Jessica Simpson Breaks Silence on Polarizing ‘American Idol’ Performance

Jessica Simpson admits she was “dying” during her polarizing return to TV after 15 years.

After the “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer, 44, performed during the Season 23 finale of American Idol Sunday, she told Extra that she was suffering from a serious case of nerves.

“Oh, my God, I was dying,” the artist confessed Monday. “I can’t even tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been that nervous.”

She continued, “Like, I had to put hairspray on my feet to stand still, like, not that it actually keeps me put, but, like, my feet were sweating. I’m like, ‘My feet don’t sweat.’”

Simpson said she kept it together only with an internal pep talk: “I just kept telling myself, ‘Do not cry. Do not cry. I know this is a big moment … do not cry.’” But upon seeing her father, Joe Simpson, in the crowd, she thought, “Ah, I’m going to cry. I’m going to cry. Do not cry. Just sing your songs. Just sing your songs.”

Simpson took to the stage for a performance of her 2005 rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walking” alongside former contestant Josh King before launching into her new single “Blame Me.”

Despite commenters calling the performance “really really bad” and more of a “high school talent show vibe,” other American Idol fans stood up for Simpson. “I can tell how much she loves her new music,” one person wrote on YouTube. “The soul and emotions are shining bright!” Another user added, “I love everything about this. Her new songs are really great, she looks great. Happy she’s finally back.”

Simpson has been celebrating her return to music this year, releasing her EP Nashville Canyon and taking to the stage at the Luck Reunion Music Festival. “Nashville Canyon is the result of learning to hear my heart again, free from industry expectations,” she wrote on Instagram in March. “It’s about surrendering, letting my voice be my main guide, and trusting the journey ahead. Always inviting God into the room where music creates itself, with a voice that communicates on a spiritual level of grace without fear and allowing the music to be my main voice.”

Simpson is also going through a divorce from her estranged husband, Eric Johnson, with whom she shares children Maxwell, 13, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 6.