Jessica Simpson
Encyclopedia
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality
, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and beauty products, and designed fragrances, shoes, and handbags for women. She has devoted time to philanthropic efforts including Operation Smile and a USO-hosted tour for troops stationed overseas. She started the Jessica Simpson Collection
in 2005.
She has achieved seven Billboard
Top 40 hits, three gold and two multi-platinum Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified
studio albums, four of which have reached the top 10 on the US Billboard 200
. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey
in the MTV
reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. She ventured into the country music
market in 2008 and released Do You Know
.
. She is the daughter of Tina Ann (née Drew), a homemaker, and Joseph "Joe" Truett Simpson, a minister and psychologist. Her mother is of English American
and Native American
descent, while her father is Scottish American
. She has a younger sister, Ashlee
, who is also a singer.
Simpson first developed and nurtured her talent in her local Baptist
church, where her father also worked as the congregation's youth minister. At age twelve, she unsuccessfully auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club. While attending a church camp, at the age of 13, Simpson sang Whitney Houston
's I Will Always Love You and an arrangement of Amazing Grace
.
One of the camp's visitors was launching a Gospel music
record label and saw great promise and profits in her voice. It was during this time, while attending J. J. Pearce High School, Simpson signed to Proclaim Records, a minor Gospel music
record label. She recorded an album, Jessica, but Proclaim went bankrupt and the album was never officially released except for a small pressing funded by her grandmother. This small pressing gained her minor attention which led her to performing at concerts with other gospel legendary acts such as Kirk Franklin
, God's Property
, and CeCe Winans
.
When she was sixteen years old, Columbia Records
executive Tommy Mottola
heard Jessica, he was impressed with Simpson’s musical talent and skill. Mottola instantly thought Simpson sounded like Mariah Carey
. Simpson was immediately signed to the label. She dropped out of high school but later earned her GED.
", which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1999, and reached the top ten in ten countries. Soon afterwards, her major label debut album Sweet Kisses
was released. Although, she was classified in the teen pop
sensation genre, unlike other female teen stars competitors like Britney Spears
and Mandy Moore
, Simpson truly had a very powerful luscious voice beyond her years . To support the album's release, Simpson toured with Ricky Martin
, Destiny's Child
, and with boy band
98 Degrees
.
Meanwhile, Simpson's album Sweet Kisses
had gone double platinum, helped by the follow-up singles "Where You Are" and "I Think I'm In Love With You
", which were both released in 2000. The latter became Simpson's biggest radio hit at that point, and was her first release of an uptempo single. Her debut album sold 2 million copies in US. Columbia Records officials reportedly decided Simpson needed a change for her second album. The following year, when Simpson came to record her second album, executives pressured her to have a much more sexy image.
In 2000, Simpson started recording the follow-up to Sweet Kisses, with what Columbia considered more radio-friendly, up-tempo tracks. The sophomore album, titled Irresistible
, was released in mid-2001 on the heels of the title-track first single. "The title track" became one of the biggest hits of her career; it peaked at number fifteen on the Hot 100 and stayed in the chart for twenty weeks. It managed to reach the top forty in some other countries it charted. In addition, it led to the attention of record producer Jermaine Dupri
of So So Def Recordings
to remix the song within a Hip-Hop—tinged genre style which featured rap artist Lil Bow Wow.
Irresistible debuted at number 6 in June 2001 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 127,000 copies sold in its first week. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for selling or shipments of 500,000 copies or more. Irresistible has sold 850,000 copies in the US, to date. In order to support the album, Simpson went on her first headlining tour, called the DreamChaser Tour, in mid-August, but due to the September 11, 2001 attacks could not complete the planned dates.
. Simpson's third album, In This Skin
, was released in August 2003 to coincide with the series premiere of Newlyweds.
The show quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and is credited with making her a household name, even among those who did not follow pop music
or MTV. "I never knew that just doing the show would give me that pedestal to step on," Simpson told Blender
magazine, in a March 2004 feature.
In This Skin, debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, with sales of 64,000 in its first week. But, it rebounded after a special collectors' edition was released in April 2004, and subsequently reached a peak of number 2. It contained the song "Sweetest Sin", which barely even made an impact on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. However, the album did contain the hit singles "With You" (No. 14, 2004) and a cover of the Berlin
song "Take My Breath Away
" (No. 20, 2004), and a lesser hit, a cover of the Robbie Williams
song "Angels", which charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100.
In December 2004, the album was certified three times multi-Platinum by the RIAA. According to Simpson's biography, the album has sold 4 million copies in US, to date.
The couple starred in the television special The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour, which aired in 2004 and was compared to The Sonny & Cher Show
. In 2005, Newlyweds won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show before wrapping shortly after.
