The Simpson sisters stay in the spotlight
Ashlee's reported pregnancy is the latest thing keeping the two in the news.
April 17, 2008 — -- Those singing Simpson girls seem to get wrapped up in a media swirl regularly. This week, it's whether Ashlee, newly engaged to rocker Pete Wentz, is pregnant. Sister Jessica and dad Joe also have played coy with the media. And every time they do, it seems to whip up an even bigger frenzy. USA TODAY checks out the Simpsons' stories.
Jessica
Marriage on the rocks?
She and Nick Lachey were married in October 2002, and talk of trouble began long before the official split in 2005.
How it unfolded: Two years into the marriage -- and just as their reality show Newlyweds started filming a new season -- reports surfaced of Lachey attending a wild bachelor party. "Our relationship is better than it's ever been," Jessica tells People. "We are absolutely not breaking up," Lachey says. Questions of the marriage's stability continue, and in early October 2005, Simpson tells OK! magazine: "Yes, we're married and we love each other. … I don't need diamonds on my finger to show that I love my husband." In July 2005, Joe Simpson, who also manages Jessica's career, tells People: "Have there been moments when Nick has wanted to leave Jessica or Jess has wanted to leave Nick? Absolutely." He quickly adds that the disagreements are not a sign of trouble. "If fighting is a sign of divorce, then we're all going to get divorced."
In the end: The couple call it quits late in 2005. "We have decided to part ways," they announce in a joint statement issued Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Eve. "This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other. We hope that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."
Ashlee
Bun in the oven?
Engaged -- and expecting?
How it unfolded: Ashlee issues a statement on the Internet on April 9 announcing that she and Fall Out Boy bassist Wentz are engaged. Days later, tabloids and celebrity websites raise the possibility of pregnancy. Wentz lashes out and publicly denies it. "This is all news to me. I can't wait for the story about how I'm really in a gay relationship and this is all just a cover. … I mean really, this is crazy. … I mean, were engaged, that's true, and happy about it," he writes in an e-mail to MTV News on Monday. "When people deny (pregnancy reports) it's probably because it's something they want to keep personal," Ashlee told MTV on Tuesday. But the couple are indeed having a baby, according to the latest People, out Friday.
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