Jessica Simpson: Ignorance is Bliss
Someone with as wide a media coverage as Jessica Simpson is bound to stir some misunderstanding and misinterpretation. This star has achieved only moderate success, it’s true, but the media followed her life like she was the most sought after pop star these days. And maybe she is. The rumors about her being ignorant and uninformed are perhaps exaggerated or were intended to be a publicity stunt. In Newlyweds, the TV series in which she starred with real life ex-husband Nick Lachey, she was pictured her as a dumb blonde. One time, she asked if the tuna she was eating was made from fish or chicken. These and other stories have reinforced her image.
A Texan by birth, Jessica Simpson’s moderate success put her in the limelight nevertheless with sufficient staying power – well enough to record songs that enjoyed top ranking, launch an entire cosmetic line, a long running TV series and multiple appearances in public. Her younger sister, Ashlee Simpson, is also a singer. Their father, Joe Simpson belonged to the Baptist ministry while their mother Tina Ann was a Sunday school teacher. In her last year in high school, she dropped out to promote her album which her grandmother Joyce financed. This is why Jessica dedicated one of her later albums to her grandmother, calling it “Rejoyce – The Christmas Album.”
During the period 1999-2002, Jessica Simpson released her debut album, “Sweet Kisses” which landed at # 25 position in the US Billboard 200 chart; it also made it to the top 40 in the British charts. “Irresistible” was next in 2001 and again made it to the rankings of the US and Canadian charts. In 2002, she married Nick Lachey and the following year, the two appeared in the series Newlyweds which aired on MTV. The show was a hit with teens capturing 1.4 million viewers that increased to 4 million when the show was at its peak.
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In 2003, Simpson came out with her third album, “In This Skin” which had a slow start but it turned out to be her most successful album, selling 3 million copies in the US. Last summer (2005) Simpson appeared as Daisy Duke in the film The Dukes of Hazzard which grossed US$30 million. It was during the filming that rumors sparked about an affair with her co-star Johnny Knoxville. There have been others that the star was linked to, one of whom was Bam Magera. Months later Simpson and Lachey announced their separation. Simpson eventually filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. When the sequel to Dukes of Hazzard was offered to her, she reportedly turned it down, saying that she’s finished with reality TV.
Jessica and Nick were officially divorced in June this year. She has been seen around with John Mayer and according to sources, is inching her way back slowly into the dating scene.