Jessia Simpson was born in Abilene, Texas, on July 10, 1980. She is the first child of clergyman Joseph Simpson and homemaker Tina Ann Simpson (née Drew). In 1978, Simpson’s parents tied the knot; they parted ways in 2013. Although Simpson claims to have grown up in Waco and Dallas, her parents currently reside in McGregor, Texas. Ashley is Simpson’s younger sister.
Jessia Simpson
Before she entered her teens, she went to Amelia Middle School while her father conducted outreach in Cincinnati, Ohio. Twenty months later, she moved back to Texas and spent her teenage years attending J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson.
However, as her career took off, she had to abandon out in 1997. A year later, she completed her GED remotely from Texas Tech High School. Simpson was brought up in a Christian home, and at the age of twelve, her father presented her with a purity ring.
Because of her father’s work as a pastor, Jessica and her family moved around a lot, but they spent the majority of their time in Texas. They also spent a few years living in the Midwest.
As a child, she started participating in church choirs. At a religious retreat when she was eleven years old, she began to dream of being a successful singer. At the age of twelve, Simpson tried out for The Mickey Mouse Club. He won the audition with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” and a dance to “Ice Ice Baby” (1990).
After making it through multiple rounds, she joined performers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake as semi-finalists for the show. After watching Aguilera sing, Simpson said she was anxious for her last audition and that’s why she wasn’t chosen for the program.
After picking up her church choir again, Simpson was eventually noticed by the head of a Christian record label. Soon after she sang Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” (1973), he asked her to audition and signed her.
With Proclaim Records, she started recording her debut album, which she then toured to promote. Simpson’s father subsequently stated that her sizable breasts caused others to think she was too “sexual” for the genre, forcing her to stop touring. Soon after, Jessica was forwarded to a number of labels and producers, and Simpson attended multiple auditions.
She eventually attracted the attention of Tommy Mottola, the head of Columbia Records and, at the time, married Mariah Carey. Teresa LaBarbera Whites, a Columbia talent scout, asked him to sign her to the label, saying that “she had a great little look and attitude, a fresh face, and was a little different from Britney and all of that; she could really sing.
” It was in Orlando, Florida when Simpson started recording her first album. Mottola intended to position Simpson as a differentiator from the single Spears and Aguilera.
It was in Orlando, Florida when Simpson started recording her first album. Mottola intended to position Simpson as the antithesis of Spears and Aguilera, who had established lucrative careers by emphasizing dancing and sensuality.
Simpson appointed her father Joe as her manager while she worked on her musical debut, while her mother served as her stylist. In 1998, Simpson made the acquaintance of singer Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees during a Christmas party.
The two started dating, and Lachey later promised Simpson’s mother that he would one day wed Simpson. 1999–2001: Early music releases were successful.
Simpson during George W. Bush’s January 2001 inauguration
In 1998, Simpson started recording her first studio album. Unlike hugely successful artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Mottola wanted Simpson to project an image of “anti-sex appeal” while promoting the record.
He thought that by projecting this image, Simpson would become more “relatable” to listeners, which would boost sales. As a result of Mottola’s choice, Simpson declared her intention to abstain from alcohol till marriage. September 28 saw the release of “I Wanna Love You Forever” (1999), her debut song.
The song was popular throughout a number of territories; in the US, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song platinum after it sold more than one million copies nationwide.
The record was also somewhat successful in other areas, most notably in a few European nations.
Sweet Kisses (1999), Simpson’s first studio album, was released on November 23. In its first week of release, the album sold 65,000 copies and debuted at number 65 on the US Billboard 200 list.
The second single from the album, “Where You Are” (2000), which included Simpson’s boyfriend Nick Lachey, was released to promote the album. The third and last single from the album, “I Think I’m in Love with You” (2000), was successful in the US.
Sweet Kisses achieved a new peak of number twenty-five on the Billboard 200 in August 2000, thanks to the popularity of the album’s third song. The record achieved double platinum certification from the RIAA after selling more than two million copies in the US.
In 2000, Simpson joined her boyfriend’s band, 98 Degrees, on the Heat It Up Tour to promote Sweet Kisses. Beginning in 2000, she recorded more “radio-friendly” and lively songs for her second album.
In an attempt to emulate the success of musicians like Spears, Simpson and her record label decided to give her a more adult public persona while the album was being recorded. Simpson broke up with Lachey while working on the record in order to concentrate on advancing her own career; but, in September, the two got back together romantically.
