Ashlee Simpson Talks Infamous Lip-Sync Moment on SNL

Ashlee Simpson says her 2004 appearance as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” taught her the power of using her voice.

Ironically, the moment happened, she said, because she had lost her voice!

Simpson appeared on the podcast “Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen” and detailed what happened in the hours leading up to her now-infamous performance.

“I had done my rehearsal the night before and then I woke up the next day and I couldn’t speak. I saw the voice doctor that day and I had two nodules beating against each other. That day I said, ‘I will not go on, I don’t care. I can’t speak.’ Meanwhile, I’m not saying this. I’m writing it down because I can’t talk,” Simpson said.

That’s when Simpson said her label told her to go ahead with pre-recorded vocals. She said she told them “My band’s never practiced this, this is not going to go well. I can’t do this.”

Simpson did end up taking the stage and performed “Pieces of Me” for her first song. During the second song, however, the vocals started playing, clearly before Simpson expected them to, and she kind of stood there for a bit, danced a jig, and then left the stage, causing SNL to go to commercial.

Simpson said “It was a humbling moment for me. I had the No. 1 song and everything was about to go somewhere. And then it was just like, whoa.”

Simpson also said the debacle taught her the power of saying no. “That’s what I would go back and say,” Simpson said.

At the time, Simpson claimed her band had started to play the wrong song and she panicked.

Ashlee is the younger sister of Jessica Simpson. She is married to Evan Ross, the son of singer Diana Ross.