Trailers Celebrity: Ashlee Simpson 9th Annual BAFTA Los Angeles TV Tea Party at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel on September 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ashlee Simpson 9th Annual BAFTA Los Angeles TV Tea Party at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel on September 17, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California

Ashlee Nicole Simpson (born October 3, 1984) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence for the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show.In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released her second number-one album, I Am Me. Her third album, Bittersweet World, was released almost three years later in April 2008. The following month, she married musician Pete Wentz and announced that they were expecting a child. On November 20, 2008, Simpson gave birth to their son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Simpson filed for divorce on February 8, 2011, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Simpson announced her engagement to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz on April 9, 2008. She had previously been wearing what she described as a "promise ring" from Wentz for several months. She chose not to confirm or deny reports that she was pregnant, saying that it was something to "keep personal." On May 17, 2008, Simpson and Wentz married at Simpson's parents' residence in Encino, California, where her father officiated the ceremony. Her surname changed from Simpson to Wentz and she was briefly known professionally as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. On May 28, 2008, Simpson and Wentz confirmed that they were expecting their first child. Simpson gave birth to their son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, on November 20, 2008. Simpson appeared alongside her husband in the crime drama series CSI: NY in 2009.

Simpson returned full-time to television episodes by playing the role of Violet Foster in Melrose Place, the CW's revamp of the '90s series of the same name. She was originally signed to the show as a regular, but producers and CW executives decided to write out her character, and she left the show after 13 episodes. Various rumors circulated as to the reason for her sudden departure, with theories including feuds with other cast members, lack of acting ability and financial issues. Her departure was generally attributed to the show needing a "face lift" because of the decreasing viewing figures. Simpson stated that she had known all along that her character would leave the show once the murder mystery storyline had concluded. After her departure from Melrose Place, Simpson reprised her role in the Broadway musical production of Chicago. She began her Broadway run on November 30, 2009 and performed in New York for six weeks. She played eight shows a week until February 7, 2010. When her run was completed, she stated that she was going to take a break to spend time with her son before beginning to work on her fourth studio album.