Simpson clarified in a July 2001 interview with Coventry Newspapers, saying,
“I recorded [Sweet Kisses] when I was seventeen and I’m twenty-one [this month], so it’s involved four years of development.”
“Irresistible” (2001), the album’s title tune, was made available by Simpson as the lead single in April. Due to its sexual overtones, the song’s reception from critics was largely mixed, despite becoming her second top twenty success on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Irresistible (2001), Simpson’s second studio album, was released in May. In its first week of release, the album sold 127,000 copies in the US, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 chart.
Irresistible did not achieve the same level of popularity as her debut album, despite selling nearly twice as many copies in its first week as her previous release; the album was certified gold by the RIAA for 500,000 copies sold.
“A Little Bit” (2001), the second and last single from the album, wasn’t very successful. Simpson joined singers like Destiny’s Child and Nelly as a co-headliner on the Total Request Live Tour (2001) to promote the album.
After the September 11 attacks, Simpson quit the tour to start her own Dream chaser Tour (2001), for which she added backing dancers and choreography to her performances. However, the tour was called off.
2002–2005: Success increasing and marriage to Nick Lachey
In February 2002, Simpson made her engagement to Nick Lachey known, and on October 26, 2002, they were married in Austin, Texas. In 2002, Simpson started recording her third studio album. The lead song from the album,
“Sweetest Sin” (2003), explored the topic of Simpson losing her virginity to Lachey in its lyrics. The song’s commercial popularity was short-lived. Newlyweds is the product of Simpson’s father’s pitch to MTV regarding a reality show that would feature the pair.
The day Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica debuted, Simpson’s third studio album, In This Skin (2003), was released. The album was promoted by the television program. In its first week of release, In This Skin sold 64,000 copies, landing it at number ten on the Billboard 200. The first few tracks on the album were the lowest in Simpson’s career at the time.
After a rapid slide in the charts, In This Skin had sold slightly over 565,000 copies in the US by December 2003. As the second single from the album, Simpson dropped “With You” (2003) in October.
After receiving widespread radio broadcast, the song proved popular, peaking at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and at the top of the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Simpson made an appearance during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime performance.
In March 2004, she re-released In This Skin with new material that she had recorded.
Three million copies of “In This Skin” were sold in the US as a result of the reissue, which significantly increased album sales. From the re-release, the songs “Take My Breath Away” (2004) and “Angels” (2004) were both released.
Simpson and Lachey starred in the April episode of The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour on ABC, which also included cameos from Mr. T and Jewel. She and Randi Shinder introduced their Jessica Simpson Desserts by Jessica Simpson cosmetics brand that same month; every item in the collection was edible.
In June of 2004, Simpson set out on her financially successful North American Reality Tour, which ran until October.
Simpson and her spouse started doing cameos on The Ashlee Simpson Show at this period, documenting Jessica’s sister’s musical debut. November 23 saw the release of Simpson’s fourth studio album, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album (2004), a compilation of songs with a Christmas theme. After selling more than 500,000 copies, the album was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200.
Simpson also taped a sitcom pilot for ABC in 2004, however the show was passed down by the network. Simpson and Shinder introduced their Dessert Treats edible cosmetics brand in February 2005. It was akin to their previous range but aimed at a younger demographic. A series of litigation resulted in the cancellation of both lines.
In 2005, Simpson played “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the Indianapolis 500. In order to create the Princy and JS by Jessica Simpson clothing lines, Simpson first partnered with Tarrant Apparel Group to launch The Jessica Simpson Collection in 2005. The business has expanded over the years, and in 2014, it was estimated to have $1 billion in yearly sales.
In the 2005 film adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard, Simpson made her screen debut as Daisy Duke. Despite receiving mostly bad reviews from critics, the movie made over $111 million at box office globally.
In order to promote the movie, Simpson recorded the song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” (2005), which is titled and sampled from a Nancy Sinatra song. The song became one of Simpson’s most successful singles to date when it peaked at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Due to Simpson’s
“revealing” attire and her bikini-clad vehicle wash, the music video, which starred Simpson as Daisy Duke, generated controversy. Simpson and Lachey declared their separation in November 2005. Simpson claimed “irreconcilable differences” when he filed for divorce in December 2005. On June 30, 2006, their divorce was formalized and made public around the world.
Do You Know, A Public Affair, and more films from 2006 to 2009
In 2005, Simpson started recording her fifth studio album. She signed a new recording contract with Epic Records in March 2006, having previously parted ties with Columbia Records, the label she had worked with since the beginning of her career.
