By Neia Balao
6:00am PDT, Aug 11, 2022
_
If you grew up during the aughts, you'll remember there were a slew of female celebrities — be it models, actresses or musicians — who had major moments. Join Wonderwall.com as we take a look at the coolest ladies of the 2000s and find out what they're up to now… starting with this blonde beauty. She might have hit the music scene in 1999, but it wasn't until 2003 that Jessica Simpson really made a name for herself with the debut of her MTV reality show, "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica." The series, which followed her marriage to boybander Nick Lachey, captivated viewers for three seasons and turned Jessica into a household name thanks to her lovable gaffes like thinking tuna was chicken. Jessica and Nick's marriage came to an end in 2005, but the newly minted reality star's career exploded in the aftermath. She moved on to acting, starring in "Employee of the Month" and "Dukes of Hazzard" later that decade.
Keep reading to see what Jessica and more cool ladies of the aughts are up to now…
RELATED: Female singers of the 2000s: Where are they now?
_
Jessica Simpson moved on from reality television and music and these days is more centered around her family and business ventures. In 2014, she married former NFL player Eric Johnson, with whom she's welcomed three kids: Maxwell, Ace and Birdie. She became a New York Times bestselling author with the release of her juicy 2020 memoir, "Open Book," and in 2021, she regained full control of her billion-dollar clothing, home goods and shoe brand, The Jessica Simpson Collection.
RELATED: Taylor Kitsch and more '00s crushes: See them then and now
_
Devon Aoki, the model-actress from a famous family — her father is Olympic wrestler-turned-Benihana restaurant founder Rocky Aoki while Grammy-nominated EDM artist and DJ Steve Aoki is her older half-brother — made her runway debut in 1997 and became the face of Versace (casually replacing Naomi Campbell) at just 16 in 1998. She then made a mainstream impression when she appeared in 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious" (pictured).
RELATED: Most beloved female characters on 2000s teen dramas
_
After appearing in other films including "Sin City," "Dead or Alive," "War" and "Mutant Chronicles," Devon Aoki went on to design a capsule collection for Levi's Asian market, Levi's +D, in 2007. In 2009, she retired from acting and modeling to focus on her personal life. In 2011, she married James Bailey — co-founder and managing director at Velos, a venture capital and private equity firm — with whom she shares a son and three daughters. In 2017, the New York City-born model-actress made her return to the runway when she walked for Moschino and appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss and Sephora x Moschino. 2018 was yet another busy year for Devon: In addition to walking the runway for designer bestie Jeremy Scott, she appeared in campaigns for Nordstrom, Swarovski and Moschino Fragrance. Next up? She's executive producing a series for FX based on the life of her father, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, with brother Steve Aoki.
_
Sienna Miller was the ultimate cool girl of the '00s. She started acting early in the decade then started up a relationship with the ultimate aughts heartthrob, Jude Law, in 2003 while co-starring in the movie "Alfie." Sienna's star continued to rise even after they parted ways, for both her acting as well as her growing reputation as one of the most stylish stars of the era. So what is she up to today?
_
Sienna Miller is currently having a major career resurgence! After impressing critics in projects like 2014's "American Sniper," the English beauty starred in the Netflix series "Anatomy of a Scandal" and the British series "Chivalry" in 2022. The same year, she started dating model-actor Oli Green, who's 15 years her junior. The actress shares a daughter with actor Tom Sturridge; prior to that, she made headlines when she had a public affair with actor Balthazar Getty.
_
From indie muse to in-demand actress, Chloe Sevigny has long been a player in the Hollywood game. She moved from Springfield, Massachusetts, to Brooklyn at 19 and was dubbed one of "the coolest girls in the world" in The New Yorker in the '90s, the decade she launched her career in buzzy films like "Kids," "Gummo" and 1999's "Boys Don't Cry," a performance that earned her Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. She went on to appear in even high profile films in the aughts including "American Psycho," "Party Monster," Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" and "Zodiac."
_
Chloe Sevigny has worked steadily since the aughts, appearing in projects including the films "Lovelace," "The Wait" and "Antibirth" and television shows like "Portlandia," "The Mindy Project," "Those Who Kill," "American Horror Story" and "Bloodline." More recently, she starred on Hulu's "The Girl From Plainville" alongside Elle Fanning. Chloe married art gallery director Siniša Mačkovic in 2020, the same year she gave birth to their son, Vanja.
_
Lauren Conrad — affectionately known to MTV reality fans as "L.C." — charmed viewers when she appeared on "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" from 2004 to 2005 and "The Hills" from 2006 to 2009. At the end of the aughts, she launched her first fashion label, The Lauren Conrad Collection, as well as a second fashion line, LC Lauren Conrad, with Kohl's, and published the novel "L.A. Candy," which became a New York Times bestseller. So what's this California girl up to nowadays?
