Bittersweet World (2008)
Melrose Place
Ashlee Simpson married Fall Out Boy Bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz on May 17, 2008. The two were first seen together in late 2006; initially they denied being in a relationship, although there was much speculation about this. In an interview for OK! magazine in late 2006, Simpson denied the speculation, while in an interview with Pete Wentz on Ryan Seacrest’s American Top 40 live, Seacrest asked if Wentz and Simpson were “on” or “off”, and Wentz laughed and said “off”. In a Rolling Stone photo shoot, however, Wentz and Simpson took a picture together for the opening of Wentz’ bar, Angels & Kings, and were labeled as a “couple”.
Eventually the two began to acknowledge the relationship. In mid-2007 Wentz spoke about their relationship to InTouch magazine, saying of Simpson that “I have never met somebody who makes me feel the way she makes me feel”, although he denied rumors of engagement. Simpson has since discussed their relationship in a number of magazine interviews, including the September 2007 issue of Seventeen magazine and the December 2007/January 2008 issue of CosmoGIRL!. In March 2008, Simpson and Wentz presented the award for Favorite Reality Show at the 2008 Kids’ Choice Awards.
The couple announced that they were engaged on April 9, 2008. Simpson had previously been wearing what she described as a “promise ring” from Wentz for several months. On April 14, Us Weekly and OK! magazine reported that Simpson is pregnant. Wentz promptly denied this in an e-mail to MTV News, although Simpson, in an interview the next day, chose not to confirm or deny the report, saying that it was something to “keep personal”, and on TRL she noted that rumors claiming she was pregnant had been appearing for so long that, if they were all true, she “would have had a baby by now”. Due to the marriage, Ashlee has legally changed her name from Simpson to Wentz with her stage name changing to “Simpson-Wentz”.
Simpson says: “I think that that’s something that a woman should do when they’re marrying a man. It’s a tradition that I think is a great tradition.”
On May 28, 2008, Simpson and Pete Wentz announced on Fall Out Boy’s official website that they are expecting their first child. “While many have speculated about this, we wanted to wait until the press was gone to have our first child. This is truly the most joyous time in our lives and we are excited to share the happy news and start our family.” That fall, Pete said they were “90% sure it was a boy”. On November 20, 2008, Simpson gave birth to their son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz.