If you’re a millennial American, you’ve probably heard of Jessica Simpson — the actress-turned-entrepreneur who created a multi-million dollar retail empire. Thanks to her glamorous career, Jessica’s net worth is in the millions, and her journey, inspirational.

But Jessica’s career isn’t limited to acting and retail. She has been a pop sensation, reality TV star, and producer.

If you’re curious about Jessica’s net worth and how she climbed to the top of her career in multiple industries, we’ve got the scoop for you.

Plus, find out how you can build a million dollar net worth FREE.

What is Jessica Simpson’s Net Worth?

Jessica Simpson’s net worth is an estimated $200 million.

Nelly’s Net Worth$200 million
Date of BirthJuly 10, 1980
Age42 years
Gender Female
Height1.61m (5’ 3”)
Place of BirthAbilene, Texas
ProfessionSinger, Actor, Entrepreneur

Jessica’s wealth comes primarily from two sources: entertainment (acting and singing) and retail business.

The American sensation started her career during the same decade as some of the most popular personalities in the entertainment industry, such as Britney Spears and Mandy Moore.

Let’s take a closer look at young Jessica’s life and track her career trajectory over the past two decades.

Who is Jessica Simpson?

Jessica Simpson is an American actress, pop singer, reality TV celebrity, movie star, and entrepreneur. She was born in Abilene, Texas, on July 10, 1980. Jessica and her younger sister Ashley spent their childhood in Waco and Dallas, Texas.

Jessica Simpson’s Early Life

Born to a Baptist youth minister, Jessica was raised in a religious family. She joined the choir as a child, and that’s when she found her love for singing.

Jessica’s career had a rocky start. She auditioned and made it to the semi-finals of The Mickey Mouse Club when she was 12, but she didn’t make it through to the finals.

Soon after, Proclaim Records — a Christian music label — signed Jessica for her unreleased debut album Jessica.

Why unreleased? The company went bankrupt. But Jessica had a grandmother, and she turned out to be Jessica’s lucky charm.

Jessica’s grandmother funded a limited pressing of the record. Jessica sent copies to several labels and producers.

Tommy Mottola, the head of Columbia Records, liked Jessica and signed her.

What are the Sources of Jessica Simpson’s Income?

Jessica has created various diverse income streams since the beginning of her career in 1999.

Music Career

Tommy Mottola advised Jessica to take a contrarian approach. Unlike Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, Tommy asked Jessica to build an anti-sex appeal image.

In 1999, Jessica's debut single, “I Wanna Love You Forever,” was out. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification from the RIAA.

The same year, Jessica released her debut studio album Sweet Kisses. The album received double platinum certification.

She released her second, less successful album, Irresistible, in 2001.

In 2002, Jessica strategically released In This Skin, her third studio the day of the premiere of her new show with husband Nick Lachey (Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica) and promoted the album on the show. But that didn’t help the album’s sales.

She released more albums over the next few years, such as:

Jessica left Columbia Records for Epic Records in 2006. She made the switch shortly after Charlie Walk, the former executive VP of creative marketing and promotion for Columbia, became the president at Epic.

Acting Career

In 2002, Jessica married her boyfriend, Nick Lachey. And call it what you will — Jessica’s career took off right after.

After their marriage, Jessica and Nick starred in a reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.

Jessica appeared on The Ashlee Simpson Show ,her sister Ashlee Simpson’s reality TV show, in 2004.

Simpson made her film debut with The Dukes of Hazzard in 2005. The critics weren’t happy with the film, but it raked in over $11 million globally. Jessica appeared in many movies after this, including:

Jessica was also a part of Fashion Star (2012-2013), a reality TV show where Jessica appeared as a mentor.

Fashion Line

Jessica is a more successful businesswoman than a pop star or actor. But she did hit a few speed bumps along the way.

One of Jessica’s earliest businesses was Dessert — a line of edible cosmetics that included everything from lip gloss to perfumes. She launched the business in 2004 with Randi Shinder.

The business line failed in the face of multiple lawsuits.

Jessica launched one of her most successful businesses — the Jessica Simpsons Collection — in 2005.

She outsourced manufacturing to the Camuto Group. Jessica and Comuto co-developed female cowboy boots similar to the ones Jessica wore in the movie The Dukes of Hazzard.

Jessica sold the master license and a 25% stake in the Jessica Simpsons Collection to Camuto. According to the licensing agreement, Camuto had the first right to manufacture all of Simpson’s products.

Over time, Jessica and Camuto created various fashion products, including perfumes, hair wash, and lingerie.

The Jessica Simpson Collection was bringing in $1 billion in revenue by 2014. But Jessica’s share was about 1% of the brand’s revenue. So in 2014, Jessica made roughly $13 million.

Jessica sold 62.5% of her stake the following year for $117 million to Sequential Brands. But the company went bankrupt in 2021.

What’s even more interesting is that Jessica’s contract with Sequential prohibited them from selling the brand without Jessica’s nod. Jessica decided to reacquire her stake from Sequential for $65 million.

FAQ

What is Jessica Simpson’s net worth?

Jessica Simpson’s net worth is an estimated $200 million.

What retail products does Jessica Simpson sell?

Jessica Simpson sells retail products in 30 categories, including clothing, accessories, shoes, luggage, perfume, hair wash, and more.

What is the story behind Jessica Simpson’s bankruptcy?

Jessica Simpson has never gone bankrupt. However, Sequential Brands (the company Jessica had sold a significant stake in her business to) went bankrupt in 2021.

The brand blamed decreasing revenue from licensing agreements and the pandemic for bankruptcy. Jessica repurchased her stake from Sequential at the time of bankruptcy for $117 million.

What other business mogul has Jessica Simpson been compared to?

Jessica Simpson has often been compared to business moguls from the entertainment industry like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (a liquor entrepreneur), Kylie Jenner (a cosmetics entrepreneur), and Dr. Dre (an electronics entrepreneur).

What awards has Jessica Simpson achieved?

Here are the awards Jessica Simpson has won during her career so far:

  • Teen Choice Award: Choice Breakout for “Where You Are” (2000)
  • Teen Choice Award: Choice Love Song for “Where You Are” (2000)
  • BMI Pop Music Award for “Irresistible” (2001)
  • ASCAP Award: Most Performed Song for “With You” (2004)
  • Teen Choice Award: Choice Reality/Variety TV Star (Female) for Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica
  • Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Personality (Female) (2005)
  • Teen Choice Award: Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon (Female) (2005)
  • Teen Choice Award: Movies - Choice Breakout (Female) for The Dukes of Hazzard (2006)
  • People’s Choice Award: Favorite Song from a Movie for “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” (2006)

Takeaway

Jessica paved her own path to becoming a millionaire. She founded one of the most successful retail brands in America even when her singing and acting careers weren’t too shabby to begin with.

Becoming an actor takes hard work and a little bit of luck. We can’t influence your luck, but if you want to build a business that will make the world a better place, we’ve got just what you need.

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