Today In History: Ashlee Simpson Gets Booed Off Stage

Every now and again, a singer or musician will have an off night and lay a giant egg while performing.

For Ashlee Simpson, her (arguably) worst live performance came on this date in history in front of a crowd of 78,000 people in Miami's Pro Player Stadium and millions watching at home on network television.

But before we get to this particular performance, let's set the scene for the disaster that was Ashlee Simpson's halftime show at the 2005 Orange Bowl.

Three months before this particular concert, Simpson performed on the October 23, 2004, edition of Saturday Night Live. She sang her song "Pieces of Me" without a hitch--or, so it seemed. Later in the night when she was supposed to sing another one of her songs, Simpson's voice began singing "Pieces of Me" again. Problem was: Simpson's lips weren't moving. The band started playing the song. Simpson did what she called a "hoedown." Hilarity and embarrassment ensued.

Simpson later owned up to lip-synching on SNL, saying she was advised not to sing live because she was suffering from acid reflux.

Simpson had a chance to redeem herself on January 4, 2005, during the halftime show at the Orange Bowl. That game, between Oklahoma and Southern California, was that year's Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. America's eyes would once again be on Simpson during a high-profile telecast.

Simpson sang live this time, and it did not go well.

Simpson's performance of her then-current single "LaLa" was pitchy throughout and filled with offkey notes. At the end of the song, Simpson went full Yoko Ono and began screaming the words to the song.

The crowd showed its appreciation--or lack thereof--when she finished.

Let's roll the tape.

Despite the fallout from both of these incidents, Simpson's career carried on fairly well. Her album Autobiography, which featured the songs she performed during her doomed TV appearances, topped the Billboard Albums Chart. Her next album, I Am Me, debuted atop the Billboard 200 and featured three top-20 singles. Her third and final album, Bittersweet World, peaked at number four on the albums chart, but it didn't feature any hit singles.

Simpson also turned to acting, playing Roxie Hart in several productions of the musical Chicago. She also earned a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Supporting Actress for her role in the 2005 movie Undiscovered.

So here's to you, Ashlee Simpson. May you never have a performance worse than the one you had on this day in history in 2005.

Also on this day in history

Night Court premieres on NBC on this date in 1984. The show, starring Harry Anderson and John Larroquette, ran until 1992. In addition to being one of the funniest shows on air at the time, it also featured one of television's greatest theme songs.