Ashlee Simpson Reflects on 2004 SNL Lip-Sync Backlash

Ashlee Simpson reflected on her notorious 2004 Saturday Night Live lip-sync incident, acknowledging the intense bullying she faced at the time and how celebrity culture has evolved since then. During the live performance, a technical error caused the wrong vocal track to play, leading to confusion and an awkward exit, which sparked widespread criticism and long-lasting negative effects on her career. Simpson emphasized that although she momentarily lost her voice due to vocal cord inflammation, she wrote her songs and regularly performed live, a fact she had to repeatedly explain to fans. She believes that if the incident occurred in 2025, the public reaction would be more fleeting and less harsh, as media attention now cycles faster and social media creates a different environment. Despite the backlash, Simpson was invited back to SNL the following season, where she performed a song addressing the fallout from the scandal. She also noted that the era of magazines subjected celebrities to more permanent scrutiny compared to today’s faster, more transient media landscape.