Ashlee refused to follow in her older sister Jessica Simpson's footsteps when their father tried to make them wear a purity ring as a reminder not to have sex before marriage.
- Feb 21, 2024
AceShowbiz - Ashlee Simpson wouldn't wear a purity ring like her older sister Jessica Simpson. Their father Joe made Jessica wear the jewellery worn as a symbol of abstaining from sex until marriage, with Jessica, 43, waiting until she tied the knot with her first husband Nick Lachey in 2002.
However, Ashlee, 39, who lost her virginity when she was 17, refused to be so open with her parents about her love life.
Speaking on the 'Broad Ideas' podcast, she said, "I think [when I was] younger, too, I would come off way more rebellious than I was. Because I was like, 'Oh no, I'm not doing that.' " She continued, "I would see how my dad would be like, 'You can't talk to this guy.' [Or like], 'Here's your ring to save yourself.' "
Ashlee - who has Bronx, 15, with ex-husband Pete Wentz, and Jagger, eight, and Ziggy, three, with husband Evan Ross - recalled how her father "tried to give me one at 12 and I was like, 'Oh, no thank you. I will [not] be telling you when I am having sex.' " She insisted, "I always wanted it to be open that you don't know what I'm doing."
Their mom, Tina, was supportive of her need for a "free" life. She added, "My mom really would pay attention and see me if I needed something different. I wanted to do my own thing. They had to let me be free … or at least feel free."
Jessica went on to marry Eric Johnson - with whom she has Maxwell, 11, Ace, 10, and four-year-old Birdie - in 2014.
