Emo Rocker Pete Wentz Set To Wed Pop Star Ashlee Simpson

04/10/08 5:00pm

by Ryan Kelpin (CHARTattack)

After Ashlee Simpson dismissed rumours of a future wedding with Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz last month, the couple have confirmed that they're engaged.

Wentz and Simpson released this joint statement on Wednesday:

"We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best. Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes — it means the world to us. We consider this to be a very private matter, but we wanted you to hear it straight from us."

Let's just hope that Simpson's father and manager, Joe Simpson, doesn't pitch another marriage reality show featuring Ashlee, because we saw how well it worked out for her sister Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. No wedding date has yet been set.

Simpson, 23, and Wentz, 28, have been dating since late 2006. He apparently got down on one knee and proposed over the weekend while they were visiting his brother's art gallery exhibit in Colorado. One of the few things more bizarre and rollercoaster-like than a Hollywood relationship is one between musicians (noting that Simpson doesn't actually play any instruments and Wentz just kind of spins around in circles with his bass).

Simpson brushed off assorted rumours that she was engaged, pregnant and drunk during a radio interview on Hot 99.5 in Washington, D.C. when she released a statement that said, "Questions and false rumours about my dad being a jerk, being pregnant, being engaged, etc., are not fun to answer every single day. Eventually I try to just laugh them off and hope they start asking me important questions about my album and music."

Simpson's now being dogged by another rumour that says people associated with her and possibly her record label were responsible for leaking several tracks from Mariah Carey's E=MC2 to try and reduce competition for Simpson's latest effort. Carey's album will be released on April 15, one week before Simpson's third album, Bittersweet World. Simpson's record was originally supposed to come out late last year.

"Joe Simpson has every right to be nervous about Ashlee going up against Mariah," an unnamed source told MSNBC. "They are backed into a corner with this release date since they already changed it once. Their only option in fighting the Mariah machine would be to create a way to make the album's release less newsworthy."

Simpson's representatives have denied the accusations.