Ashlee Simpson Defends Father's Influence  2/7/06

Ashlee Simpson has rubbished reports her father, Joe Simpson, controls her career, insisting he won't set foot into the recording studio until she gives him permission.

The Pieces of Me singer maintains her father is misunderstood as a control freak, but is actually not as involved in her decisions as people think.

She explains, "(Sister) Jessica (Simpson) and I are very much our own individuals. I'll make my record and not invite him into the studio until I invite him.

"Sure, he'll have an opinion but if I'm like, 'No, I want that song to be on my record' he'll be like 'All right, baby, you got it!'"

The former Baptist minister and adolescent psychologist also avoided giving Simpson a lecture when she was videotaped at a McDonalds outlet intoxicated, asking a fan to kiss her feet and climbing on the counter.

She says, "My dad could have been really mean to me about that, and he was so nice. He treated me like an adult."