Joe Simpson Stands Up for His Daughters

Courtesy of INFDaily.com

He Says People Want Them to Fail

Joe Simpson, who cried during Ashlee Simpson's Chicago performance, has admitted that he knows people aren't exactly rooting for his family to succeed. While Jessica Simpson and her sister Ashlee have to roll with the punches in interviews and in front of live audiences, it sounds like Papa Joe has to do the same less publicly.

"We as a family are under a lot pressure," Joe Simpson said, commenting that people want "to make us look bad and wants us to fail."

Jessica Simpson had body-image issues rise up in the tabloids in 2009, as well as the death of her puppy and a break-up to deal with, while Ashlee Simpson lost her coveted role on Melrose Place after her character was written out.

"It was never a loss," her father says of the whole Melrose thing. "The world says whatever it says. [The world], again, always want to make it look like we're failures but we're really just a family that works hard."

He does have a point. Imagine if every pitfall you had became news, from that added 10 pounds to your lost job. It's not as if the Simpsons are abnormally crappy at stuff-- except for hiding their personal lives from the tabs.

Papa Joe agrees. "My children look at ups and downs and rise up above it all and remain strong...We're just normal people, and we always try to be who we say we are," he said.

At least Ashlee's doing well as Roxie. That should shut people up for a while!