In late 2004, Simpson released her first Christmas album titled Rejoyce: The Christmas Album
. It peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified gold by the RIAA. Simpson appeared on The Dukes of Hazzard
soundtrack
, releasing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
", a cover of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra
. The song peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Song from a Movie, in 2006. The song's video featured Simpson as Daisy Duke. It contains scenes of her flirting and singing in a bar and then later washing the General Lee car, wearing a skin-tight, revealing pink bikini
. In some countries the video was banned for its overtly sexual content. Simpson received criticism from a Christian group calling itself "The Resistance", for the sexualized image she used in the music video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". In response, Simpson stated, "It didn't really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash. That's why I didn't end up going into the Christian music industry
. I think that if they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there."
In the summer of 2005, Simpson made her first appearance in a motion picture as Daisy Duke
in the movie version of the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. The film was No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend, and grossed $30.7 million on 3,785 screens. It also had an adjusted-dollar rank of No. 14 all-time for August releases. The film eventually collected $110.5 million worldwide, although it was much less financially successful outside the U.S.
. On 29 August 2006, she released her fifth studio album A Public Affair
. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, with 101,000 copies sold in its first week. The album sold 300,000 copies in the US, a low figure compared to her previous albums. The first single from the album, bearing the same name "A Public Affair
", debuted at number thirty-nine, her highest debut after "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
", and reached a peak of number fourteen on the Hot 100. It also hit number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play
, becoming Simpson's first number one single on the chart. Internationally, it reached the top ten in Canada and Ireland. The video featured appearances by actresses Eva Longoria
and Christina Applegate
, singer Christina Milian
, Maria Menounos
, Andy Dick
, and Ryan Seacrest
.
Simpson's second film, Employee of the Month
, was released October 6, 2006. With poor reviews, the film took in $11.8 million in its opening weekend, debuting at number 4 just behind Open Season
. In December 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton
at the Kennedy Center Awards, she botched the lyrics, getting flustered in front of a crowd that included prominent persons such as Steven Spielberg
, Shania Twain
, and President George W. Bush
. Though Simpson was given the chance to redo the song for cameras, her portion was edited out of the CBS broadcast.
In December 2007, Simpson co-starred with Luke Wilson
in her third film, Blonde Ambition
. The film opened in eight theaters in Texas (the home state of both Simpson and Wilson), and earned US $6,422. It was released on DVD in January 2008. Blonde Ambition fared better overseas, where it grossed $253,008 in the Ukraine its opening weekend.
magazine that Simpson was considering doing a country album. Joe Simpson told People that she is "talking about doing a country record and going back to her roots, being from Texas."
"Come On Over
", first leaked onto the internet on May 27, 2008. Shortly after country radio stations around the country began giving the single radio play. In the United States, "Come on Over" became the most-added song to country radio for the week of June 6, 2008, debuting at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart. It broke a record held by Miranda Lambert
("Me and Charlie Talking") and Brad Cotter
("I Meant To") for highest-debuting first chart entry by a solo artist; both artists debuted at number forty-two on that same chart. The video for the first single, "Come On Over", premiered on Simpson's official website in July 2008. The single peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Prior to the albums release, Simpson performed at select state fairs and visited various country music radio stations in order to promote the album. The country album, entitled Do You Know
, was released on September 9, 2008. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in both the US and Canada, giving Simpson her first number 1 album of her career. She opened for Rascal Flatts
on their "Bob That Head Tour" from January 17 through March 14, 2009.
Simpson's next movie, Major Movie Star
(later renamed Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous) was released straight to DVD on February 3, 2009. On April 7, 2009 Simpson's rep confirmed with US Weekly
that she and label Sony Nashville were parting ways.
documentary series, The Price of Beauty, began airing in March 2010. The series followed Simpson around the world, introducing viewers to the different perceptions of beauty in different cultures. The premiere episode attracted one million viewers, but Simpson revealed that the series would return in 2011 with a format change. Initially, Simpson planned to release a new studio album that would end her contract with her label, Epic Records. However, a greatest hits compilation, Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson
, was released in late October instead. Simpson's second holiday album, Happy Christmas
, released under Primary Wave in November. The album featured production from Tricky Stewart and The-Dream
and was promoted with a television special on PBS, Jessica Simpson: Happy Christmas.
In June 2011, it was announced that Simpson participated as a mentor in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star
with Elle McPherson. In July 2011, she appeared on Fashion Star alongside Nicole Richie
.
Simpson and stylist Ken Pavés
launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network
. Simpson also created the Jessica Simpson Collection
(JSC) in which she designs and markets a line of handbags and (primarily high-heeled) shoes and boots. JSC is projected to become the first celebrity brand to break $1 billion in annual sales, and will launch an e-commerce beauty site with celebrity aesthetician Nerida Joy, BeautyMint, on October 31, 2011. The Jessica Simpson's Intimates began selling in major department stores and online shopping sites in spring 2009.
