The Transformation Of Jessica Simpson's Face Can't Go Unnoticed

The following article mentions addiction issues.

Jessica Simpson is no stranger to people dissecting every aspect of her look, whether it's her fluctuating weight, her changing lips, or anything in between. Since releasing her first album in 1999, Simpson has spent most of her life under a microscope and, in 2010, she even turned the criticism into a VH1 reality series titled "The Price of Beauty." On the show, Simpson traveled around the world to discover what women are willing to do to achieve various beauty standards, which taught her the importance of looking in, rather than out, for acceptance. "Nobody's words, nobody's compliments, nobody's love, none of that — it's all what I have within myself," she told Oprah following the experience.

These days, as a mom of three, Simpson is teaching her kids about body positivity and trying to keep them from the trauma she herself experienced. As she told Access Hollywood in 2023, "I try to not complain about myself in front of them." Rather than dieting, she strives to follow a healthy lifestyle and set a good example for them. "I tell my kids, how you feel about yourself is how you should feel," she mused. Even so, Simpson has spoken openly about going under the knife to achieve the perfect look, as well as her biggest plastic surgery regrets. However, she's adamant that she's happy with how she looks nowadays and yet, the transformation of Jessica Simpson's face can't go unnoticed.

When Jessica Simpson first shot to superstardom in 2003 as a reality TV OG, the then-23-year-old was all about natural beauty. Solidifying herself as the ultimate girl next door, the singer often appeared on MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" without any makeup at all, inspiring a whole legion of fans to do the same. As one fan wrote on Medium years later, "Jessica Simpson gave me permission to go without makeup." Indeed, Simpson was regularly seen on the hit reality TV show without a lick of makeup, refusing to get glammed up if she wasn't going out.

That being said, her early red carpet appearances and on-stage moments were never over-the-top, instead striking the perfect balance between natural and glam. The pop star most often opted for a simple sun-kissed look with sheer lipgloss and a nude eyeshadow. And while she initially used to worry about dressing up for the paparazzi, Simpson told Harper's Bazaar in 2007 that she had instead decided to embrace a toned-down aesthetic for her everyday outings. "I'm just over it," she mused. "People watched me on 'Newlyweds' with no makeup on and sweats and they accepted me, so I'm good." In keeping with that theme, Simpson pushed the envelope ever further in 2010 when she decided to grace the cover of Marie Claire with a makeup-free look.

Just as Jessica Simpson was reaching the height of her career in the mid-2000s, younger sister Ashlee Simpson was experiencing fame of her own. However, in 2006, Ashlee began making headlines not for her music but for her appearance. It was around that time that speculation grew rampant that she had undergone a nose job which, in turn, also made folks analyze Jessica's looks. While speaking with Harper's Bazaar in 2007, the then-26-year-old singer was adamant that she herself had not had any procedures done. "People have said that I've had things like a jaw replacement or implant or something," she mused. "I'm photographed every day of my life and have never worn any bandages or anything, so how could that be right?"

Jessica did go on to admit that she would be tempted to get a breast lift at a later age, after having children, but revealed there is one body part she would never want to change: her nose. "I love the bump in my nose," she enthused. She again shared the same sentiment with Fox News (via Yahoo!) in 2010, calling her nose her favorite body part. "I do have a bump, but I like my profile," the then-29-year-old explained. "I don't think anyone else has my exact same nose, I think it's unique and a little flawed."

As she's grown older, Jessica Simpson has continued to share makeup-free selfies, like in 2014 when she celebrated her 34th birthday with a snap in which her skin was absolutely glowing. While some may have been quick to attribute her flawless face to fillers or other injections, Simpson has been adamant that a solid skincare routine is her key to looking glowy and fresh. As she told PopSugar in 2011, the one product she can't live without is eye cream. "I've used eye cream since I got in the business, so I was about 17 years old," she revealed. She's also strict about choosing the right cleanser (one that tightens but doesn't dry out skin) and moisturizer. Her personal go-tos include Epicuren's Herbal Cleanser, as well as La Mer's Moisturizing Cream and Sonya Dakar's Omega Oil.

Simpson's passion for finding the best beauty products became even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Speaking with Shape (via People) in 2021, she admitted, "I've gone down a skin care rabbit hole." One of her favorite finds was at-home red light therapy, which she began to apply to her face, as well as her stomach and anywhere else she saw fit. "I have fewer wrinkles at 40 than I did at 38," she enthused.

When Jessica Simpson decided to pen her memoir, she held nothing back. Released in 2020 and titled "Open Book," the tome was indeed an unfiltered, honest look into all aspects of her life. One of the most shocking revelations was Simpson's confession that she had quietly struggled with addiction for years before finding sobriety. As the singer, who became sober in 2017, wrote in her book (via Daily Mail), "I was killing myself with all the drinking and pills."

Jump to 2021 and the then-41-year-old decided to open up further about her journey as she celebrated four years of sobriety. Taking to Instagram, Simpson posted a photograph of herself taken the day she quit drinking and noted that she looked like a totally different person when she was still using. "This person in the early morning of Nov 1, 2017 is an unrecognizable version of myself," Simpson told followers. Acknowledging that it took a lot of inner work and help from therapy to get sober, Simpson shared that the biggest lesson she learned was the importance of self-acceptance. "I didn't love myself," she confessed. "Today I do ... I am free."

