On Saturday, just after the mother-daughter pair had the public hiccup, the "Irresistible" singer posted a selfie of herself and daughter Maxwell with expressions of awe. The 43-year-old Simpson captioned the image, "The face when someone in the mall parking lot asks for your autograph but expects you to sign it Britney Spears." While some fans noted the similarity between the two blond pop stars, others made jokes about the confusion.
“Lol a compliment bc ur both beautiful ,” one person wrote in the comments section of the post.
“The face when someone in the parking lot at the mall asks you for your autograph, but expects you to sign it Britney Spears ,” Simpson captioned a photo with her daughter Maxwell.
“You both are beautiful and icons,” a second person wrote.
“Were you dancing with knives or something?” a third joked, referring to Spears’ controversial video in which she danced with cutting tools.
“At least they didn’t say Christina Aguilera ,” another added.
Several of Simpson’s fans thought she was throwing shade at Spears.
Instagram/@britneyspears
Other Instagram followers believed that Simpson was throwing shade at the “Toxic” singer.
“Is that shade ?” one person asked.
“Was this necessary? She has her own problems,” a critic added, possibly referring to Spears’s troubled past and 13-year conservatorship that ended in 2021.
“These comments… SMFH. But I guess that’s the reaction Jessica wanted, hence why she posted it,” someone accused. “It’s not cool to make fun of a woman, whose family ruined her life. I’d venture to guess she’s still a nicer human than @jessicasimpson.”
Others pointed out that Simpson and Spears shared similar physical appearances.
Jessica Simpson / Instagram
“If you need to feel relevant again just say that but don’t compare yourself to an icon @britneyspears,” a netizen argued.
Still, several fans said that her post was being misinterpreted and Simpson meant no harm.
“Some of you are mad for nothing. This is funny and zero shade towards Brittany [sic],” a defender wrote.
“I really don’t think she meant it the way some people are taking it! If you read her book Open Book you would probably know that!” a second person agreed.
“You both are beautiful and icons,” a fan wrote on social media.
britneyspears/Instagram
“Lots of sensitive comments going on. Chill! If you were a celebrity you wouldn’t want someone thinking you someone else. You would want them to know who you are in all honesty. No shade thrown here, relax,” another added.
This isn’t the first time Simpson has opened up about people confusing her with Spears. In Simpson’s 2020 memoir, “Open Book,” she recalled visitors at Disney World thinking she was the “Circus” artist.
“I was like, of course this would happen to me. Britney steals even this Disney moment, right there in front of my kids,” Simpson wrote.
Simpson, seen here in 2008, was often compared to Spears early in her music career.
Getty Images
Spears, seen here in 2008, and Simpson were both blond pop stars who rose to fame in the early 2000s.
FilmMagic
The “Dukes of Hazzard” actress — who was often compared to and even pitted against Spears throughout her career in music — shares three kids with husband Eric Johnson: Maxwell, 11, Ace, 10, and Birdie, 4.
Simpson, who stays relatively under the radar, celebrated her husband’s 44th birthday with a family pool day last month.
Meanwhile, Spears, 41, made a rare public appearance in New York City last week when she hit up Zero Bond in Soho.
The “With You” singer admitted fans thought she was Spears while she was on a family vacation at Disney World.
jessicasimpson/Instagram
The “Toxic” singer was recently spotted at New York hot spot Zero Bond.
