After the mid-2006 divorce from Nick Lachey, which was finalized June 30, 2006, Jessica Simpson was hoping to move on smoothly back to business, however glitches met her along the way, fans and skeptics alike are wondering if it?s a post-divorce syndrome or something else.

She looked forward to going back in the studio to record her fourth album but Columbia did not re-sign her to the company only to move her to Epic Records.

Her fourth album, A Public Affair, was released on August 29, 2006 via Epic Records. The album saw lower-than-expected sales, debuting at #5 on the Billboard 200 with 101,000 copies sold in its first week and, as of November 4, 2006, has sold only a little over 240,000 copies in the United States which is less than half of what her 2001 album Irresistible sold.

Public Affair dropped down to the lower part of the charts after only a few weeks out. Week number four saw the album slip down from number five to the sixties. The first single, "A Public Affair" reached the Top 20 of the Hot 100 but quickly fell off the charts.

The music video for "A Public Affair" featured Eva Longoria, Christina Applegate, Christina Milian, Maria Menounos, Andy Dick and Ryan Seacrest. A second single, "I Belong To Me", was also released through her website and lyrics to i belong to me by Jessica Simpson is now included on the CD itself.

The major downside on Jessica?s post-divorce career was the Dolly Parton tribute incident wherein she begged off to be taken out because she just couldn?t do it right.

In December of 2006, while performing a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Kennedy Center Awards, she messed up the words to the song she was singing, saying "I'm sorry Dolly, that made me so nervous." She explained that she had been feeling flustered during the performance in front of many famous people, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and even President George W. Bush.

Afterwards, during the final tribute to Parton, Parton's "biggest fan" Reese Witherspoon gave a tearful Simpson a hug to make her feel better.

Jessica has received a good deal of publicity in the aftermath of her marriage to Nick Lachey. Following their break-up and pending divorce, She was reportedly linked to her Employee of the Month co-star Dane Cook, singer John Mayer, and, from "The Dukes of Hazzard", actor/comedian Johnny Knoxville. During the marriage several reports of a one night stand with Bam Margera surfaced which both denied at the time.

However, Nick has never stood up against reports that Jessica cheated, saying that he didn't know whether the rumors were true, and he chose not to ask her about them, which in one way or another reinforced the truth behind the rumors, and has tarnished Jessica's once innocent image.

However, things may not be all that bad for Jessica as she has accomplished some of the other aspects in her life like launching her own line of hair and beauty products on the Home Shopping Network.

Teaming with celebrity stylist Ken Paves and trained by HSN's first ever home shopping host Bob Circosta, Jessica sells clip-in hair extensions and wholesale Jessica Simpson ring over the air. Hairdo-brand Salon Clip-In Hair from Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves.

Promotional materials of the products features pictures of Jessica Simpson's wedding day hair, Jessica Simpson's wedding hair style which created a craze among Jessica Simpson fakes. Fakes Jessica Simpson sporting Jessica Simpson wedding hair do and wears what Jessica Simpson wear and at times portrays Jessica Simpson in a g-string and worst poses as Jessica Simpson naked.

Meanwhile, she will co-star in Blonde Ambition with Luke Wilson. The movie, due out in mid-2007, starts shooting November 27 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

"Luke's character absolutely lusts after Jess holding Jessica Simpson in a bikini photos," reports tabloid magazine Star. Jessica has decided to take a hiatus as her "A Public Affair" is certified Gold.