Jessica Simpson has always been a fan of letting fans witness all aspects of her life and so, in 2022, she documented herself undergoing a beauty procedure called Emface right on Instagram. The then-42-year-old shared a short clip of herself in which she could be seen lying down with an Emface pad stuck to her forehead, as well as one placed on each cheek. "It tickles," she giggled as the treatment began. "It gives me chill bumps!"

According to its website, Emface is a non-surgical procedure which sculpts the face through science. As plastic surgeon Dr. Jennifer Levine explained to Page Six, "It combines radio frequency with HIFES (High-Intensity Facial Electrical Stimulation) to lift the face and brow, restore volume that has been lost, and reduce wrinkles." What's more, while it may tickle, there is no pain and the procedure requires no recovery time. However, there does appear to be one glaring downside and that's the price tag. A single session runs between $1,000 and $1,500, according to Dr. Levine who recommends undergoing six sessions to achieve the best results.

Though Jessica Simpson hasn't spoken about the surgical procedures she may or may not have done to her face, she has been candid about going under the knife for other reasons. These days, Jessica Simpson's thoughts about weight loss will inspire you, but she wasn't always so confident. In her 2020 memoir, "Open Book," the mom of three revealed she had two tummy tucks in secret — and one was fairly risky. She first booked a partial tummy tuck to be done in 2015 to celebrate her 35th birthday and alter the body she was unhappy with after giving birth to two kiddos. "The surgery wasn't for weight loss," Simpson wrote (via Yahoo! Entertainment). "I wanted to get rid of the stretch marks and loose skin."

At the time, Simpson was still drinking and preliminary tests on her liver raised alarm bells. As she recalled, her doctor tried to talk her out of it, telling her she needed to be sober for at least three months before the procedure, otherwise, they warned, "You could die." Simpson didn't listen, but luckily, there were no complications. Even so, she was unhappy with the result, writing, "I still had loose skin that hung over my pants." The singer went under the knife again, this time for a full tummy tuck, just two months later. While recovering, she revealed, "I got an infection — colitis." She spent the next nine days in hospital but, thankfully, recovered fully.

In December 2022, Jessica Simpson took to Instagram to share a series of snaps of herself celebrating the holiday season with hubby Eric Johnson and their kids. The singer was all smiles as she rocked a beanie, oversized sunglasses, and a noticeably bigger pout. Indeed, it was her fuller lips (painted red for maximum effect) which really caught fans' attention. "Were her lips always so big?" asked one follower while another implored, "Stop with the lip fillers, it's not necessary."

The comments on Simpson's changing facial features ramped up in early 2024 when she posted a series of glammed up shots in which she looked practically unrecognizable. That February, she showed off her rock-inspired look for Steven Tyler's Grammy viewing party, which included a bold smokey eye paired with a nude lip. Again, fans were surprised by her apparently fuller lips and more defined jawline. As one commenter proclaimed, "She doesn't look like Jessica Simpson." Another series of snaps shared on Instagram that March elicited a similar reaction as folks wondered why she looked so different. "It's the lips," speculated one. "Way overboard on that...especially the upper." Other commentators wondered if rapid weight loss caused by Ozempic may have had something to do with the apparent change to her face shape while some suggested they noticed signs of a bigger procedure. "I think she had a face lift cuz those lips are stretched not just big," wrote one critic that April.

Jessica Simpson had not attended a VMAs ceremony since 2006 when, nearly a decade later, she was invited to present the Latin Icon Award to Ricky Martin. Speaking with Extra on the red carpet, the 45-year-old shared, "It's crazy to be here and to not have a record label and to be here representing myself for myself — it's really empowering." The singer was clearly in a great mood and enjoying herself, however, it was Jessica Simpson's lopsided lips, which made her look unrecognizable, that were the talk of the 2025 VMAs.

"I don't know who this woman is, but this is not Jessica Simpson," tweeted one critic as another agreed, "I refuse to believe that's Jessica Simpson." Folks were quick to hone in on her full lips, saying they were overly done and blaming too many lip injections (which come with a slew of surprising side effects) for what they thought was an unnatural and unflattering look. Interestingly, when Simpson opened up about the cosmetic procedure that left her with regret, it was lip fillers she tore into. "I had that Restylane stuff," she told Glamour back in 2006, noting she let it dissolve naturally and that it disappeared after four months. "My lips are back to what they were — thank God!" she gushed. "It looked fake to me. I didn't like that."

Clearly, there was a decent amount of chatter and speculation about Jessica Simpson's look at the 2025 VMAs. While the singer herself didn't address any of the rumors or questions about whether or not she got work done before the award show, plastic surgeons offered their expert opinions on the procedures she may have sought out ahead of the event. Dr. David Pincus, a New York-based plastic surgeon, told the Daily Mail, "Her lips appear freshly filled within the last week or two." Dr. Pincus also posited that she may have had Botox around her forehead and eyebrows, but noted, "I don't see signs of major facial surgery, but rather a combination of fillers, Botox, and skin treatments."

Nurse Stephanie Mallari, who specializes in fillers and Botox, took to Instagram to offer her own analysis, and concurred with much of Dr. Pincus' assessment. She claimed that Simpson likely had fillers applied to her lips, as well as her cheeks. And while she agreed that she didn't see any signs of surgery to the nose, Mallari suspected that Simpson may have had an upper blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure that removes excess skin, muscle, and fat from upper eyelids to stop them from drooping.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).