THE JESSICA & ASHLEE SHOW

One Simpson followed the rules, the OTHER BROKE THEM. Now, for the first entry in the Cut's "Family Album" series, JESSICA SIMPSON tells ASHLEE SIMPSON ROSS she's TAKING NOTES from her younger sister and refusing to let "MEN IN SUITS" boss her around.

Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson Ross are different women today than the ones smiling above the headline "Sister Power!" on their first magazine cover together, for Teen People's December 2005 issue. In the two decades since, the sisters, now in their 40s, have each had three children and a couple marriages (famously gaining, in Ashlee's case, Diana Ross as a mother-in-law) and released even more music; Jessica built her eponymous clothing and shoe label, too. Then, in 2020, Jessica's memoir, Open Book-in which she candidly discusses her struggles with alcoholism, body image, and surviving fame in the pop-stars-with-purity-rings era-became a best seller. Jessica now finds herself on a new path, one with fewer compromises and more country rock, with the release of an emotional EP, Nashville Canyon Part 1, which includes songs written amid the dissolution of her decadelong marriage to former NFL player Eric Johnson. "Through the deepest heartbreak of my life," Jessica tells Ashlee at her eclectic jewel-tone-drenched Los Angeles home, filled with feathers, dogs, and memorabilia, "it was the most intense yet enlightening therapy I've ever been through."

ASHLEE SIMPSON ROSS: Well, hello, Jessica Simpson. Or shall I say "Rajah"? I've always called you Rajah, from Aladdin.

JESSICA SIMPSON: It was the only Nintendo game we played.

ASR: We loved that one. I was just laughing because the last time that we did a joint cover was Teen People. How do you think our lives have changed? Our marriages, breakups, children. I had a baby so early. But what a freaking journey we've had. Holy moly. I feel like I've changed a lot. What about you?

JS: You and I both. Oh my gosh, 25 years old. I was in a newfound freedom because I was going through a divorce. I was becoming myself all over again.