Back in the mid-2000s, Jessica Simpson was married to Nick Lachey and their MTV reality series Newlyweds was super popular. Her younger sister, Ashlee Simpson, was just getting started with her own music career. She had her own MTV series called The Ashlee Simpson Show and was promoting herself as a pop star who co-wrote her own tunes. And when she was the musical guest on an October 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live, fans were excited to see her perform.

Of course, the moment went viral for a tough reason: Ashlee Simpson was lip-synching. And after putting out a few albums, she no longer seemed to want to pursue music. What happened to Simpson's career and was SNL to blame?

What Happened When Ashlee Simpson Lip-Synched On SNL?

Ashlee Simpson has starred on several reality shows in recent years, including Ashlee + Evan with her husband Evan Ross. The series only had one season on E! and showed her family life at home with her three kids Jagger, Ziggy and Bronx.

No one can forget when Ashlee Simpson lip-synched on Saturday Night Live in October 2004. She was promoting her album "Pieces Of Me," which was the first album she ever put out into the world, and she must have been excited to jump start her singing career.

Ashlee Simpson On SNL
via NBC

Simpson sang her single "Pieces Of Me" and while she was meant to sing "Autobiography" next, "Pieces Of Me" began playing. And since her voice could clearly be heard and she was obviously not singing, people knew that she had been lip-synching.

RELATED: Why Pete Wentz's Marriage To Ashlee Simpson Didn't Last

Simpson looked confused and danced a jig, which is one of the most memorable parts of the SNL episode. The moment went viral and no one could stop talking about it.

MTV reported that Ashlee Simpson was interviewed by TRL a few days later and she said that she had acid reflux. She said, "It's so embarrassing because it sucks. The total situation was a bummer. I made a complete fool of myself."

A close up of Ashley Simpson with blonde hair, and a shot of her performing in concert with darker hair.
via The Things

The singer added, "My dad was like, 'I'm sorry, you have to sing along with the backing track.'"

In 2018, Ashlee Simpson was interviewed on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and "I had a vocal problem" and "I woke up and I had no voice." She said that telling SNL that she couldn't go on at all would have been a better idea.

Was SNL The Reason Why Ashlee Simpson's Music Career Stopped?

It's definitely possible to say that Ashlee Simpson's music career was negatively impacted by her SNL lip-synching. She released three albums: "Autobiography" in 2004, "I Am Me" in 2005, and "Bittersweet World" in 2008.

"Autobiography" did the best of the three albums, and it came out in the summer of 2004, just a few months before Simpson appeared on SNL. The song "Pieces Of Me" made it to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 18th, 2004.

Evan Ross and Ashlee Simpson looking serious
via Instar

People were aware of Ashlee Simpson since she was marketed as the younger sister of Jessica Simpson and she seemed to have a different, catchier pop sound. Her MTV reality series was also fun to watch since it showed her writing songs and working on her first album. She seemed young, eager, and passionate about her music career.

RELATED: Things Ashlee Simpson Has Done Since "Pieces Of Me"

Ashlee Simpson talked about the SNL episode on Ashlee + Evan. According to People, she said, “For me I went back in, I made a second record, it was number one. And I made a third record and I toured all the amphitheaters… and I don’t even think the world knows that I got to that place."

But even though she did record and put out her second and third albums, Simpson didn't receive the positive attention that she did for her first album "Pieces Of Me." And it's very possible that the world's opinion of her changed after she lip-synched on Saturday Night Live. For many years, this was what people associated with the singer, and it seems like it was hard for her to get away from this conversation.

Ashlee Simpson standing with her hand on one hip at an event
via Instar

Simpson mentioned to Andy Cohen that she sang on Saturday Night Live again and said that people don't talk about that. According to Billboard, she performed a song called "Catch Me When I Fall" in an episode that aired in October 2005. She said, “I wrote this song after my last ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance.'"

But even after Simpson's SNL appearance, it doesn't seem that her music was very popular with people. Entertainment Weekly reported that when she sang at the Orange Bowl in 2005, she got booed. This is definitely not something that any artist wants to experience and must have been even tougher considering the reaction to her SNL episode.

Simpson said in an interview with MTV that she wasn't able to actually hear what she was singing as the stage didn't have floor or ear monitors.

RELATED: Ashlee Or Jessica Simpson: Which Sister Has The Higher Net Worth?

However, while she faced a backlash after SNL, it doesn't appear that Ashlee Simpson ever lost her love for music. It could be argued that the momentum for her career went away and people started focusing on her SNL mistake instead of the songs that she was putting out.

In January 2023, The Daily Mail reported that Simpson shared on The Jennifer Hudson Show that she would like to put out another album.

Ashlee Simpson in Las Vegas
via Instar

The Daily Mail mentioned that Simpson and her husband released an EP called Ashlee + Evan in 2018. However, this might not be something that people know much about as it didn't get a lot of attention. The couple toured for this EP in a few venues in the U.S.

Simpson also said on The Jennifer Hudson Show that her mother-in-law, Diana Ross, says really kind things about her music.

In the meantime, Simpson has been busy with other things. She put out a line of clothing with the brand Smash + Tess that includes dresses, rompers, and t-shirts. The singer has also been raising her three kids. She still sings sometimes, though. In September 2022, Simpson sang her song "La La" with Demi Lovato as part of Lovato's tour in Los Angeles.