_
Lauren Conrad followed up her debut novel with a five more between 2010 and 2013 as well as style and beauty guides. She hosted the podcast "Asking for a Friend" in 2019 and a year later launched Lauren Conrad Beauty, a collection of economical and eco-friendly makeup products. In 2014, she married William Tell, a former guitarist for the band Something Corporate who left the stage to become a lawyer. They've since welcomed two boys, Liam and Charlie.
_
Who remembers this beautiful R&B singer? Mya — who sang the hook on Pras's hit track "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" in 1998 — released her self-titled debut album the same year and achieved even greater success in 2001 when she collaborated with music stars Christina Aguilera, Pink and Lil' Kim on the track "Lady Marmalade" for the Academy Award-winning musical-drama "Moulin Rouge!" Mya's third album, "Moodring," was released in 2003.
_
Mya has continued to release music, including the albums "K.I.S.S. (Keep It Sexy & Simple)," "Smoove Jones" and 2018's "TKO (The Knock Out)." In 2020, she released a handful of singles and the same year made headlines when a photo of her in wedding dress surfaced, sparking speculation she'd eloped with a mystery man. But it turned out that the photo was taken on the set of her music video for "The Truth," in which he married herself. "It was all about self-care, self-love and getting myself back after a toxic relationship," she told "Fox Soul" of the move, though she didn't reveal her ex's identity. More recently, she's been focused on acting, starring in the Tubi's action flick "Lazarus" and the Lifetime Christmas movie "My Favorite Christmas" in 2021.
_
While many remember her from her time on the hit TV series "Ally McBeal," which saw her earn a best supporting actress in a comedy Emmy, Lucy Liu also made a major impression when she starred as Alex Munday in the "Charlie's Angels" films in 2000 and 2003. During the aughts, the Queens native also landed roles in "Chicago," "Kill Bill: Volume 1" and "Lucky Number Slevin."
_
From 2012 to 2019, Lucy Liu was back on TV as Joan Watson on the Sherlock Holmes-inspired TV series "Elementary." Since 2019, she's starred on the dark-comedy anthology series "Why Women Kill." She'll next appear in the 2023 DC superhero flick "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." Lucy welcomed son Rockwell via surrogate in 2015.
_
Ethiopian model Liya Kebede got her big break when Tom Ford reached out to her for his Gucci Fall/Winter fashion show in 2000. Then in May 2002 at 24, Liya graced the cover of Paris Vogue — an issue that was entirely devoted to her.
_
Liya Kebede, who's long been an advocate for the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality in Ethiopia — she created the Liya Kebede Foundation in response to the crisis — was appointed a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2005. She's also a business owner! In 2007, Liya launched the clothing line Lemlem ("to bloom" in Amharic), which features sustainable fashion for kids, women and men. The label also aids in the preservation of traditional weaving in Ethiopia.
_
Los Angeles native Kate Bosworth rose to stardom appearing in 1998's "The Horse Whisperer" and 2000's "Remember the Titans" then led a film when she portrayed a humble and aspiring professional surfer in 2002's "Blue Crush." Following that role, she appeared in more movies of the aughts including "Wonderland," "Beyond the Sea" and "Superman Returns." Kate's romantic life during the '00s was also pretty noteworthy — from 2002 to 2005, she dated Orlando Bloom.
_
Kate Bosworth hasn't stopped working, though her projects have been less high profile than they were earlier in her career. In addition to making minor appearances in many films since the aughts, she landed roles in a handful of miniseries including 2017's "The Long Road Home" and 2019's "The I-Land." In 2013, she married director Michael Polish and in 2021, the couple announced their split. The same year, she started dating actor Justin Long, with whom she co-stars in the 2022 horror-thriller "House of Darkness."
_
Model Gemma Ward, who was scouted at 14, made her Australian Fashion Week debut a year later. She went on to become the youngest model to ever be featured on the cover of American Vogue and was declared by Vogue Paris to be one of the top models of the aughts. In July 2007, she was ranked No. 10 on Forbes' list of the world's highest earning supermodels.
_
After a six-year hiatus, Gemma Ward made her return to the runway in September 2014 when she walked for Prada during Milan Fashion Week. Two years later in 2016, she graced the cover of Australian Vogue, appeared in a campaign for Givenchy and served as a guest judge on the 10th cycle of "Australia's Next Top Model." After briefly romancing Heath Ledger shortly before his 2008 death, Gemma found love again: She and partner David Letts have three children.
