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Jessica Simpson is setting the record straight once and for all regarding a rumor floating around the internet about her beauty routine — she does not spend $1,000 a week on tanning. “No, $1,000? Gosh. I’d rather have lain out in the sun,” the pop star reasoned during an April 2026 Elle interview, when asked if the longstanding story was true. The alleged tanning budget likely originated from a 2014 report by a New Zealand news site called TVNZ, which claimed the “Irresistible” hitmaker spent a million dollars on her beauty routine and the associated products every year.
In addition to her massive tanning allowance, the outlet also claimed that Simpson dropped $2,000 per month on laser treatments to remove cellulite, $1,000 a week on eyelash extensions, and $230,000 annually for an on-call hair styling team, among many other related expenses. She wasn’t asked to break down her entire beauty budget by Elle. Rather, the former reality star simply elaborated on her tanning habits, admitting that she might hit the $1,000 a week budget if she was on vacation, for instance. Likewise, Simpson pointed out that there have been times throughout her career when her job required her to be tan and to stay that way for an extended period too.
“When I was playing Daisy Duke in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ I had to be tan and that was a four-month shoot where I was damn near naked the whole time,” she argued, referring to the 2005 film, which co-starred Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott. Simpson added, “The only way to be confident then when shooting was to spray it, and do body makeup. But I also didn’t want it to be too orange, so I had to have a base tan. It was all thought out.”
Jessica Simpson believes true beauty comes from within
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Jessica Simpson’s transformation has been stunning to watch. The mother of three went from a pop star to an actor to a fashion mogul and bestselling author across her decades-spanning career, including revisiting each era whenever she wants. Through it all, the “Newlyweds” star’s body has been scrutinized, whether people were judging her size or speculating about which cosmetic procedures she’s supposedly had done. There’s no denying that the “I Wanna Love You Forever” hitmaker follows trends and cares about how she looks, but Simpson clarified to Elle that she struggles to understand mainstream beauty standards because her perspective comes from an entirely different angle.
“I’m always trying to wrap my head around what is beautiful to other people,” Simpson confessed. “I know what beautiful is to me, and it really is just about how I feel inside. It’s reinforcing beauty from within, and letting that be a reflection of who we are.” The singer is sometimes critical of her body, like all humans, but she tries to keep those thoughts to herself as much as possible. Likewise, Jessica Simpson’s kids are already learning about body positivity through her actions. “I don’t want them beating themselves up or looking at me and thinking that they have to be like me,” she argued of Maxwell, Ace, and Birdie.
As the former reality star firmly told “Access Hollywood,” in 2024, “We need to focus on our mentality about even talking about weight.” Simpson believes self-acceptance starts at home, and she’s putting in the work to ensure her kids understand that.