In 2006, Simpson and hairstylist Ken Pavés introduced a hair and beauty product brand on the Home Shopping Network. On June 29, Simpson released her brand-new track, “A Public Affair” (2006). After selling more than 500,000 copies in the US, the song was certified gold by the RIAA and went on to rank in the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100.
The day before her divorce from Lachey was officially formalized, the single—an optimistic breakup song—was released. Most famously, the song became the first to include two siblings in the iTunes Store’s top ten at the same time, appearing in the top ten alongside her sister’s 2006 single “Invisible.”
Simpson around June of 2008.
With 101,000 copies sold in its first week of release, her fifth studio album, A Public Affair (2006), opened at number five on the Billboard 200.Only available in the US, the album didn’t achieve the same level of success as In This Skin (2003).
The second and last single from the album, the empowerment hymn “I Belong to Me” (2006), was not a commercial hit. In October of 2006, Simpson acted with Dane Cook and Dax Shepard in the comedic picture Employee of the Month. The movie was poorly regarded by critics and was not a monetary success.
As an homage to Dolly Parton, Simpson sang a rendition of her 1980 classic “9 to 5” at the Kennedy Center Awards in December 2006. Simpson was given the opportunity to rehearse the song for the cameras, but her rendition was ultimately removed from the broadcast. She was also criticized harshly for forgetting the song’s lyrics during her performance.
Both Simpson’s second film and her fifth studio album underperformed, according to critics, while her sister Ashlee had a comparable drop in popularity.
Between August 2006 and May 2007, Simpson and singer-songwriter John Mayer had an intermittent relationship. In her memoir Open Book, published in 2020, Simpson talked about her relationship with Mayer long after they split up.
Simpson started dating Tony Romo, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, in November 2007. The relationship was controversial among Cowboys supporters, who held Simpson responsible for Romo’s subpar play in games following their breakup.
A few admirers called Simpson “Yoko Romo,” a nickname for Yoko Ono, who many Beatles fans believed was the reason for the band’s dissolution in 1970. Even former President George W. Bush made comments on the couple’s relationship, implying that Simpson was to blame for Romo’s underwhelming performances.
Simpson and Romo reportedly called it quits on their romance in July 2009. Simpson and Luke Wilson co-starred in the 2007 movie Blonde Ambition, which had a restricted theatrical run in Texas before being made available on home video.
This was during their relationship. Later, she played an actress who enlists in the military in the direct-to-video movie Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008).
When the movie was released, the public responded negatively to it in large numbers. In 2008, Simpson worked with Parlux Fragrances to introduce her debut fragrance, Fancy. In contrast to Private Valentine, the scent had a favorable market response.
After claiming to have grown up around country music, Simpson started work on her sixth studio album in 2007. Her father indicated that Simpson was experimenting with country music for the record and that she wanted to “give something back.” On June 20, she released the lead song from the project, “Come on Over” (2008).
The song made the highest debut for an artist’s first entry on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list when it debuted at number 41. September 9 marked the release of Do You Know (2008).In its first week of release, the project sold 65,000 copies and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart. As of 2012, the album had just over 200,000 copies sold in the US.
From January to March 2009, Simpson supported country music group Rascal Flatts on their Bob That Head Tour. Simpson’s effort to switch to country music was met with resistance.
Most famously, she was jeered by the audience after a Wisconsin Country Thunder Festival performance. Simpson’s contributions were also acknowledged in the 2009 song “We Made You” by Eminem, in which Trisha Paytas played the character.
2010–present: emphasis on business endeavors, motherhood, and a second marriage
Simpson in October of 2010.
The Price of Beauty, Simpson’s VH1 documentary series, debuted in March 2010. The show traced Simpson’s travels across the globe, exposing viewers to the various ways that various cultures define beauty. After a million viewers saw the debut episode, Simpson said that the show will return in 2011 with a new format
However, these plans were never carried out. Although Simpson eventually released the compilation album Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson (2010), she had originally intended to record her seventh studio album as her last release at Epic Records. The album was released by Epic Records with minimal fanfare and to mixed reviews.
Simpson then started production on her seventh studio album, which would have a Christmas theme, after landing a new recording deal with eleven and Primary Wave Music. Happy Christmas (2010), which she published on November 22, only momentarily debuted in the lower half of the Billboard 200 chart.
