Jessica Simpson makes heartbreaking admission about her skewered ‘American Idol' set: ‘Do not cry'
Jessica Simpson marked her first live television performance in 15 years during the 'American Idol' Season 23 finale on Sunday.
The artist, 44, opened up about how she felt after singing her 2005 version of Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Are Made for Walking' alongside former 'Idol' contestant Josh King. Simpson also performed her new tune 'Blame Me.'
8 Jessica Simpson on 'American Idol.'
Disney via Getty Images
'Oh, my God, I was dying,' the actress confessed to EXTRA. 'I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've been that nervous. Like, I had to put hairspray on my feet to stand still, like, not that it actually keeps me put, but, like, my feet were sweating. I'm like, my feet don't sweat.'
During the performance, Simpson had to remind herself to keep her emotions in check.
'I just kept telling myself, 'Do not cry. Do not cry. I know this is a big moment… do not cry,'' she recalled. 'And then I see my dad, like, up in the corner and I'm like, 'Ah, I'm going to cry. I'm going to cry. Do not cry. Just sing your songs. Just sing your songs.''
8 Jessica Simpson and Josh King perform on 'American Idol.'
Disney via Getty Images
8 Jessica Simpson performs on 'American Idol.'
Disney via Getty Images
The fashion designer acknowledged that 15 years since her last TV performance is 'a really long time.'
'The last time was a Christmas song, so that's easy,' Simpson said. 'So, this is my new EP 'Nashville Canyon' part one, I mean, part two comes in the summer, but it is so much a part of my soul, and so to sing a song off of that I felt naked, to be honest, like, it was very bare and raw and very vulnerable.'
The 'Leave' singer split from her estranged husband, Eric Johnson, after 10 years of marriage in January. Their three kids — Maxwell, 13, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5 — were there to cheer her on on Sunday night.
8 Jessica Simpson rehearsing for 'American Idol.'
jessicasimpson/Instagram
'I had my kids FaceTiming everybody to tell me I did a good job,' Simpson shared. 'And I haven't gotten to talk to them yet, but I'm so excited to talk to them because they've never seen me sing live like that.'
Touching on creating 'Nashville Canyon,' the star explained: 'It was really like I made a Spotify playlist of just music that I like, and it was not really any of the music that I've done before, because for me that was what people told me to do.'
'And I wanted to do something I was going to tell myself that I needed to do and felt right within my soul, so this playlist I would take into with songwriters and we'd sit there and they'd pick a song from the playlist and we'd kind of like vibe off of it,' Simpson added. 'But it's all very, like, vintage sounds I perform. I recorded live with a band, and I'll never do it another way again. I'll never just have a track in my headphones, I will always have, like, a band. I think I was meant to always be in a band.'
8 Jessica Simpson at the 'American Idol' finale.
Disney via Getty Images
Despite Simpson's return to music, some 'American Idol' viewers weren't thrilled with her performance.
'Jessica Simpson was an absolute train wreck on American Idol tonight!!' one viewer wrote on X after the show.
'Now Jessica Simpson is struggling and fighting for her life singing her biggest hit 'these boots were made for walking,'' another social media user said.
One fan went as far as to post a picture of judge Luke Bryan and wrote, 'Luke's face during that Jessica Simpson performance is the epitome of cringe.'
8 Jessica Simpson and War and Treaty.
Disney via Getty Images
Beneath a YouTube video, one person quoted former 'American Idol' judge Randy Jackson, writing, 'Um. It's a no from me Dawg… this is not a comeback.'
Despite the hiccup, the 'Dukes of Hazzard' actress is also dipping her toes back into the acting world.
She recently filmed an episode of Ryan Murphy's latest series 'All's Fair,' which follows a group of female divorce lawyers.
8 Jessica Simpson performs at the 'American Idol' finale.
Disney via Getty Images
8 Jessica Simpson.
Disney via Getty Images
The star-studded cast also includes Glenn Close, Teyana Taylor, Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Sarah Paulson.
'I did an episode of 'All's Fair,' and what a show! I mean, great cast. It is so fun,' she told the outlet. 'I didn't want it to end, like, I was so grateful that Ryan Murphy thought of me.'
Murphy's 'people called my people,' according to Simpson.
'Also, like, I'm friends with Kim. I don't know if it was her idea at all, but definitely, I was glad she was on set and we had scenes together,' she continued. 'Yeah it was amazing. I mean, Naomi Watts, like, we all had a blast, and the director, Anthony Hemingway, he made me feel so comfortable being crazy — because my role is very crazy.'
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