.
Why do you feel sorry for her? She has a supportive man who seems to adore her. There are rich men with women who are the supporters/helper and no one feels sorry for those men. Just because the typical roles are reversed, it doesnt mean he doesnt love her.
I don’t think it’s as stupid as North at least Ace is a name and has an actual meaning. Knute sounds like the polar bear. LOL North and Ace Knute can go on dates…Congrats to Jessica though she really has grown up since becoming a mum. Let’s hope she has gone on the pill or next year it will be baby number 3 and who knows what that one would be called. LOL
Glad the baby is healthy and Jessica is doing fine…
She named the baby after the grandfather and that has sentimental meaning.. Ridiculing a baby name really…
Anyway congrats to Jessica and Eric!!!!
Well, at least this is one celebrity pregnancy no one would ever accuse of being a pillow baby. Girl was authenically and unequivocally preggo!
Still a better name than Nori West. (my new standard for awful ‘celebrity’ name)
I think Nori West is an adorable name. It’s North West, lol, her formal name, that boggles the mind. Hey, Northwest, where are you heading? I can see the jokes now from classmates.
More than anything, I know prissy Kim Kardashian would never decide to not give her precious princess a middle name. I hate how she is so under the thumb of Kanye and gave her kid a name that Kanye didn’t want a middle name to interrupt. Gotta have that north west connected, no interruptions. What a joke on your daughter. Okay. I do think she stood up to him by saying, okay, North West, if she’s called Nori. I give her credit for that.
Kanye throws out your complete wardrobe. No problem, honey. I will dress exactly how you want. Kanye names your daughter. Whatever you want, babe. No middle name? No problem, Honey. North West, I love it. You’re brilliant, honey. Want to spend the whole pregnancy away from me for your art and privacy? No problem, honey. Just marry me so I get part of your fortune.
If only North was the middle name. Katherine North West. Kelly North West. Kaidence North West. The poor kid.
Jayna, Nori/ North….whatever. That is an AWFUL name. Equal shade to Kim and Kanye, respectively. But, just…that poor kid. 🙁
Snory West, lol, I always think of that! And ok Ace Knute is not the best combo ever, they could have also pronounce the second correctly, but none is horrible if used separately. 😉
Well, he envisions his son being a football player, so Ace works. I’m not a fan of Ace, but it’s their baby. She looked great during her pregnancy and it seemed to fly by.
I wish someone would ask what he does for a living.
I’m not a fan of the name Ace, it sounds like a nickname to me. I like the name Knute, I like when people choose names that have family meaning. I also thought naming her girl Maxwell made no sense but that’s a minor inconsequential opinion from me, they seem like a sweet family. Grats to them!
Grats on the birth of your future card shark.
Seriously though..not as bad as most
It’s not horrible and the knute is just a middle name that he probably won’t use often. Makes more sense then blue ivy, North West, Apple, etc. I still think her guy is sketchy. She may want to get married but I think she’s got a kfed on her hands.
I totally think he is sketchy, Seriously they have been engaged for 3 years so what the hell are they waiting for?
It’s not like they are still in college or have to save up the money for a wedding.
It seems to me that Jessica is in love with love and is more focused on the wedding then she is the commitment.
And I also believe he is only in it for the money.
JMO
I agree. I have been trying to figure out for the longest what he does for a living? I know he used to be a football player. Is he living off a trust fund or does anyone know?
Lol yes his trust fund is named Jessica
She’s not married because she was “forced to reschedule due to her pregnancies”. What BS. People who want to get married do get married. If she’s waiting for the perfect body to get married she may be engaged at their graduation.
I don’t know why…but the minute I heard the name Ace…I get a picture of little Maxwell trying to say her brothers name and it coming out “Ass”…
Let the Baby pic bidding begin, who will get more, Kim or Jessica. If that Royal baby comes soon then someone’s going to get left out of the limelight…..
I didn’t care for the name, but given it’s a family name I can appreciate it.
I like Jessica and if Eric Johnson graduated from Yale then he can’t be all dumb, his problem is going to be Jessica isn’t a s dumb as she plays so he’d better watch himself.
Congrats! From her comment about eating Tums in this pregnancy, I wonder if he was born with hair. It’s one of those ‘old wives tales’ about pregnancy that if the baby has hair, you have a lot of heartburn. My son was born with hair, and I had some fierce heartburn while carrying him. I was eating Tums like Tic Tacs 🙂
True in my case. Mild heartburn with my first, who had a little hair. Severe heartburn with my second, who had TONS of hair.
Why are we so quick to dismiss “old wives tales”? Who do you think were the midwives, herbalists and healers? Older women!