In May 2010, Simpson started dating Eric Johnson, a former NFL tight end. In November of the same year, the couple announced their engagement. Simpson soon made an appearance on the NBC reality television series Fashion Star as a mentor with Nicole Richie.
The show focused on a group of designers who competed weekly to make clothes; one competitor was removed by the judges each week. After the second season of the show aired in 2013, NBC decided to terminate it.
Although Simpson was reportedly in negotiations with NBC to star in a semi-autobiographical comedy series in 2013, the project was never developed.
In 2015, Simpson made it known that she was going to start working on a new album because her Primary Wave contract had officially ended. Simpson and Linda Perry collaborated on the project, which Simpson disclosed in 2016.
Simpson promoted her items as a host on the HSN channel in August 2015. The sales were profitable. Simpson introduced her own line of fitness wear, Warm Up, which is carried by US stores. In August 2016, Simpson added trainers to the brand, stating that she would concentrate more on this line going forward.
Simpson revealed her pregnancy for her third child, a daughter, in September 2018. On March 19, 2019, she gave birth to her daughter, Birdie Mae Johnson.
Simpson’s autobiography Open Book, which debuted on February 2, 2020, became the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list after selling over 59,000 copies worldwide in its first week of availability.
She covered a wide range of subjects in the book, including her marriage to Nick Lachey, her friendship with singer John Mayer, the sexual abuse she endured as a kid, her alcohol and prescription medication addiction,
and the pressure to reduce weight that contributed to her body image problems. She released her first music since Happy Christmas in 2010 with the publication of six new songs included in the book. genre of music
Simpson cites Aretha Franklin, Sade, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey as musical influences. She made an effort to start a career as a Christian music vocalist and even finished her own Christian music record. She started working on a pop album in 1998 after signing with Columbia Records. Simpson has since recorded songs with a Christian theme, such as “Pray Out Loud” (2008).
Pop ballads that were designed to highlight Simpson’s voice made up the majority of the tracks on her debut album. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, the record “established her as the teenage Celine Dion”.
It featured the 1999 power ballad “I Wanna Love You Forever” most prominently. This piece has been likened to Mariah Carey.
After releasing Irresistible in 2001, Simpson created more energetic tracks where she made comparisons to other musicians like Britney Spears. The lyrics of songs like “Irresistible” and “A Little Bit” were more controversial than those on her earlier albums.
Simpson primarily attributed this to the age difference between the two albums’ recording sessions. In her live performances, Simpson added additional choreography and backing dancers for her 2001 Dream chaser Tour and 2001 Total Request Live Tour.
Rapper Missy Elliott was Simpson’s primary producer for her third studio album, which she started production on in 2002.
Later, the record changed course, becoming more “organic” than her two earlier albums, according to her ex-husband Nick Lachey. Simpson also started contributing lyrics to the album, something she had never done before with any degree of confidence.
In This Skin, released in 2003, was the outcome; according to AllMusic, it “stayed in the realm of contemporary dance-pop while moving toward the middle-of-the-road diva she always wanted to be.” When Simpson released “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” in 2005, it was a nod to his career in country music. The song was recorded for Simpson’s first feature picture, The Dukes of Hazzard.
With the song “Push Your Tush” (2006), she carried on experimenting with the genre. “A Public Affair” and her rendition of “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” are two of the tracks from her fifth studio album that have dance and disco influences.
Simpson recorded a country music album called Do You Know (2008), drawing inspiration from musicians like Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and Martina McBride. Simpson has explored several musical styles during her career, releasing Christmas-themed albums in 2004 and 2010, respectively.
public perception
Simpson around October of 2006.
As a teen idol, Simpson rose to fame in the late 1990s. The media referred to her as Columbia Records’ “blonde response to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera,” two artists who had recently found success with their respective first albums.
Simpson declared she would abstain from alcohol until marriage in her 1999 debut album, Sweet Kisses, which mostly tackles themes of love. In 2001, when promoting her second album, Irresistible, she had a “carefully orchestrated sexy makeover”.
The Columbia record boss Tommy Mottola, who tried to control Simpson’s image and told her to “lose fifteen pounds” when she signed a deal in 1997, was later described by Simpson as abusive.
Simpson declared she would abstain from alcohol until marriage in her 1999 debut album, Sweet Kisses, which mostly addresses themes of love. While promoting her second album, Irresistible (2001), she underwent a “carefully orchestrated sexy makeover”.
Tommy Mottola, a record executive at Columbia, was allegedly rude with Simpson after she signed her contract in 1997, telling her to “lose fifteen pounds” and trying to control her image.
