page_title: Jessica Simpson
section_title: 2006–2009: A Public Affair, movies and Do You Know
hierarchical_section_title: Jessica Simpson / Life and career / 2006–2009: A Public Affair, movies and Do You Know
caption_attribution_description: Jessica Simpson
context_page_description: Jessica Ann Johnson is an American singer, actress, fashion designer, and author. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, at age 16. Her debut studio album, Sweet Kisses, sold two million copies in the United States and saw the commercial success of the single "I Wanna Love You Forever". Simpson adopted a more mature image for her second studio album Irresistible, and its title track became her second top 20 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In This Skin, Simpson's third studio album, sold three million copies in the United States and saw the success of the single "With You", which topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
  During her earlier career, Simpson became known for her relationship and later marriage to Nick Lachey, with whom she appeared on the MTV reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica between 2003 and 2005.
context_section_description: Simpson began working on her fifth studio album in 2005. It was confirmed in March 2006 that she had parted ways with Columbia Records, whom she had been with since the launch of her career, and had signed a new recording contract with Epic Records. Simpson and stylist Ken Pavés launched a line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network in 2006. Simpson released her new single, "A Public Affair" (2006) on June 29. The song entered the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100, and earned a gold certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 copies in the United States. The single, an upbeat breakup song, was released the day before her divorce from Lachey was finalized. The song most notably entered the top ten of the iTunes Store at the same time as her sister's single "Invisible" (2006), marking the first time that two siblings had appeared simultaneously in the store's top ten.
  Her fifth studio album, A Public Affair (2006), debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 101,000 copies. The album failed to match the success of In This Skin (2003), selling just over 500,000 copies in the United States. The empowerment anthem "I Belong to Me" (2006), which served as the album's second and final single, failed to achieve commercial success. Simpson starred alongside Dane Cook and Dax Shepard in the comedy film Employee of the Month (2006), released that October. The film was met with a negative critical reaction, and failed to have commercial success. Simpson performed a cover of the Dolly Parton song "9 to 5" (1980) as a tribute to the artist at the Kennedy Center Awards in December 2006. The performance was met with harsh criticism after Simpson forgot the lyrics to the song; she was given a chance to redo the song for the cameras, though her performance was ultimately cut from the broadcast. The underperformance of both Simpson's fifth studio album and her second film was noted by critics, as her sister Ashlee experienced a similar decline in success.
  Simpson had an on-again, off-again relationship with singer-songwriter John Mayer from August 2006 to May 2007. She later described her relationship with Mayer in her 2020 memoir, Open Book.
  In November 2007, Simpson began dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The relationship was controversial among fans of the Cowboys, who blamed Simpson for Romo's poor performance in games after the pair got together. Some fans dubbed Simpson "Yoko Romo," a reference to Yoko Ono, who is widely believed to have been the cause of the split of The Beatles. Then-president George W. Bush even commented on the pair's relationship, implying that Simpson was to blame for Romo's lackluster performances. Simpson and Romo were reported to have ended their relationship in July 2009. Simpson appeared alongside Luke Wilson in the film Blonde Ambition (2007); it had a limited release in Texas before being released on home media. She also starred in the direct-to-video film Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008), portraying an actress who joins the military. The film was met with an overwhelmingly negative reaction upon its release. Simpson teamed up with Parlux Fragrances to launch her first scent, Fancy, in 2008. The fragrance was met with a positive commercial reaction.
  Simpson began working on her sixth studio album in 2007, with her father claiming that she was experimenting with country music for the record. Simpson claimed to have grown up around country music, and wanted to "give something back." She released "Come On Over" (2008) as the project's lead single on June 20. The song debuted at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making it the highest debut for an artist's first entry on that chart. Do You Know (2008) was released on September 9. The project sold 65,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was deemed a commercial flop, only appearing for nine weeks on the Billboard 200 and selling just over 200,000 copies in the United States as of 2012. Simpson
caption: Simpson in June 2008
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