Pete Wentz denies Ashlee Simpson is pregnant

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz at the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, March 29, 2008. Wentz on Monday denied that his fiancee, pop star Ashlee Simpson, is pregnant as reported in celebrity magazines days after they announced their engagement, according to a story on MTV.com.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rocker Pete Wentz on Monday denied that his fiancee, pop star Ashlee Simpson, is pregnant as reported in celebrity magazines days after they announced their engagement, according to a story on MTV.com.

Earlier in the day, Us and OK! magazines published stories on their Web sites claiming Simpson was pregnant. OK! went so far as to say the baby was due in October.

But Wentz, the bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy, told MTV News in an e-mail: "There is a witch hunt for people to be pregnant whenever they get engaged in Hollywood ... I mean we're engaged, that's true, and happy about it."

In a separate e-mail, MTV News said it asked Wentz if he was denying the reports of Simpson's pregnancy, and Wentz answered "Yeah."

A representative for 23-year-old Simpson, the younger sister of actress and singer Jessica Simpson, issued a statement confirming the engagement and adding "beyond that, there is nothing to add."

Ashlee Simpson has been romantically linked to Wentz, 28, since 2006. On Thursday, the couple posted a statement at the social networking Web site friendsorenemies.com in which they announced they would be getting married.

In addition to her career as a singer, Simpson had a role in the U.S. television show "Seventh Heaven." Her new album, "Bittersweet World," is to be released this month.

Wentz co-founded Fall Out Boy in 2001, and the band has built a loyal following with albums like 2005's popular "From Under the Cork Tree."

Reuters/Nielsen