Simpson has launched a fragrance line. Her fragrance was made by Parlux Fragrances. Her debut perfume, Fancy, was launched in 2008. The success of Fancy spawned three more fragrances, Fancy Love, Fancy Nights and I Fancy You.
, Proactiv Solution
and a commercial with Ice Breakers with her sister Ashlee
. In 2005, she started advertising Proactiv Solution, an over-the-counter acne medicine. In 2006, she premiered in another Pizza Hut commercial for the Super Bowl XL
broadcast. She sang "These Bites Are Made For Poppin'," in reference to the song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," to advertise the new Cheesy Bites Pizza. In 2007, the Super Bowl featured her third Pizza Hut commercial, which again promoted the Cheesy Bites Pizza. She has also advertised DirecTV
in character as Daisy Duke.
's International Youth Ambassador.
In March 2007, Simpson donated a new Chrysler
minivan to the Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo
. Simpson won a Chrysler Crossfire
sports car at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
, but exchanged the $50,000 luxury car for a minivan so she could help the orphanage.
for president
in 2004, but was later said to have "snubbed" him by canceling an appearance at a 2006 Republican
fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
. Manager Joe Simpson said that even though he and Jessica are "big supporters" of the president, who had invited them, they felt it was inappropriate to attend a political fundraiser.
In June 2008, Simpson was seen with boyfriend Tony Romo
wearing a shirt that said "Real Girls Eat Meat". It was seen as a slam at Romo's ex-girlfriend Carrie Underwood
, who is a vegetarian
.
On July 19, 2008, Simpson performed at the Country Thunder Festival in Wisconsin
. She was booed by the crowd and received a poor reception from country music critics. She responded by saying, "I don't know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I'm just a girl from Texas; I’m just like you. I'm doing what I love and dating a boy."
on October 26, 2002. She famously announced she had remained a virgin until her marriage. In November 2005, Simpson and Lachey announced they were separating
. Simpson filed for divorce on December 16, 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences." Their divorce was finalized on June 30, 2006.
In November 2007, Simpson began dating Dallas Cowboys
quarterback Tony Romo
. The relationship was controversial among some Dallas Cowboys fans, as she was blamed when Romo had poor football performances. Some of the Cowboys' fans gave her the nickname "Yoko Romo" in comparison to Yoko Ono
, who many Beatles fans blame for "ruining" John Lennon
. Even then-President George W Bush jokingly endorsed the "Jessica jinx" after the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl
in 2008. During the traditional White House
reception for the winning team, President Bush quipped, "We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention
." On July 13, 2009, People reported that Romo and Simpson had ended their relationship.
In May 2010, Simpson began dating former NFL player Eric Johnson. On November 14, 2010, Simpson announced her engagement to Johnson. On October 19, 2011 OK!
reported that she is pregnant with their first child. After much media speculation, on October 31, 2011, Simpson confirmed that she and Johnson are expecting their first child.
Co-headlining
Opening act
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and beauty products, and designed fragrances, shoes, and handbags for women. She has devoted time to philanthropic efforts including Operation Smile and a USO-hosted tour for troops stationed overseas. She started the Jessica Simpson Collection
Jessica Simpson Collection
Jessica Simpson Collection is a fashion line of clothing and other items for women and juniors. Besides clothing, the brand also includes handbags, sunglasses, accessories, jewelry, shoes and fragrances. The brand initially launched in 2005 as a shoe collaboration with Nine West co-founder Vince...
in 2005.
She has achieved seven Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top 40 hits, three gold and two multi-platinum Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
studio albums, four of which have reached the top 10 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Simpson starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
in the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. She ventured into the country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
market in 2008 and released Do You Know
Do You Know (Jessica Simpson album)
Do You Know is the sixth studio album by American singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on September 9, 2008, in the United States by a joint-venture between Columbia Nashville and Epic Records. The album is her first effort in an attempt to cross over to country music. Songwriter Brett...
.
Childhood and youth
Jessica Ann Simpson was born in Abilene, TexasAbilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. She is the daughter of Tina Ann (née Drew), a homemaker, and Joseph "Joe" Truett Simpson, a minister and psychologist. Her mother is of English American
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
descent, while her father is Scottish American
Scottish American
Scottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and celebrate a common heritage...
. She has a younger sister, Ashlee
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
, who is also a singer.
Simpson first developed and nurtured her talent in her local Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church, where her father also worked as the congregation's youth minister. At age twelve, she unsuccessfully auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club. While attending a church camp, at the age of 13, Simpson sang Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's I Will Always Love You and an arrangement of Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
.