Simpson during the month of May in 2010
Based on her actions and remarks on the show, Simpson’s public and critics viewed her as a “ditzy blonde” when she first gained popularity in 2003 with the release of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.
Before anyone realized the potential psychological harm, Emily Yahr of The Washington Post referred to her as “one of our first reality TV stars.””Today, I see so many people performing their identities on social media, but I feel like I was a guinea pig for that,” Simpson wrote in her 2020 memoir Open Book, reflecting on her experience in the show.
How was I meant to live a genuine, healthy life that was distorted for television viewers? Who was I really anymore if my personal life was my job and I had to fulfill specific roles in order to do my job?”
She was called a sex icon by the media as well. In her “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” music video, which features “footage of Simpson writhing suggestively against a suds-soaked motor vehicle,” Simpson furthered her reputation as a sex symbol by playing Daisy Duke. Pink’s “Stupid Girls” music video featured a parody of the incident.
In other TV ads for Pizza Hut that aired during the 2006 and 2007 Super Bowls, Simpson played Daisy Duke. After gaining weight in 2009, Simpson said that the part “created a “gold standard” that she would be judged by in the years that followed,” and she was subjected to extreme media scrutiny.
While Simpson backed George W. Bush in his 2004 presidential campaign, she canceled her scheduled presence at a Republican fundraiser in 2006 because she thought it was not “appropriate”. After her husband left office, Simpson lauded Michelle Obama, the former first lady, saying, “She’s such an incredible woman, and she’s with such a powerful man
Simpson supported the Save the Music Foundation by participating in VH1’s Divas Live 2004 benefit event with Ashanti, Cyndi Lauper, Gladys Knight, Joss Stone, and Patti LaBelle in April 2004.
Simpson performed at a benefit performance for the Skin Care Foundation in May 2004. A new Chrysler minivan was given by Simpson to the Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo in March 2007. Simpson is the ambassador for Soles4Souls and took part in the shoe-signing event to raise money from local communities across the country. Simpson collaborates with the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well.
Cinema Role Filmography Years Films
2001 The Concealer, the Master of Herself
2005: Hazzard’s Dukes Daisy Dean
Amy Renfro, Employee of the Month for 2006
Blonde Ambition in 2007 Gregerstitch, Katie
2008 The Love Guru – The True Self
2008: Confidential Valentine: Fair & Perilous Notes about Megan Valentine’s Year Title Role in Television
Between 2002 and 2003 That Program from the 1970s Season 5 recurring role of Annette
The Twilight Zone, 2003 “The Collection” episode starring Miranda Evans.
Episode #6 of 2003’s Punk’d Herself
Nick and Jessica Herself, newlyweds from 2003 to 2005 Television devoted to reality[189] 2003: The Guest Who Raids Herself
2004, Herself during the Nick and Jessica Variety Hour TV episode
2004, The Family Christmas Herself of Nick and Jessica On-screen exclusive
The 2004 episode of A2Z Comedian Panelists, “Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey”
Between 2004 and 2005 Ashlee Simpson’s Self-Portrait Television reality
Episode 208 of Dancing with the Stars featuring Guest Performer “Round 2: Results”
2009 She Seems to Understand That a Lot The “Jessica Simpson” episode. “Finale Part 2” was the guest judge for the 2010 season of Project Runway.
2010 The Cost of Self-Revelation Television reality
An Episode of Entourage Herself (2010) called “Bottoms Up”
The Biggest Loser Herself episode from 2012, “Episode #13.11”
Eleven Fashion Star Judge/Mentor episodes from 2012–2013
Laugh or Die 2014: A Present An episode of Daisy Duke called “The Babadooks of Hazzard”
2018 “I Do” Ashlee + Evan Herself Episode: 2022 Duncanville Herself (voice) Episode: “Clothes and Dagger”
List of discs
Article main: The discography of Jessica Simpson
Adorable Kisses (1999)
Unstoppable (2001)
This Skin (2003)
A Public Affair (2006) Do You Know (2008) Rejoyce: The Christmas Album (2004)
(2010) Tours Headlining a Happy Christmas
2001’s Dream Chaser Tour; 2004’s Reality Tour; co-headlining
The 2001 tour “Total Request Live” featured a variety of acts.
First performance
Ricky Martin’s 1999 tour, “Livin’ la Vida Loca”
Heat It Up Tour (98 Degrees) (Rascal Flatts & Bob That Head Tour) (2009)