It was true for me with my second baby. Heartburn so bad I slept in a recliner for nearly the whole pregnancy. And when he was born he looked like Elvis! My first, I had no heartburn and he was bald until he was nearly 3! LOL
My two brothers and I all had thick heads of black hair at birth and my mother did not suffer from excessive heartburn in any of her pregnancies. My dad has a lot of hair and we all inherited it.
I have a feeling some kid in middle school is going to call him Nut Johnson. Which is…not good. I do like using family names though.
Ace is cute – for a nickname.
It sounds like a southern nickname like Bubba or Junior. People have the right to name their kid what they want, but it always irritates me when the father picks the name because he’s convinced his kid is going to be a sports star. Why doesn’t anyone name their kid convinced they’re going to be the president or a famous scientist?
I like the name. It’s not another generic name, and I am very happy about that.
This Scandinavian American would like to call shenanigans on you calling shenanigans on the middle name. Knute is an incredibly common Scandinavian name. It would be like a Swede pointing and laughing at someone named Joe.
Exactly. Living in MN I’ve known tons of people with the name Knute or as a last name (Knutson, Knutsen, Knudsen).
Does anyone else think this kid is going to be called ‘ass-nut’ growing up??
I love that they gave both of their kids family names and they seem genuinely happy together. I’m Jewish and we have a similar tradition, but instead of the actual name we use the first letter after a deceased loved one. I’m glad she kept the TMI to a minimum this time around!
Congratulations to Jessica and Eric. My only other contribution is that I went to high school with a guy named Knute (also a family name) so it’s not weird to me at all.
Ace is a nickname, not a name. God, this poor little boy. Then again, his sister is Maxwell and his cousin is Bronx.
And yet both Maxwell and Knute are family names and NOT a direction or a color or a fruit or city or a country so in my book, this little guy still won the name game! Even if his first name is a nickname.
I hate Maxwell as a girl’s name. Sorry. All I can think of is Maxwell Smart. It’s just an unattractive first name calling a girl Maxwell.
But it is far better than Apple, because lttle Maxwell can at least be known as Maxi, which is actually cute on a little girl (except the jokes in middle school that will hit her Maxipad).
If they didn’t shorten it and always called her Maxwell, I don’t know which is worse Maxwell or Apple. Well, Apple is one of the worst names of all time, because there’s no nickname possible. Appi?
Well, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. People would probably hate my kids’ names, which are unusual, but in NYC, that’s the norm. I hate when people name their kids things like Banjo, Peanut or Ace because it’s just plain mean to a person who won’t be a baby forever. Maxwell is sort of tolerable; IMO, Ace and Bronx are dumb names. Use them as MIDDLE names, if you want to be quirky.
Well I hate this name too. Hated her daughters name and I don’t like her son’s name any better. North West is certainly worse but that isn’t saying much.
Because I’m totally sure your POV on their child’s name matters to them. Get over yourself.
I am well aware they don’t care what I think but I am on a gossip site named celebitcy. You should get over yourself.
And I’m so sure your opinion on this comment matters, get over yourself MissM, this is CeleBITCHY.
It was a toss-up between Knute and Æthelred The Unmemorable, but that seemed a more suitable moniker for his papa.
You are freakin’ hilarious, Aethelred! Hah!
Maybe every time Jessica gets second thoughts about the boyfriend, he gets her pregnant and she drifts off into baby bliss
She will be in the gym soon for a bigger reason. She kind of breached her massive contract with Weight Watchers by getting pregnant four months after giving birth and in the midst of her campaign with them as spokesperson, so she’s still earning that huge multi-million-dollar deal with them. She has to take it back off for WW.
Ace Johnson. Well. I hope he goes by “Knute”, it doesn’t sound as silly.
I actually really like the name Ace- as a given name, not so much, especially given the reasoning behind it, but it’s not terrible. And I’m not one to comment on dumb baby names, considering the ones my father saddled me and my brothers with…
Knute makes me think of the polar bear.
I don’t understand why people get so upset over what other people name their children, or how you pronouce that name. Who cares!
If the parents say that is how you pronounce that kid’s name, THAT IS HOW YOU PRONOUNCE IT.
People all over the world have different sounds for the same letter. Get over it!
Yeah that’s great except you spend a lot of your life facing people that are reading your name and pronouncing it based on what they see. I have spent many hours of my life correcting people on how to pronounce my name. I have had people give me a hard time about it. I have had to defend my parents choice and it gets tiresome. When you name a person they have to deal with it for the rest of their lives and if it’s unusual and difficult to pronounce you end up having to explain it all the freakin’ time, over and over and over and people still don’t get it right.
I thought AYCE was the fashionable way to spell it.