On a day typically reserved for honoring fatherhood, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter India.Arie used her platform to address a deeply painful chapter in her life.
In a revealing Instagram post on Sunday, June 15, the 49-year-old artist said Father’s Day is not a celebration in her household—and revealed why.
In the post, India.Arie invited her fans to hear from her mother, Joyce Simpson, who spoke publicly for the first time in 45 years about what she alleges was decades of physical and sexual abuse by India.Arie’s father, Ralph Simpson, a former professional basketball player who played in both the ABA and NBA during the 1970s.
“The family curse stops here on this Father’s Day,” Joyce declared in a voice recording shared on India.Arie’s Substack.
I’ve Kept This Secret for Over 45 Years
Joyce Simpson’s voice trembled with decades of held-back pain as she described the alleged abuse she experienced during her marriage and the suffering she says her children, including India.Arie and son J’On Simpson, endured.
“I stayed quiet,” she said. “I still allowed you to publicly be the father that you appeared to be and not the sick father that you are.”
Joyce emphasized that the man in question is not Ralph Simpson of the Houston Rockets, but her ex-husband Ralph Simpson, who played in the ABA and NBA from 1970 to 1980. She described him as abusive and manipulative, stating that he physically assaulted her, sexually abused her, and even raped her under the false belief that marriage nullified consent. More heartbreakingly, she alleged that he sexually assaulted their daughter India as well.
“Get It Together” Was a Cry for Help
India.Arie, known for soulful hits like “Video” and “I Am Not My Hair,” has long channeled pain into art. Joyce reflected on how the 2002 track “Get It Together” offered subtle glimpses into India’s private trauma.
“I watched her cancel some of her tour dates because she needed to receive medical care. She just struggled,” Joyce said, adding that she often watched India before and after concerts, knowing the pain she carried onstage.
Last year, India.Arie canceled shows and paused touring, citing a need to focus on mental health and healing—a move that takes on deeper meaning in light of these revelations.
A Mother’s Love and a Daughter’s Wisdom
Despite her anguish, Joyce credited her daughter’s emotional insight with preventing her from potentially taking fatal revenge on her ex-husband.
“India, with her infinite wisdom, talked me out of ending his life,” Joyce said. “She said, ‘Mom, if you do that, then you’ll be gone forever too.’”
While she acknowledged that full forgiveness was not possible, Joyce said she is praying for Ralph, stating, “I don’t want to see anybody suffer. Not even you.”
In a final, poignant message, Joyce added:
“We all just want to be okay. The family curse stops here.”
India.Arie affirmed in her post that she is not struggling today—only determined to speak truth, support her mother’s healing, and continue breaking generational cycles.