One of the camp's visitors was launching a Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
record label and saw great promise and profits in her voice. It was during this time, while attending J. J. Pearce High School, Simpson signed to Proclaim Records, a minor Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
record label. She recorded an album, Jessica, but Proclaim went bankrupt and the album was never officially released except for a small pressing funded by her grandmother. This small pressing gained her minor attention which led her to performing at concerts with other gospel legendary acts such as Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...
, God's Property
God's Property
God's Property is a gospel choir, most notably known for its collaborations with Kirk Franklin and other recording artists.-Musical career:The choir began to collaborate with Kirk Franklin in 1993 and sang backup on his 1995 album, Whatcha Lookin' 4...
, and CeCe Winans
CeCe Winans
Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love is an American Gospel singer, who has won numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.-Early life:CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores Winans, on October 8, 1964...
.
When she was sixteen years old, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
executive Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
heard Jessica, he was impressed with Simpson’s musical talent and skill. Mottola instantly thought Simpson sounded like Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. Simpson was immediately signed to the label. She dropped out of high school but later earned her GED.
1999–2001: Sweet Kisses and Irresistible
Simpson released her first single, "I Wanna Love You ForeverI Wanna Love You Forever
"I Wanna Love You Forever" is the first single from Jessica Simpson's debut album Sweet Kisses. The song is her debut single and was released in 1999, the single peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Simpson's first, and to date last, top ten single. The song also peaked at...
", which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1999, and reached the top ten in ten countries. Soon afterwards, her major label debut album Sweet Kisses
Sweet Kisses
-Charts and certifications:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Jessica Simpson - vocals, background vocals*Anas Allaf - guitar*Louis Biancaniello - keyboard*Chris Camozzi - guitar*Graeme Coleman - piano, conductor*Destiny's Child - background vocals...
was released. Although, she was classified in the teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
sensation genre, unlike other female teen stars competitors like Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
, Simpson truly had a very powerful luscious voice beyond her years . To support the album's release, Simpson toured with Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
, Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, and with boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
.
Meanwhile, Simpson's album Sweet Kisses
Sweet Kisses
-Charts and certifications:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Jessica Simpson - vocals, background vocals*Anas Allaf - guitar*Louis Biancaniello - keyboard*Chris Camozzi - guitar*Graeme Coleman - piano, conductor*Destiny's Child - background vocals...
had gone double platinum, helped by the follow-up singles "Where You Are" and "I Think I'm In Love With You
I Think I'm in Love with You
"I Think I'm in Love with You" is a song written and produced by Cory Rooney and Dan Shea for Jessica Simpson's debut album Sweet Kisses . It contains a sample of singer-songwriter John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane" and was released as the album's third and final single in summer 2000...
", which were both released in 2000. The latter became Simpson's biggest radio hit at that point, and was her first release of an uptempo single. Her debut album sold 2 million copies in US. Columbia Records officials reportedly decided Simpson needed a change for her second album. The following year, when Simpson came to record her second album, executives pressured her to have a much more sexy image.
In 2000, Simpson started recording the follow-up to Sweet Kisses, with what Columbia considered more radio-friendly, up-tempo tracks. The sophomore album, titled Irresistible
Irresistible (Jessica Simpson album)
Irresistible is the second studio album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson, released on May 25, 2001, through Columbia Records. Simpson, who began working on the project in July 2000, contacted already established writers and producers to collaborate on the project,...
, was released in mid-2001 on the heels of the title-track first single. "The title track" became one of the biggest hits of her career; it peaked at number fifteen on the Hot 100 and stayed in the chart for twenty weeks. It managed to reach the top forty in some other countries it charted. In addition, it led to the attention of record producer Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
of So So Def Recordings
So So Def Recordings
So So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music.-Beginnings:...
to remix the song within a Hip-Hop—tinged genre style which featured rap artist Lil Bow Wow.
Irresistible debuted at number 6 in June 2001 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 127,000 copies sold in its first week. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for selling or shipments of 500,000 copies or more. Irresistible has sold 850,000 copies in the US, to date. In order to support the album, Simpson went on her first headlining tour, called the DreamChaser Tour, in mid-August, but due to the September 11, 2001 attacks could not complete the planned dates.
2002–2005: Newlyweds, In this Skin and film career
During the summer of 2003, the reality show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, starring Simpson and her then-new husband Nick Lachey began airing on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Simpson's third album, In This Skin
In This Skin
In This Skin is the third studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 19, 2003 in the United States by Columbia Records...
, was released in August 2003 to coincide with the series premiere of Newlyweds.
The show quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and is credited with making her a household name, even among those who did not follow pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
or MTV. "I never knew that just doing the show would give me that pedestal to step on," Simpson told Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine, in a March 2004 feature.
