| Birth name | Jessica Ann Simpson |
| Born | 10 July 1980 (age 26) |
| Origin | Abilene, Texas, United States |
| Genre(s) | Dance-pop, dance, Adult Contemporary, Urban contemporary, Rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress, |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Label(s) | Columbia (1999–2005) Epic (2006–present) |
| Website | JessicaSimpson.com |
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980 in Abilene, Texas) is an American pop singer and actress who rose to fame in the late 1990s. She has so far achieved 7 Billboard Top 40 hits and has five gold and two multi-platinum RIAA certified albums. She also starred with her then-husband Nick Lachey in the MTV reality show Newlyweds and released her own line of beauty products. She also began a career as an actress and is the older sister of Ashlee Simpson, a popular pop rock singer.
Biography
Early life
She started singing in her Baptist church. In 1992 she made an unsuccessful audition for The New Mickey Mouse Club, that also starred future pop stars Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. She attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas and was discovered at a church camp by a head of a small contemporary Christian record label. She recorded an album over the next three years; however, the label folded before the record could be released. She dropped out in her senior year to tour and promote her demo album, which was funded by her grandmother, Joyce (thus the reason for the name of her 2004 holiday album, ReJoyce: The Christmas Album). She later earned her GED. During this time, she also toured with the Christian Youth Conference circuit performing with Kirk Franklin, God's Property and CeCe Winans. She and her father sold copies of the album after these performances.
Tommy Mottola of Columbia Records later obtained a copy of the album and, thinking she had potential as a pop singer, signed her to a recording contract.
2002: Marriage to Nick Lachey and TV success
On October 26, 2002, at age 22, Jessica Simpson married Nick Lachey. She famously announced that she remained a virgin until her wedding night.
During the summer of 2003, the reality show, Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, starring Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey began airing on MTV. Though she was moderately successful before the series began, 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. Later that summer, Simpson won three Teen Choice Awards; Female Fashion Icon, Choice Hottie Female, and Female Reality/Variety TV Star for Newlyweds.
Throughout the run of four seasons, Simpson epitomized the stereotypical dumb blonde, most notably when she asked Lachey whether the Chicken of the Sea tuna she was eating was in fact chicken or fish. She also indicated that she believed that buffalo wings were made from actual buffalo. Moments like these helped turn the show into a huge hit, making the average rating for each episode about 1.4 million viewers while reaching a series peak of about 4 million viewers.
Simpson's third album, In This Skin, was released in August of 2003 to coincide with the series premiere of Newlyweds. It debuted at #10 on The Billboard 200 album chart with sales of just 64,000 in its first week. It rebounded after a special collectors' edition was released in April of 2004 and subsequently reached a peak of #2. It was eventually certified triple platinum, fueled largely by the couple’s television success on Newlyweds. It contained the hits “With You” (#14, 2004) and a cover of the Berlin song “Take My Breath Away” (#20, 2004).
The couple appeared in the television special The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour that aired in 2004 and drew comparisons to Sonny and Cher. Simpson released ReJoyce: The Christmas Album in late 2004 which peaked at #14 on the album chart and was later certified gold.
In 2005, Newlyweds won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show before wrapping shortly after.
Film debut
In the summer of 2005, at age 25, Simpson made her first appearance in a motion picture as Daisy Duke in the movie-remake of The Dukes of Hazzard. The film debuted at #1 at the U.S. box-office.
Simpson also appeared on the film’s soundtrack, releasing "These Boots Are Made for Walkin” (#14, 2005) a cover of the 1966 Nancy Sinatra hit. The song peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Song from a Movie in 2006.
Divorce from Nick Lachey
In November 2005, after months of tabloid speculation, such as adultery with Bam Margera (confirmed by Margera), Simpson and her husband Nick Lachey officially announced their separation. Simpson filed for divorce on December 16, 2005, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple's divorce was highly publicized worldwide and was reportedly finalized in June 2006.
Jessica Simpson reportedly told Jane in October of 2006, that she knew her marriage to Nick Lachey was over when he refused to join her on a charity trip to Africa, even though it was on their third wedding anniversary.
The couple reportedly sold their Calabasas, California mansion in which Newlyweds was filmed to Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield for about $3.75 million.
