Creepy “daddy don’t touch me” Joe Simpson has backed off pimping out his older daughter now that his younger one, Ashlee, is pregnant and engaged. Hoping to exploit her current
situation and the tabloid magazines’ obsession with celebrity babies, the former minister-turned-manager is already trying to hammer out deals with mags to publish Ashlee and Pete’s wedding photos and pictures of the baby when it’s born. There isn’t even a due date yet, but you can bet Papa Joe is gonna cash in! Problem is, the magazines aren’t all that interested in Ashlee.

Simpson sisters’ dad-ager, Joe Simpson, is trying to cash in on the baby-crazed trend in celebrity magazines – but he’s having a difficult time.

A magazine source said, “Joe is contacting all the weeklies and asking them to pony up $1 million to put Ashlee on the cover.” The news broke this week that Jessica’s younger sibling is pregnant with her now-fiancée Pete Wentz’s child – a claim Wentz has backed off denying.

“The deal would include photos of Ashlee – taken by Joe, of course, so he can make more money – an interview and photos of the baby when she has it,” our source said.

Sadly, there is some interest – but not for anything close to $1 million.

One magazine editor said the pictures would fetch “$60,000 maybe – but definitely not a million. The timing is a little suspicious. Her album [‘Bittersweet World’] is dropping next week, and there was little to no interest until now. Ashlee’s lucky she got pregnant, frankly.”

But even with the marriage announcement, “Joe has an unrealistic expectation of what Ashlee can command,” the editor said.

Ashlee’s shotgun wedding to Wentz is expected to take place before summer. Her rep declined to comment.

A source told OK! magazine, “They’re planning on something in the Santa Barbara area probably by the end of May . . . Jessica will be the maid of honor.”

Ashlee is said to be eyeing a Vera Wang dress and will likely wear a ring designed by Wentz.

This wouldn’t be the first time Joe has mucked things up for his daughters. During Jessica’s visit to Africa with the Operation Smile charity two years ago, he insisted on being the only one to take pictures of her, despite having a professional photographer along on the trip – thus making himself the only one to collect the cash when he sold the photos to People magazine.

Joe also undercut Jessica when she did a deal for the launch issue of OK! At the time, it was reported Jessica got a mere $250,000 for the spread – despite Sean Combs getting more than $1 million several weeks later.

[From Page Six]

Pardon me while I laugh. Ha ha ha! Papa Joe probably fancies himself in the same league as Lynne Spears or Dina Lohan, but the reality is, his daughters just don’t get the same attention, because pretty much everyone in the universe- including the tabloids- are over them both. Personally, I wouldn’t pay $1 to see Ashlee’s wedding or baby photos. On the other hand, I would pay top dollar to sit in the front row of Ashlee and Pete’s divorce court hearings. Papa Joe, if you’re smart, you’ll start selling tickets now.

Joe and Ashlee Simpson are shown at the American Music Awards on 11/21/06, thanks to PRPhotos.