In This Skin, debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, with sales of 64,000 in its first week. But, it rebounded after a special collectors' edition was released in April 2004, and subsequently reached a peak of number 2. It contained the song "Sweetest Sin", which barely even made an impact on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. However, the album did contain the hit singles "With You" (No. 14, 2004) and a cover of the Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
song "Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away
American pop singer Jessica Simpson covered "Take My Breath Away" and released it as the third single from the album In This Skin in 2004. Her version was produced by Billy Mann. Simpson chose to cover this song because she felt that it was the theme song of her relationship with her then husband,...
" (No. 20, 2004), and a lesser hit, a cover of the Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
song "Angels", which charted just outside the Billboard Hot 100.
In December 2004, the album was certified three times multi-Platinum by the RIAA. According to Simpson's biography, the album has sold 4 million copies in US, to date.
The couple starred in the television special The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour, which aired in 2004 and was compared to The Sonny & Cher Show
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an American variety show based on the married couple of American pop-singer Cher and her husband, Sonny Bono. The show ran on CBS in the United States, when it premiered in August 1971...
. In 2005, Newlyweds won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show before wrapping shortly after.
In late 2004, Simpson released her first Christmas album titled Rejoyce: The Christmas Album
Rejoyce: The Christmas Album
Rejoyce: The Christmas Album is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. It was released on November 23, 2004. It includes a duet with her sister, Ashlee Simpson, on the song "Little Drummer Boy". Additionally, it also includes a duet with Nick Lachey, Simpson's husband at...
. It peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard 200 chart and was later certified gold by the RIAA. Simpson appeared on The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard (film)
The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, releasing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
Jessica Simpson recorded her own version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the soundtrack to the film The Dukes of Hazzard . Simpson's cover was co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and was released as the soundtrack's first single in 2005)...
", a cover of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
. The song peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Song from a Movie, in 2006. The song's video featured Simpson as Daisy Duke. It contains scenes of her flirting and singing in a bar and then later washing the General Lee car, wearing a skin-tight, revealing pink bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
. In some countries the video was banned for its overtly sexual content. Simpson received criticism from a Christian group calling itself "The Resistance", for the sexualized image she used in the music video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". In response, Simpson stated, "It didn't really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash. That's why I didn't end up going into the Christian music industry
Christian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
. I think that if they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there."
In the summer of 2005, Simpson made her first appearance in a motion picture as Daisy Duke
Daisy Duke
Daisy Mae Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard. She was the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, who were also cousins, and the three lived on a farm on the outskirts of Hazzard County with their Uncle...
in the movie version of the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. The film was No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend, and grossed $30.7 million on 3,785 screens. It also had an adjusted-dollar rank of No. 14 all-time for August releases. The film eventually collected $110.5 million worldwide, although it was much less financially successful outside the U.S.
2006–2007: A Public Affair and Employee of the Month
In 2006, Simpson returned to the recording studio, switching labels from Columbia to Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. On 29 August 2006, she released her fifth studio album A Public Affair
A Public Affair
A Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 26, 2006 in the United States by Epic Records...
. The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, with 101,000 copies sold in its first week. The album sold 300,000 copies in the US, a low figure compared to her previous albums. The first single from the album, bearing the same name "A Public Affair
A Public Affair (song)
"A Public Affair" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. It was co-written by Simpson and produced by Lester Mendez, for Simpson's fourth studio album of the same title. It was released as the album's first single on June 29, 2006 by Epic Records. Musically, the song is a...
", debuted at number thirty-nine, her highest debut after "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
Jessica Simpson recorded her own version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the soundtrack to the film The Dukes of Hazzard . Simpson's cover was co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and was released as the soundtrack's first single in 2005)...
", and reached a peak of number fourteen on the Hot 100. It also hit number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
, becoming Simpson's first number one single on the chart. Internationally, it reached the top ten in Canada and Ireland. The video featured appearances by actresses Eva Longoria
Eva Longoria
Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
and Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
, singer Christina Milian
Christina Milian
Christine Flores , better known by her stage name Christina Milian , is an American singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, and model....
, Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...
, Andy Dick
Andy Dick
Andrew R. "Andy" Dick is an American comedian, actor, musician and television/film producer. His first regular television role was on the short-lived but highly influential Ben Stiller Show. In the mid-1990s, he had a long-running stint on NBC's NewsRadio...
, and Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
.
Simpson's second film, Employee of the Month
Employee of the Month (2006 film)
Employee of the Month is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Greg Coolidge, written by Don Calame, Chris Conroy, and Coolidge, and starring Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson and Dax Shepard. The main plot revolves around two shop employees who compete for the affection of their newest co-worker...
, was released October 6, 2006. With poor reviews, the film took in $11.8 million in its opening weekend, debuting at number 4 just behind Open Season
Open Season (film)
Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries...
. In December 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
at the Kennedy Center Awards, she botched the lyrics, getting flustered in front of a crowd that included prominent persons such as Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
, and President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Though Simpson was given the chance to redo the song for cameras, her portion was edited out of the CBS broadcast.
