The late ‘90s gave us two stars in the form of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. So, you can imagine how easy it can be for fans to confuse the two, which leads to moments like the time Simpson was asked to sign an autograph…as Britney Spears. If you’re wondering whether or not mistakes like this bother the former reality show star, she simply says “that’s my whole life” when it comes to fans mistaking her for her fellow pop star.
When two singers come onto the music scene around the same time singing similar upbeat hits while fashioning blonde hair, it’s only natural for people to confuse them now and again. Luckily, Jessica Simpson told ET at the Footwear News Achievement Awards that it’s been routine her “whole life” to be mistaken by the “Oops, I Did It Again” singer.
I mean, that's my whole life. Not all the time, but I mean, there are similarities and I think that because we both grew up in the business together, it's easy to mistake us. Brown eyes, blonde hair, Southern.
Those are very true similarities. Along with their appearances and stellar talent, these two stars have more in common than you would think. For example, Jessica Simpson could have starred in The Notebook alongside Ryan Gosling but turned it down because she didn’t want to do a sex scene for it. Britney Spears was also nearly cast as Allie, but she lost the role to Rachel McAdams. Spears said there were no hard feelings though, becuase if she said yes, her top-selling album In the Zone wouldn't have happened.
Both women have also been recipients of Teen Choice and People’s Choice Awards. Not to mention, Spears and Simpson have appeared in movies in the early '00s with the former Mickey Mouse Club star’s lead role in Crossroads and the “Irresistible” singer's in The Dukes of Hazzard remake and Employee of the Month.
Outside of entertainment, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears are also excellent authors.
In 2020, Simpson’s memoir Open Book came out where she explored topics of her former marriage to singer Nick Lachey, the height of her alcohol issues, and her body image issues.
Spears didn’t have an easy life either growing up in the spotlight as she wrote in her "brutally honest" memoir The Woman in Me. The book’s biggest reveals included having an abortion when her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake didn’t want to be a father as well as describing her 2003 fling with actor Colin Farrell as a “brawl.” Simpson told ET she hasn’t read the former AGT judge’s book, but plans to with her explanation being, “I wanna hear what she has to say."
Both of these pop stars have also been through incredibly difficult personal experiences. As the documentary Framing Britney Spears delved into the #FreeBritney movement (which can be seen with a Hulu subscription), Simpson refused to watch it as she felt she’d be reliving her own story. You can’t blame her as the Newlyweds star said she understood the struggles of trying to live like a human being while under an intense spotlight.
According to CNN, the “Toxic” singer didn’t want to watch the documentary in full saying the parts she did see made her cry for two weeks, and she wasn’t happy with the light they put her in.
Jessica Simpson getting easily mistaken for Britney Spears has been common in her career for decades as they’re both in the same field with similar looks. But, at least Simpson can understand why the two are often confused as one another. And if you’re going to be mistaken as anybody, it’s good it’s with someone as gorgeous and talented as Spears is.
