Simpson & Mayer: A Publicity Affair?

On two different TV shows that aired Monday, musicians John Mayer and Jessica Simpson cryptically addressed recent reports of a supposed relationship between them. Were they ever really dating? The answer is still not crystal clear.

"I'm not going to sit here and bite my nails because someone says that I might possibly could have gone on a date with a beautiful blonde girl, if that's my worst problem," Mayer joked in an interview with "Access Hollywood." "I'm just on some level so disinterested in my rich famous problems."

Both People and Us Weekly magazines recently reported that a relationship was blooming between the two. People's cover said of Simpson: "I'm in love!" The random coupling sparked rumors that it was all a publicity stunt created to fuel talk about the singers who both had albums coming out.

Mayer admitted to co-anchor Nancy O'Dell that it was hard to ignore the magazine stories.

"It would be odd for me to not recognize that this thing does exist on magazine covers and in the air, but the problem is I can't really shine any light on it because it really has nothing to do with me," he said. "I want to acknowledge that there's two separate things happening; there's the home life that I defend as a guy who's just here to play music. You don't see me on red carpets. I don't go to red carpets."

Mayer said the red carpet scene takes away from his music and he hoped the music would speak for itself. When O'Dell said that he might sell more albums because of the recent publicity, he said, "In my mind, that's cheating."

Earlier in the afternoon, Simpson told Ellen DeGeneres that she longs to be in love. "I wish I was in love. I need to be in love," she said.

Apparently it ain't easy being a blonde bombshell these days: Simpson alluded to the fact that men have been scared away from her recently. "I think I am too hard to be in love with. It ends up on the cover of every magazine. I scare people away," she told DeGeneres. "It's a lot. I am a lot to take on."

Last week, "View" co-host Rosie O'Donnell got a straight answer from the star when she asked point blank if she was seeing Mayer. "I'm actually not dating John Mayer. But he's my friend," she said. "I've known him for a couple of years."

So, was it all a stunt? Or were they dating but Mayer got cold feet? The only thing that's for sure is that the chatter didn't secure a home run for Simpson's new album. "A Public Affair" had been considered a sure #1 hit but instead it debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200. The jury is still out on Mayer's new album "Continuum," it hits stores on Tuesday.
By Amy Bonawitz