Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Nicole Simpson (born October 3, 1984) is an American pop rock singer and an actress. Originally known for being the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson, Simpson eventually rose to promi

Ashlee Nicole Simpson (born October 3, 1984) is an American pop rock singer and an actress. Originally known for being the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson, Simpson eventually rose to prominence in mid-2004 through her chart-topping debut album Autobiography and the accompanying MTV reality series The Ashlee Simpson Show. Simpson received widespread derision when she used pre-recorded tracks on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in October 2004. (Simpson claimed she needed a backing track because she was suffering from acid reflux.) Simpson's second number-one album, I Am Me, was released in October 2005.

Born and raised in Texas, Ashlee is the daughter of Joe Truett Simpson (a former Baptist youth minister who is now her manager) and Tina Ann Drew (a former Sunday School teacher who homeschooled Ashlee). An accomplished dancer, Simpson began studying classical ballet at the age of three, and was admitted to the School of American Ballet in New York City at the age of eleven. Also at this age, while in ballet school, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, the condition lasted about six months, and she dropped to about 70 pounds (at 5 feet, 2 inches). She credits her parents with stepping in and getting her to eat. After Simpson's sister Jessica signed a record deal, their family decided to move to Los Angeles, California, where Simpson began appearing in television commercials. When Jessica achieved fame through her first album, Simpson became a backup dancer for Jessica's concerts. Later, she began appearing in films and television series, including an episode of the TV sitcom Malcolm in the Middle in 2001, a minor role in the 2002 film The Hot Chick and a recurring role in the series 7th Heaven. In 2003, Simpson recorded a song called "Just Let Me Cry" for the soundtrack to the film Freaky Friday. Eventually, Simpson signed a record deal with Geffen Records.