Here's How Plastic Surgery Damaged Ashlee Simpson's Career

In 2004, Ashlee Simpson entered the music scene. Despite following in the footsteps of her big sister, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee tried to stick out from Jessica's "good girl" persona, and instead, paved her own path. Ashlee released her single "Pieces of Me" in 2004, in addition to her reality show, The Ashlee Simpson Show, which showed her fun and quirky personality. Throughout the series, viewers got a glimpse into Ashlee's relationship with Ryan Cabrera and saw the Texas native rise to fame.

However, the musical artist's road to stardom quickly came to a halt after she bombed her performance on Saturday Night Live in 2004. Ashlee first sang "Pieces of Me," which went well, but when she went to perform "Autobiography," a pre-recorded track of "Pieces of Me" started playing. Ashlee did an awkward dance, and there was speculation that she lip-synced while on stage. Ashlee tried to defend herself at the end of the show by saying (via Newsweek), "My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd do a hoedown. I'm sorry. It's live TV. Things happen. I'm sorry."

Later on, Ashlee — who was known for having a bump on her nose — got plastic surgery, making some of her fans upset with her new appearance. So, how did Ashlee's career go downhill once she went under the knife? Keep reading to find out.

In July 2006, Ashlee Simpson appeared on the cover of Marie Claire magazine. In her feature, she preached about loving herself despite knowing she is not perfect. "Everyone is made differently, and that's what makes us beautiful and unique," Simpson told the outlet (via MTV News). "I want girls to look in the mirror and feel confident."

But after the issue hit newsstands, Simpson sported a new nose, and fans were upset her comments weren't authentic. As a result, Joanna Coles, who was Editor-in-Chief at the time, received hundreds of letters in protest. "I realize you can't control what your cover models do after the interview and photo shoot, but still!" one reader wrote (via MTV News), while another echoed, "The article ... was a joke, right?"

In response, Coles did not give Simpson the benefit of the doubt. "She was quoting chapter and verse about how crucial it is to love yourself as you are, etc.," Coles wrote in a follow-up issue of the magazine, per The New York Times. "We're dazed and confused — and disappointed — by her choice too!" 

After Ashlee Simpson got a nose job, the singer was initially hesitant to confirm the news and skirted around any questions regarding her changed appearance. The "Pieces of Me" songstress finally defended her decision to alter her look a year later — and no, she didn't do it to appease anyone but herself. "I don't get bothered by people saying what they say," Simpson told Harper's BAZAAR in May 2007 (via People). "I'm a happy person, and I'm happy with my looks. I loved how I looked. I'm not an insecure person, nor was I before."

Simpson acknowledged that going under the knife is "a personal choice." She added, "I believe if somebody chooses to do plastic surgery, it [should be] for yourself, not for anyone else." 

At the end of the day, Simpson made it clear that she's happy with the results and doesn't spend time thinking about the haters. "Everybody always has an opinion," she stated. "One minute they'll love you; one minute they'll hate you. When you go home to sleep at night, [the important thing] is to feel good about yourself. And I do."

Years after Ashlee Simpson was involved in the lip-syncing scandal on Saturday Night Live and secretly went under the knife to fix her nose, the Hollywood star has come out on the other side. In 2018, Simpson's new reality show Ashlee + Evan, featuring her husband, Evan Ross, and their family, premiered on E!. The now-canceled series took viewers inside Simpson's life and mentioned her previous mishaps.

"It's definitely not difficult to talk about ... that was a very long time ago," the television personality told E! News in 2018 about the SNL incident. "It's something that happened to me and things in life happen to you and they make you stronger and they make you a better performer, a better person. I think things like that build your character and your strength and it's how you handle them."

Simpson — who shares daughter Jagger with Ross and shares son Bronx with her ex Pete Wentz — made it clear that she's not the same person she once was. "For me, I feel like it's been such a long time I've been out," she added. "I came to a place where I was like, 'Well, I do want people to know where I'm at and who I am in my life.' I was a teen, angsty girl on my show back in the day and now I'm a woman and a mother."

As the saying goes: When one door closes, another opens, and that certainly seems to be the case for Simpson.