Ashlee Simpson Unveils Painful Past: From Body Shamers to Platinum Success
Ashlee Simpson Spills on Body-Shaming Ex and Infamous SNL Blunder
Get ready for a juicy dose of Ashlee Simpson's life story, straight from her own mouth! The 40-year-old pop star is reflecting on the darkest days of her early 2000s rise to fame, including an ex-boyfriend's hurtful body-shaming comments that left her feeling traumatized.
In a candid conversation on the podcast series Pod Meets World, Ashlee shared the painful memory while chatting with former Boy Meets World stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle. The singer, who recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her debut album Autobiography, opened up about her songwriting process and what inspired some of her most iconic tracks.
According to Ashlee, a past beau had the nerve to tell her, "You look fat, you need to get on the treadmill!" in an attempt to shame her into losing weight. But instead of letting his hurtful words break her, Ashlee channelled them into creative fuel for her music. "Get ready for what I'm about to say," she quipped.
It's no secret that Ashlee has always used her music as a form of therapy, but the extent to which she'd relive painful experiences to craft hit songs is truly astonishing. The mother-of-three confessed that she'd often head into the recording studio with fresh heartbreak, using it as motivation to pour her emotions onto tape.
"My whole life, I've had to tell people what happened," Ashlee explained on Pod Meets World. "And at some point, I started asking myself, 'What am I trying to tell people?' It's like, I'm not just writing these songs for myself; I'm sharing them with the world."
The album Autobiography was a game-changer in Ashlee's career, catapulting her into the spotlight with its release in July 2004. The album debuted alongside her MTV reality series The Ashlee Simpson Show, which ran for two seasons from June 2004 to March 2005.
However, it was also during this time that Ashlee infamously lip-synced on Saturday Night Live (SNL) after her band began playing the wrong song and her pre-recorded vocals blared through the speakers. The awkward moment left viewers cringing in shock, but Ashlee later blamed her decision not to sing live on "severe acid reflux" that had left her voice shot.
Looking back, Ashlee admitted that she was dealing with a toxic situation during that time. "I mean, the bullying was insane," she said on Pod Meets World. But instead of letting it break her, Ashlee channeled her emotions into music, crafting songs that would resonate with fans worldwide.
The podcast series teased the latest episode by sharing a throwback photo of Ashlee and Danielle Fishel, captioning it: "NEW EPISODE! Old pals Danielle and @ashleesimpsonross are reunited on the latest Pod Meets World to talk about her upcoming Las Vegas residency, the toxicity of Y2K bullying and their MTV Winter Break of fun."
And speaking of exciting news – Ashlee is currently gearing up for her Las Vegas residency I Am Me, with shows scheduled in late August and September. "Rehearsals are done!" she wrote on Instagram. "I can't wait to share this show with you in 10 days!"
Stay tuned for more updates from The Scholarly Note!