Ashlee Simpson loves every piece of her mother-in-law Diana Ross. 

So naturally as the “Piece of Me” singer prepared to hit the stage for her Las Vegas residency, she turned to her husband Evan Ross’ mom for some advice, which she detailed during an appearance at the MTV Music Video Awards 2025. 

“She’s like, ‘Be yourself, trust yourself. Do you.’” Ashlee explained in an exclusive E! News interview Sept. 7 outside of UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. “She’s got my back.”

And while Ashlee, 40, has performed with her husband—with whom she shares kids Jagger, 10, and Ziggy, 4—as duo Ashlee + Evan, she admitted it’s been a “blast” to perform her old hits by herself at The Venetian Resort's Voltaire nightclub. (See here for Ashlee, Evan and every couple who stepped out at the MTV VMAs 2025.) 

“Just for me to get up there and perform these shows and songs that I haven’t played in so long,” she explained. “And then to understand for me what it’s like to play them again feels the same for my fans has been just incredible.”

As she put it, “Just to feel that love has been super nice it’s been a blast.”

Even offstage, the “La La” singer—also mom to Bronx, 16, with ex Pete Wentz—is feeling like she has got her groove back, adding, “All of a sudden my kids think I’m cool. I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’”

Meanwhile, Ashlee also noted it’s been an added bonus to have her husband of 11 years to see her onstageAutobiography. 

“Evan’s never seen me play a show,” she gushed. “We’ve played shows together but he’s never actually seen me in action and he was like, ‘Wow you’re so good,’ I was like, really touched. It was like the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. I was like, ‘Aw.’”

Now that Ashlee is back on the stage, she also teased the idea of joining forces with older sister Jessica Simpson at some point in the future. (For Jessica's rare MTV VMAs appearance and more on the red carpet, see here.)

“That could be in the works for sure,” she posited. “That’s something I think we’d love to do. It’s been fun, both of us in these places revisiting it and supporting each other and loving each other.”

Keep reading for every star who hit the MTV VMAs red carpet… 

—Reporting by Emily Curl 

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