Celebrity

Joe and Tina Simpson File for Divorce While Rumors Circulate

"There is no third party involved," a rep for the family tells PEOPLE. "Any other related allegations are completely false"

Published on October 24, 2012 12:25 PM

Jessica Simpson‘s parents Tina and Joe Simpson have filed for divorce, a rep for the family tells PEOPLE. But that is where the headline-worthy news about the Simpson clan ends, says the rep.

Their statement to PEOPLE Wednesday came the same day that buzz built around a story in the National Enquirer reporting that Joe had come out to his family.

“It is an amicable split and there is no third party involved,” says the rep. “Any other related allegations are completely false. The family appreciates your respect for their privacy at this time.”

Tina, 52, filed for divorce in Texas last month, and cited “discord or conflict of personalities” as grounds in the court papers obtained by PEOPLE. She and 54-year-old Joe – a manager and former minister who is often referred to as “Papa Joe” – were married in Texas in 1978 and are also parents to Ashlee Simpson. They have two grandchildren between their daughters.

In Joe’s response to Tina’s divorce petition, he requests Tina not get anything in the split.

None of the Simpsons has spoken out further about the split – or the rumors.