In December 2007, Simpson co-starred with Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
in her third film, Blonde Ambition
Blonde Ambition
Blonde Ambition is a film released in December 2007 and inspired by the theme of the Academy Award-winning movie Working Girl starring singer/actress Jessica Simpson playing the part of a small town girl who moves to New York City and rises up into a career as a business woman...
. The film opened in eight theaters in Texas (the home state of both Simpson and Wilson), and earned US $6,422. It was released on DVD in January 2008. Blonde Ambition fared better overseas, where it grossed $253,008 in the Ukraine its opening weekend.
2008–2009: Move to country and Do You Know
In September 2007, Simpson's father Joe Simpson stated to PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine that Simpson was considering doing a country album. Joe Simpson told People that she is "talking about doing a country record and going back to her roots, being from Texas."
"Come On Over
Come on Over (Jessica Simpson song)
"Come on Over" is a song by Jessica Simpson and is the first single from her first country and fifth studio album, Do You Know, which was released on September 9, 2008...
", first leaked onto the internet on May 27, 2008. Shortly after country radio stations around the country began giving the single radio play. In the United States, "Come on Over" became the most-added song to country radio for the week of June 6, 2008, debuting at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. It broke a record held by Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
("Me and Charlie Talking") and Brad Cotter
Brad Cotter
Brad Cotter is an American country music singer who won the 2004 season of Nashville Star a talent competition on the USA Network. Signed to Epic Records that year, he released his debut album Patient Man, which produced three singles on the Billboard country charts, including the #35 "I Meant To"...
("I Meant To") for highest-debuting first chart entry by a solo artist; both artists debuted at number forty-two on that same chart. The video for the first single, "Come On Over", premiered on Simpson's official website in July 2008. The single peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Prior to the albums release, Simpson performed at select state fairs and visited various country music radio stations in order to promote the album. The country album, entitled Do You Know
Do You Know (Jessica Simpson album)
Do You Know is the sixth studio album by American singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on September 9, 2008, in the United States by a joint-venture between Columbia Nashville and Epic Records. The album is her first effort in an attempt to cross over to country music. Songwriter Brett...
, was released on September 9, 2008. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in both the US and Canada, giving Simpson her first number 1 album of her career. She opened for Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
on their "Bob That Head Tour" from January 17 through March 14, 2009.
Simpson's next movie, Major Movie Star
Major Movie Star
Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous or Major Movie Star is a 2008 comedy film starring Jessica Simpson. Simpson plays the title role of Megan Valentine in the comedy, about a down-on-her-luck actress who enlists in the United States Army.-Plot:...
(later renamed Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous) was released straight to DVD on February 3, 2009. On April 7, 2009 Simpson's rep confirmed with US Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
that she and label Sony Nashville were parting ways.
2010–present: Return to Reality TV and Happy Christmas
Simpson's VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
documentary series, The Price of Beauty, began airing in March 2010. The series followed Simpson around the world, introducing viewers to the different perceptions of beauty in different cultures. The premiere episode attracted one million viewers, but Simpson revealed that the series would return in 2011 with a format change. Initially, Simpson planned to release a new studio album that would end her contract with her label, Epic Records. However, a greatest hits compilation, Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson
Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson
Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson is the first compilation album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson, released in commemoration of her ten year in the music industry...
, was released in late October instead. Simpson's second holiday album, Happy Christmas
Happy Christmas (Jessica Simpson album)
Happy Christmas is the seventh studio album and second Christmas album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The album was released on November 22, 2010 by Primary Wave Records. Simpson made an appearance on The Early Show to promote the album....
, released under Primary Wave in November. The album featured production from Tricky Stewart and The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
and was promoted with a television special on PBS, Jessica Simpson: Happy Christmas.
In June 2011, it was announced that Simpson participated as a mentor in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star
Fashion Star
Fashion Star is an upcoming American reality television series on NBC, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Elle Macpherson. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
with Elle McPherson. In July 2011, she appeared on Fashion Star alongside Nicole Richie
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo...
.
Cosmetics and clothing
"Jessica Simpson Dessert by Jessica Simpson" was launched in April, 2004 after co-founders Randi Shinder and Simpson designed a line of edible perfume, lip gloss and other beauty products under the Dessert Beauty brand. A parallel line named Dessert Treats was launched the following year in February, 2005. The new line was marketed at a much younger audience.Simpson and stylist Ken Pavés
Ken Pavés
- Early life :Ken Paves was born in the Detroit suburb of New Baltimore, Michigan as the youngest of three children of Helen Paves and Gary Paves who's of Romanian Jewish descent...
launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...
. Simpson also created the Jessica Simpson Collection
Jessica Simpson Collection
Jessica Simpson Collection is a fashion line of clothing and other items for women and juniors. Besides clothing, the brand also includes handbags, sunglasses, accessories, jewelry, shoes and fragrances. The brand initially launched in 2005 as a shoe collaboration with Nine West co-founder Vince...
