Jessica Simpson is making a dazzling public comeback. The "With You" songstress graced the red carpet at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, donning a breathtaking black lace ensemble with daring cutouts around her chest. This marked her first appearance at the ceremony since 2006. To complete her show-stopping look for this rare outing, Jessica opted for a sleek ponytail and accessorized with bold chain-link earrings. (Catch a glimpse of every star on the VMAs red carpet here.)
Accompanied by her sister Ashlee Simpson, Jessica is slated to present during the star-studded event, which is being hosted by LL Cool J at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. As the two-time VMA nominee hinted in a September 2 Instagram post, "Back to where it all began!"
While Jessica had previously taken a hiatus from the music scene, she made an irresistible return in March with her EP Nashville Canyon, Part 1. And just days before her VMAs appearance, she unveiled Nashville Canyon: Pt 2. "This continuation of Nashville Canyon: Pt 1 is my heart laid bare," she shared on Instagram on September 5. "It’s about healing, honesty, and finding strength in vulnerability."
Jessica, who confirmed her split from husband Eric Johnson in January, continued, "It’s raw, it’s real, it’s me stepping further into the purpose of my heart as an artist. Now it’s time to share the grace of self-discovery with y’all. I couldn’t feel more alive."
Indeed, it has been a transformative year for the Newlyweds alum. “I feel so in step with my purpose, so aligned in the middle of a lot of stuff," she told E! News in May. “I feel lighter and brighter than I ever have, and I can only say that some spiritual realm is protecting me.”
Jessica, a devoted mother to kids Maxwell, 13, Ace, 12, and Birdie, 6, with Eric, added, "I grew up as a preacher's daughter. I'm obedient; I did what the record label told me to do, and I had a job to do. Now, the job that I’m doing is for myself, and that’s to be vulnerable, raw, and do the music that I want to do."
