Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson rose to fame as a singer during the teen-pop explosion of the late ’90s. She became a household name the following decade thanks to the MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. • While growing up in Texas, Jessica and her younger sister, Ashlee, spent much of their time performing in church choirs. Their father was a Baptist youth minister. • Simpson signed to Columbia Records at 16 and made her formal debut in 1999 with the song “I Wanna Love You Forever”. It was the lead single off her debut album, Sweet Kisses, and it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. • During the early stages of her career, Simpson was positioned as a wholesome alternative to hypersexualized pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Simpson adopted a more mature image for the release of her sophomore album, 2001’s Irresistible. • In August 2003, following her marriage to 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey the previous year, Simpson released the album In This Skin. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200—her highest chart placement to date. • On the same day In This Skin came out, MTV premiered Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The series presented Simpson as a stereotypical ditzy blonde—a character Jessica claims she played knowingly. • She portrayed Daisy Dukes in the 2005 film adaptation of the ’80s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. For the soundtrack, Simpson recorded a cover of the Nancy Sinatra classic “These Boots are Made for Walkin’”. Her version reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. • After finalizing her divorce with Lachey in 2006, Jessica released the album A Public Affair. It went Top 5 on the Billboard 200. • She reconnected with her country roots on the 2008 album Do You Know, which features a duet with Dolly Parton. • Simpson has since focused on raising a family, running her highly lucrative business ventures and acting in television and film.