(JSC) in which she designs and markets a line of handbags and (primarily high-heeled) shoes and boots. JSC is projected to become the first celebrity brand to break $1 billion in annual sales, and will launch an e-commerce beauty site with celebrity aesthetician Nerida Joy, BeautyMint, on October 31, 2011. The Jessica Simpson's Intimates began selling in major department stores and online shopping sites in spring 2009.
Simpson has launched a fragrance line. Her fragrance was made by Parlux Fragrances. Her debut perfume, Fancy, was launched in 2008. The success of Fancy spawned three more fragrances, Fancy Love, Fancy Nights and I Fancy You.
Commercials
Simpson has made commercials for Pizza HutPizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, Proactiv Solution
Proactiv Solution
Proactiv Solution is an over-the-counter topical treatment for mild to moderate forms of acne, widely known for being marketed in Guthy-Renker infomercials since 1995...
and a commercial with Ice Breakers with her sister Ashlee
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
. In 2005, she started advertising Proactiv Solution, an over-the-counter acne medicine. In 2006, she premiered in another Pizza Hut commercial for the Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
broadcast. She sang "These Bites Are Made For Poppin'," in reference to the song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," to advertise the new Cheesy Bites Pizza. In 2007, the Super Bowl featured her third Pizza Hut commercial, which again promoted the Cheesy Bites Pizza. She has also advertised DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in character as Daisy Duke.
Philanthropy
Simpson is Operation SmileOperation Smile
Operation Smile is a not-for-profit medical service organization based in Norfolk, Virginia , founded in 1982. A secular NGO, the children's medical charity provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide, assists countries in reaching self-sufficiency with these surgeries, and...
's International Youth Ambassador.
In March 2007, Simpson donated a new Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
minivan to the Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo is a city located in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Río Grande, across from the United States city of Laredo, Texas. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo...
. Simpson won a Chrysler Crossfire
Chrysler Crossfire
The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive sports car marketed by Chrysler as both coupé and roadster and was built for Chrysler by Karmann of Germany.-Design:...
sports car at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards
2006 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 31, 2006, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Jack Black at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
, but exchanged the $50,000 luxury car for a minivan so she could help the orphanage.
Criticism and controversy
Simpson endorsed George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 2004, but was later said to have "snubbed" him by canceling an appearance at a 2006 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Manager Joe Simpson said that even though he and Jessica are "big supporters" of the president, who had invited them, they felt it was inappropriate to attend a political fundraiser.
In June 2008, Simpson was seen with boyfriend Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
wearing a shirt that said "Real Girls Eat Meat". It was seen as a slam at Romo's ex-girlfriend Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, who is a vegetarian
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
.
On July 19, 2008, Simpson performed at the Country Thunder Festival in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. She was booed by the crowd and received a poor reception from country music critics. She responded by saying, "I don't know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I'm just a girl from Texas; I’m just like you. I'm doing what I love and dating a boy."
Personal life
After a three-year courtship, Simpson married Nick LacheyNick Lachey
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
on October 26, 2002. She famously announced she had remained a virgin until her marriage. In November 2005, Simpson and Lachey announced they were separating
Legal separation
Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...
. Simpson filed for divorce on December 16, 2005, citing "irreconcilable differences." Their divorce was finalized on June 30, 2006.
In November 2007, Simpson began dating Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
. The relationship was controversial among some Dallas Cowboys fans, as she was blamed when Romo had poor football performances. Some of the Cowboys' fans gave her the nickname "Yoko Romo" in comparison to Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, who many Beatles fans blame for "ruining" John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
. Even then-President George W Bush jokingly endorsed the "Jessica jinx" after the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
in 2008. During the traditional White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
reception for the winning team, President Bush quipped, "We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
." On July 13, 2009, People reported that Romo and Simpson had ended their relationship.
