Jessica Simpson has been making a lot of returns to the stage and red carpet this year. However, one common trend with all of these appearances has not been how stunning she looks or how incredible her performances have been. Sadly for the “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” singer, she’s been faced with harsh criticism after every major appearance she’s made this year. This spring, Jessica Simpson returned to music, performing for the first time in fifteen years, surprising the crowd at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion just outside of Austin, Texas (in addition to making SXSW appearances). The former pop star-turned-actress has stayed out of the limelight for some time, devoting much of her time to raising her children and managing her highly successful shoe brand. Before Simpson took her hiatus from performing, she attempted to do what many pop artists are doing today and give country music a try with her last studio album, released in 2008. It wasn’t exactly a commercial success. However, with her return to the studio to work on her latest EP, Nashville Canyon, Part 1, it makes sense why she is hitting the stage again. During her first TV performance in over fifteen years on American Idol, fans were less than impressed with her performance, saying the following about her stage presence: Jessica Simpson Makes First Televised Performance In 15 Years… And The Comments Were BRUTAL#AmericanIdolFinale https://t.co/1USQtq1e1Nhttps://t.co/1USQtq1e1N — Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) May 19, 2025 Following that performance, Simpson sang for a live performance again earlier this summer on the Today show. The singer performed as part of NBC’s summer breakfast show concert series, singing a medley of songs from her catalog, including past hits such as “I Think I’m in Love with You” and “With You,” as well as her new release, “Fade.” While I thought that she delivered an entertaining performance, it was not her best, and it was certainly not a vocal performance I’d write home about, but she held her own. However, she appeared to look very uncomfortable while on stage, and as the performance progresses, you can see that she’s experiencing a major wardrobe malfunction. But that was not the only issue that occurred during that Today show performance. Page Six reported that Simpson shared in the greenroom that she was unable to control her bladder on stage, and ended up urinating herself. After reading that, you genuinely want to see Simpson have a win in the eyes of the media. I truly hoped that we would get that last night when Simpson returned to the MTV Video Music Awards for the first time in nearly 20 years, walking the red carpet and hitting the stage as a presenter during the awards show. The last appearance Simpson made at the VMAs was in 2006, where she served as a presenter of the show, which took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Last night, Simpson returned to present with a star-studded list of other industry veterans, including her sister, Ashlee Simpson, as well as Ciara, Paris Hilton, Ice Spice, Latto, Drew Barrymore, and more. While Simpson did not have any issues while on stage during the awards show, fans quickly expressed concern for the singer after seeing her on the red carpet, sporting an almost unrecognizable face. Simpson walked the carpet in a black sheer dress by Christian Siriano. The dress featured corset-style boning that revealed pockets of her skin, and she paired the show-stopping dress with silver earrings. Jessica Simpson looks INCREDIBLE as she makes her first MTV #VMAs appearance since 2006 — just WOW https://t.co/c8qLV88vDn Getty pic.twitter.com/70Vjsvxmcd — TooFab (@TooFab) September 7, 2025 However, her face looked very tight, leading fans to question who the singer was as she made her way down the carpet. Many social media users shared that they would not have realized this was Simpson without the caption denoting her presence on the carpet. It’s easy in Hollywood to get carried away with injectables and other cosmetic procedures, and sadly for Simpson, I think she’s fallen victim to this. She’s such a natural beauty, and the fear of aging has kicked in, making her unrecognizable at times. Check out what some fans had to say: Sorry, but that does NOT look like Jessica Simpson. https://t.co/z5bvrVU6fy — Michelle (@SnoopyPandaGirl) September 8, 2025 You said this is whom https://t.co/krcJQXvkOY — I’m Broke Baby (@BurnaGirlMo) September 8, 2025 This can’t be Ms. chicken of the sea https://t.co/yILX1IdB7a — WordFromTheWys (@WordFromTheWys) September 7, 2025 https://t.co/siE1XcBUot pic.twitter.com/6l7lKf1O7l — ˖°? Mercy ˖°? (@glowin_melanin) September 8, 2025 Jessica Simpson?! That don’t even look like Jessica Simpson #VMAs pic.twitter.com/B735V3LzSG — S. (@Bright_Eyes973) September 8, 2025 Jessica Simpson looks like a completely different person at the #VMAs pic.twitter.com/Zd6AK9iKjA — david (@realdavidonline) September 8, 2025 That's Jessica Simpson? Doesn't look like her! She does look great, though. I'm trying to figure out who this looks like. — Kristen (@KristenPeloton) September 8, 2025 Is Jessica Simpson in the room with us? https://t.co/nm9kSKTmri — Your Favorite Auntie (@Kittiboo2) September 8, 2025 I know that’s not Jessica Simpson — Von (@VNZWORLD) September 8, 2025 That is not Jessica Simpson #VMAs pic.twitter.com/ZdxKgnO5e6 — PJ Anderson (@yellowboyRedd) September 8, 2025 If they didn't say who this was, i would have never guessed it was her… sad. https://t.co/wCL2Qo97dy — Cherry (@ILikeTheIvy) September 8, 2025 https://t.co/5a6EPkc5qI pic.twitter.com/bAfRsdnXWZ — Mr rover (@yxnzkdlin) September 8, 2025 I’m sorry, WHO? That does not look like her https://t.co/u6pZGyfFPv — Lia (@griffxnblake) September 8, 2025 That does NOT look like Jessica Simpson. https://t.co/4lnX5OeaEG — Angela Dees (@deesy08) September 8, 2025 The post Fans Sound Off After Jessica Simpson Looked Completely Unrecognizable On The VMAs Red Carpet first appeared on Whiskey Riff.