Jessica Simpson's daughter has seen Katy Perry perform but not mom

Publish date: 2024-05-28

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It’s Jess a mom thing — no kidding. 

Jessica Simpson frequently has to tame her temper when it comes to her kids catching flights with the Kardashians to see the likes of Katy Perry perform — mostly because her brood has yet to ever see their “Irresistible”-crooning mom hit the stage. 

“They’ve never seen me do this,” said Simpson, 42, as the cover girl of Bustle’s July issue, referring to kids Maxwell, 11, Ace, 10, and Birdie Mae, 4, whom she shares with husband Eric Johnson, 43.

While wowing in eye-catching couture for the piece, the “Take My Breath Away” chanteuse candidly addressed her Ozempic-free weight loss, a sorely missed opportunity to work with Beyoncé’s songwriters due to her bout with alcoholism and regaining ownership of her eponymous fashion brand for over $54 million in 2021. 

In the July 2023 cover story for Bustle magazine, Jessica Simpson shares her truth about her weight loss and alcohol-recovery journeys, buying back her fashion empire and her desire to reprise her singing career to impress her kids. Daniella Midenge / Bustle

She also casually laughed off the recent wave of viral vitriol ex-hubby Nick Lachey, 49, has amassed on TikTok for criticizing her in resurfaced clips from the MTV reality series “Newlyweds,” which chronicled their brief marriage in the early 2000s.

But for Simpson, her daughter Maxwell’s enchantment with “Firework”-singing Perry is no laughing matter. 

“I have my daughter taking a private plane with North West to go see Katy Perry in Vegas,” she said. “And inside I’m like, ‘She was supposed to see me first,’ ” added the ’90s pop diva-turned-fashion mogul. 

Perry recently invited Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West, 10, and friends to join her onstage during a concert. Getty Images for Katy Perry
Simpson says her daughter Maxwell has traveled with Kim Kardashian’s oldest daughter, North West, to attend Perry’s shows. Jessica Simpson/Instagram

The surges of fleeting jealousy have made the “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” luminary consider uprooting her family from their Hidden Hills, California, abode to reboot her vocal career in Nashville, Tennessee, endearingly nicknamed “Music City.” It’s where she frequently went for work, a month prior to being rushed to the emergency room with a twisted colon in June. 

But before getting too bent out of shape over her kid’s fascination with other hitmakers, Simpson says she often talks herself out of taking drastic measures like moving or picking up a microphone. 

“I’m like, ‘This is not competitive, Jessica. Let your daughter enjoy Katy Perry,’ ” she revealed of her self-soothing inner dialogue. 

Simpson said she’s recently entertained the idea of revamping her music career in Nashville. Bustle Daniella Midenge

“But there’s moments that make me want to do it — for them to see that color of me,” continued the songstress.

And Simpson, who penned the memoir “Open Book” in 2020, wants her children to see the real her on social media, too. 

“How do I want to raise my daughters?” the multitalented artist recalled recently asking herself. 

Simpson also reflected on her social media habits, suggesting that her inclination to touch up her pictures before sharing them can be detrimental to her kids’ self-esteem. Getty Images for Jessica Simpson Collection

“I was going to post a photo because everybody’s down my neck, [saying], ‘Jessica, you need to post, Jessica, you need to post,’ ” she said. 

“Then I go to post and I’m like, ‘Oh, but let’s go to the FaceApp [first],” Simpson admitted of her impulse to perfect her images before sharing them online. (She’s previously found herself on the business end of cyber savagery for posting unflattering frames on Instagram.)   

“I’m like, ‘Oh, that makes it look a little bit better. Oh, that makes it a little bit better,’ ” she continued, mocking herself for editing her pics. 

“What has done that to me? What is that doing to my daughter?” Simpson questioned. 

“What we’re doing on social media is creating this idea of what is beautiful and setting up our lives artificially,” she said, adding, “To look good for who?”

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