Is this a description or is it fish?
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980 in Abilene, Texas) is an American singer, actress, fashion designer, and television personality (1999-present). Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several TV 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.
Much like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Simpson was linked with The Mickey Mouse Club revival (though unlike them she failed the audition) and like them she went blonde and launched her career as a bubblegum pop star. While she enjoyed a reasonably successful career in the late '90s and early '00s, Simpson never reached the fame or sales of Spears or Aguilera.
What did make her a household name was not her music — at least not directly — but the 2003 reality series Newlyweds Nick And Jessica which depicted her married life with then-husband Nick Lachey (member of Boy Band 98 Degrees.) The show displayed Simpson's unconventional view of the world ("Is this chicken I'm eating or is it fish?") and transformed her image from a lovable Britney clone to a lovable walking, talking Dumb Blonde Joke. A famous Dumb Blonde Joke.
After the end of Newlyweds (and her marriage to Lachey) in 2005, Simpson continued to alternate between her singing career and acting in films like The Dukes of Hazzard for several years. Since 2010, she has mostly focused her creative output on a mega successful clothing line, the Jessica Simpson collection, which is notable in that it is designed for women of all sizes, as opposed to runway models.
She is currently married to former football player Eric Johnson. The couple have 2 daughters, Maxwell Drew (2012) and Birdie Mae (2019), and son, Ace Knute (2013). Her younger sister, Ashlee Simpson, is also an actress and pop singer.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Sweet Kisses (1999)
- Irresistible (2001)
- In This Skin (2003)
- A Public Affair (2006)
- Do You Know (2008)
Themed Albums/EP's
- This is The Remix {remix EP} (2002)
- Rejoyce: The Christmas Album (2004)
- Happy Christmas {Second Christmas Album} (2010)
- Playlist: The Very Best of {Compilation} (2010)
Headlining Concert Tours
- Dream Chaser (2001)
- Reality (2004)
Filmography
- That '70s Show (2002-03) - Annette (3 episodes)
- The Twilight Zone (2003) - Miranda Evans (episode "The Collection")
- The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) - Daisy Duke
- Employee of the Month (2006) - Amy Renfro
- Blonde Ambition (2007) - Katie Gregerstitch
- The Love Guru (2008) - Herself
- Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008) - Private Megan Valentine
- Entourage (2010) - Herself (episode "Bottoms Up")
This singer, actress, and television personality provides examples of:
- Aesop: "Fly"'s Aesop is that it's better to loves and lost then to have never loved at all.
- Always Someone Better: In the VH1 documentary Driven, some of the people closest to her mentioned getting a little frustrated that Britney and Christina were more successful than her. Britney and Christina passed the audition for The Mickey Mouse Club when she didn't, and years later "...Baby One More Time" and "Genie In A Bottle" were released before "I Wanna Love You Forever."
- Brainless Beauty / Dumb Blonde: Her persona on Newlyweds Nick And Jessica. Her actual intellectual capacity is debatable, but it's generally agreed that there was some intentional exaggeration when she saw the ratings boost. Given how successful her business ventures have been since divorcing Lachey, she's either Obfuscating Stupidity, a Genius Ditz, or at the very least is very, very good at picking skilled and honest business managers which still shows a notable degree of intelligence on her part.
- Careful with That Axe: This, combined with Melismatic Vocals. Jessica Simpson is a great belter, and often times belts out notes for seconds at time.
- Christmas Songs: Two Christmas albums to date.
- Country Music: The genre she chose for a comeback attempt. Didn't quite turn out like she figured.
- Cover Version: "Angels" and "Take My Breath Away" on In This Skin, and "Let Him Fly" on A Public Affair. Plus "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for The Dukes of Hazzard, where Jessica even changed the lyrics to they'd seem to be sung by Daisy Duke.
- The Ditz: At times especially in the reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica .
- Fan Girl: Mentioned in Newlyweds how she was a big supporter of Louis Vuitton.
- Forbidden Fruit: Has a song called this, about this very same concept.
- Gasshole: Told about her truck-driver belch: "You burp as much as Drew (Nick's brother) farts!"
- Girly Girl: Simply in relation to her sister.
- Hidden Depths: Those who haven't heard early songs like "I Think I'm in Love" and especially "I Wanna Love You Forever" and know her more as a celebrity may be shocked how well she could sing, at least in her early years. She began her career being compared with 90s divas like Céline Dion and Mariah Carey.
- Hotter and Sexier: "Irresistible" was supposed to be this.
- Intercourse with You: Of course a big feature of her "In This Skin" album, but also implied in many tracks in "Irresistible" like the title track in and "Forever In Your Eyes"
- Lighter and Softer: "In This Skin" is this to "Irresistible."
- Love Makes You Dumb: Reportedly had to pay Nick Lachey $12 million dollars in their divorce as she didn't sign a pre-nuptial agreement. In 2015 she called her marriage to Lachey her "biggest financial mistake".
- Ms. Fanservice: She had no qualms to emphasize her looks and curves. Greatest case is the video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", which culminates in a Fanservice Car Wash of the General Lee.
- New Sound Album: Do You Know was a Country Music album.
- Playing Hard to Get: Defied in "Irresistible" she outright says she's expected to reject a guy to make him try to get her, but she refuses to.
- Preacher's Kid: Used to sing in a church choir.
- Pretty in Mink: Has worn some furs in appearances and in specials, such as an ermine wrap during the Nick and Jessica Christmas special.
- Sampling: "I Think I'm In Love" samples the chorus of "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp.
- Self-Deprecation:
- She's willing to poke fun at her own ditziness. When she hosted Saturday Night Live, she did a mock ad for "Tuna of the Dirt Brand Chicken" that gradually turned into more and more of a Mind Screw.
- The music video of "With You" was released while Newlyweds was still airing and included self-effacing in-jokes from the show: This included disastrous attempts at house-cleaning, as well as shots of her wearing a couple Fun T Shirts based off quotes from the show, and eating canned tuna and later buffalo wings (the latter being a reference to her asking what part of the buffalo the wing comes from).
- Sex Goddess: Musician John Mayer once referred to her as 'sexual napalm' during an interview (they dated for almost a year when she was between marriages). When asked about it, Jessica replied, "It's... flattering. I guess?" in such a way that it was fairly clear she was trying to find some kind of positive from the comment.
- Stage Mom: In a gender-flipped case, she was managed by her father, Joe Simpson.
- Vocal Evolution: She used to have a rather clear, fresh voice and technique, but between Irresistible and In This Skin something happened and she started to use a strange breathless technique, on her most vocally challenging album.