In May 2010, Simpson began dating former NFL player Eric Johnson. On November 14, 2010, Simpson announced her engagement to Johnson. On October 19, 2011 OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
reported that she is pregnant with their first child. After much media speculation, on October 31, 2011, Simpson confirmed that she and Johnson are expecting their first child.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | The Master of Disguise The Master of Disguise The Master of Disguise is a family fantasy comedy film released in 2002 starring actors Dana Carvey, Jennifer Esposito, James Brolin and Brent Spiner... |
Herself | Cameo |
| 2005 | The Dukes of Hazzard The Dukes of Hazzard (film) The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 comedy film based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures... |
Daisy Duke | Film debut |
| 2006 | Employee of the Month Employee of the Month (2006 film) Employee of the Month is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Greg Coolidge, written by Don Calame, Chris Conroy, and Coolidge, and starring Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson and Dax Shepard. The main plot revolves around two shop employees who compete for the affection of their newest co-worker... |
Amy Renfro | |
| 2007 | Blonde Ambition Blonde Ambition Blonde Ambition is a film released in December 2007 and inspired by the theme of the Academy Award-winning movie Working Girl starring singer/actress Jessica Simpson playing the part of a small town girl who moves to New York City and rises up into a career as a business woman... |
Katie Gregerstitch | |
| 2008 | The Love Guru The Love Guru The Love Guru is a 2008 comedy film, directed by Marco Schnabel and starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba along with Romany Malco and Justin Timberlake. In addition to starring in the film, Myers wrote The Love Guru with Graham Gordy and produced it with Gary Barber. The film was released by... |
Herself | Cameo |
| Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous | Private Megan Valentine | ||
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003—2005 | Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica | Herself | Reality Television |
| 2004 | Jessica | Jessica Sampson | Pilot - Never broadcast ABC originally picked the series up in February 2004 but dropped the series in May 2004 |
| The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour | Herself | Music/Sketch Comedy Special | |
| Nick and Jessica's Family Christmas | Herself | Holiday Music Special | |
| 2010 | The Price of Beauty The Price of Beauty (TV series) Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty was a documentary reality series that followed singer Jessica Simpson and her two best friends Ken Pavés and CaCee Cobb as they traveled all over the world "to meet women, study local fashions, dietary fads and beauty regimes," all in an attempt to explore the... |
Herself | Reality Television Reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded... |
| 2011 | Fashion Star Fashion Star Fashion Star is an upcoming American reality television series on NBC, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Elle Macpherson. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme... |
Herself | Reality Television Reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded... |
| Television guest appearances | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | 98 Degrees - My Everything | Herself | "Music Video |
| 2002 | That '70s Show That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979... |
Annette | "Going to California" (episode 1, season 5) |
| 2003 | "Your Time Is Gonna Come" (episode 13, season 5) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (episode 14, season 5) |
||
| The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist... |
Miranda Evans | "The Collection The Collection (The Twilight Zone) "The Collection" is the thirty-eighth episode of the science fiction television series 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone. The episode aired April 23, 2003 on UPN.-Opening Narration:-Plot summary:... " (Season 1, Episode 38) |
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| 2007 | Willie Nelson - You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore | Herself | "Music Video |
| 2009 | I Get That a Lot I Get That a Lot I Get That A Lot is a reality television special that airs on CBS, which sets up celebrities in everyday working class jobs. Hidden cameras are used to capture the reactions of unsuspecting customers and bypassers... |
Computer technician | Television special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular... (1 episode) |
| 2010 | Entourage Entourage (TV series) Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons... |
Herself | Season 7, Episode 5 (1 episode) |
| PBS Christmas Special | Herself | Television special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular... |
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Discography
- Sweet KissesSweet Kisses-Charts and certifications:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Jessica Simpson - vocals, background vocals*Anas Allaf - guitar*Louis Biancaniello - keyboard*Chris Camozzi - guitar*Graeme Coleman - piano, conductor*Destiny's Child - background vocals...
(1999) - IrresistibleIrresistible (Jessica Simpson album)Irresistible is the second studio album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson, released on May 25, 2001, through Columbia Records. Simpson, who began working on the project in July 2000, contacted already established writers and producers to collaborate on the project,...
(2001) - In This SkinIn This SkinIn This Skin is the third studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 19, 2003 in the United States by Columbia Records...
(2003) - Rejoyce: The Christmas AlbumRejoyce: The Christmas AlbumRejoyce: The Christmas Album is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. It was released on November 23, 2004. It includes a duet with her sister, Ashlee Simpson, on the song "Little Drummer Boy". Additionally, it also includes a duet with Nick Lachey, Simpson's husband at...
(2004) - A Public AffairA Public AffairA Public Affair is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on August 26, 2006 in the United States by Epic Records...
(2006) - Do You KnowDo You Know (Jessica Simpson album)Do You Know is the sixth studio album by American singer Jessica Simpson. The album was released on September 9, 2008, in the United States by a joint-venture between Columbia Nashville and Epic Records. The album is her first effort in an attempt to cross over to country music. Songwriter Brett...
(2008) - Happy ChristmasHappy Christmas (Jessica Simpson album)Happy Christmas is the seventh studio album and second Christmas album by American recording artist Jessica Simpson. The album was released on November 22, 2010 by Primary Wave Records. Simpson made an appearance on The Early Show to promote the album....
(2010)
Tours
Headlining- DreamChaser Tour (2001)
- Reality Tour (2004)
Co-headlining
- MTV TRL Tour (2001)
Opening act
- Heat It Up Tour (98 Degrees98 Degrees98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
) (2000) - Bob That Head Tour (Rascal FlattsRascal FlattsRascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
) (2009)