Jessica Simpson is officially getting the documentary treatment.
Netflix has acquired a feature-length documentary about the singer, entrepreneur and author, Billboard can confirm. The film is directed by Joe Pearlman, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s Robbie Williams and Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now docs, promising an intimate look at Simpson’s life and career. Variety was first to report the news.
There’s certainly no shortage of ground to cover. Simpson first rose to fame in the late 1990s alongside pop peers including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore. Her 1999 debut single “I Wanna Love You Forever” quickly established her as a musical force, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 — still her highest-charting song to date. She went on to sell more than 20 million records globally before becoming a reality TV star on MTV’s Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, which followed her then-marriage to 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey.
Simpson eventually built a fashion empire that grew into a billion-dollar brand while also become a New York Times bestselling author with her 2020 memoir Open Book. The memoir exposes some candid notes about her relationships, career, struggles and even her personal life, making her story particularly suited for a documentary that promises to go deeper than the headlines.
More recently, Simpson has been stepping back into music. After a 15-year break from releasing original material, she returned last year with Nashville Canyon: Part 1 and Nashville Canyon: Part 2, a pair of EPs featuring deeply personal songs that allowed the Texas-born singer to enter a new era of her life.
She has also continued acting, most recently guest-starring in the Kim Kardashian and Glenn Close-led legal drama All’s Fair, where she played the wife of a rock star seeking revenge on her plastic surgeon and unfaithful ex.
For Pearlman, Simpson is a high-profile addition to his host of music-focused documentary subjects. The filmmaker previously directed Robbie Williams, which chronicled the British pop star’s rise, struggles and career, as well as Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now. He also directed HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and recently released Mourinho, a three-part Netflix documentary about soccer manager José Mourinho.
The Simpson documentary also has a fitting connection to her reality-TV past. Van Toffler, who oversaw Newlyweds during his time as head of MTV Networks, is producing the project. Gunpowder & Sky is producing, while Barry Barclay, Floris Bauer, Joanna Zwickel, Pearlmen and Jonathan Silberberg serve as executive producers.