2006: Back To Business
On June 30, 2006, Jessica and Nick's divorce was finalized. Simpson hosted the Teen Choice Awards in August of 2006 and appeared on The View in September of 2006 as the first choice of new co-host Rosie O'Donnell.
After a hard year Jessica looked forward to going back in the studio to record her fourth album but Columbia did not re-sign her to the company only to move her to Epic Records
Her fourth album, A Public Affair, was released on August 29, 2006 via Epic Records. The album saw lower-than-expected sales, debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200 with 101,000 copies sold in its first week and, as of November 4, 2006, has sold only a little over 240,000 copies in the United States which is less than half of what her 2001 album Irresistible sold. Public Affair dropped down to the lower part of the charts after only a few weeks out. Week number four saw the album slip down from number five to the sixties. Only after 10 weeks on the Billboard 200, it fell off the chart. The first single, "A Public Affair" (#14, 2006), reached the Top 20 of the Hot 100 but quickly fell off the charts. The music video for "A Public Affair" featured Eva Longoria, Christina Applegate, Christina Milian, Maria Menounos, Andy Dick and Ryan Seacrest. A second single, "I Belong To Me", was also released through her website and is now included on the CD itself. To date, it has not yet appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, making this Simpson's 4th single to not enter the top 100.
Her second movie, Employee of the Month, co-starring Dane Cook and Dax Shepard was released in American cinemas in October 2006.
At the Kennedy Center Honors of Dolly Parton in 2006, Simpson sung Parton's hit "Nine to Five". Simpson seemed to forget the last few lines of the song, finishing with, "Dolly, I'm so nervous". Unsatisfied with her performance, Simpson has retaped the show - the later will be aired on December 26th.
Personal life
Jessica has received a good deal of publicity in the aftermath of her marriage to Nick Lachey. Following their break-up and pending divorce, She was reportedly linked to her Employee of the Month co-star Dane Cook, singer John Mayer, and, from The Dukes of Hazzard actor/comedian Johnny Knoxville. During the marriage several reports of a one night stand with Bam Margera surfaced which both denied at the time. Recently Bam Margera went on Howard Stern's radio show to "admit the truth" of those rumors.
Nick has never stood up against reports that Jessica cheated, saying that he didn't know whether the rumors were true, and he chose not to ask her about them. This indirectly reinforced the truth behind the rumors, and has tarnished Jessica's once innocent image.
Jessica's rep has repeatedly denied that she has dated anyone since her break-up with Nick. Magazines have also speculated that she was jealous of her ex-husband's growing stardom and relationship with television personality Vanessa Minnillo, though she has publicly denied this to be true.
According to British Esquire, Jessica has befriended actress Liv Tyler, and is planning a new joint album pending release in 2007, featuring songs and sound tracks dubbed from the epic movie trilogy Lord of the Rings.
Adam Green wrote a song about her called "Jessica".
When Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo gained the starting job for the team, it was reported he admitted that Jessica Simpson was his dream date. Afterward it was rumored that Simpson's agent arranged a date for the two. This has since been denied by Romo .
Discography
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
Sweet Kisses
| |
Irresistible
| |
This Is the Remix
| |
In This Skin
| |
Rejoyce: The Christmas Album
| |
A Public Affair
|
Tours
- Dream Chaser Tour (2001)
- Reality Tour Live (2004)
- Tour of Duty (2005)
- A Public Affair With Jessica Simpson (2007)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Daisy Duke | Major Supporting Role |
| 2006 | Employee of The Month | Amy Renfro | Major Supporting Role |
| 2007 | Blonde Ambition | Tess McGill | Leading Role |
Awards and nominations
- The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) — Daisy Duke
- 2005 People's Choice Awards
- Favorite Song from a Movie: Jessica Simpson - These Boots Are Made For Walkin, (Won) (January 9th, 2006)
- 2006 MTV Movie Awards
- Sexiest Performance: Jessica Simpson (Nominated) (June 8th 2006)
- Best On-Screen Team: Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott, Jessica Simpson (Nominated) (June 8th, 2006)
- 2006 Teen Choice Awards
- Choice Breakout Movie Star-Female: Jessica Simpson, (Won) (August 20th 2006)
- 2006 VH 1 Big
- Big Entertainer: Jessica Simpson (Nominated) (December 3rd 2006)
- 2005 People's Choice Awards
