'20/20' Talks to Stars and Their Siblings

ByABC News
May 20, 2004, 3:21 PM

May 21, 2004 -- In some cases, stardom seems to run in the family. From David and Shaun Cassidy, to today's successes Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Hollywood has a long line of celebrity siblings.

Watch 20/20's full report during a two-hour special Friday at 9 pm.

Whether or not a family becomes a showbiz clan fame can take a toll on relations. Here's a glimpse at how some families handled a rise to the top.

Featured Families: Star Jones | David Cassidy | Hillary and Haylie Duff | Michael Jordan | Aaron and Nick Carter

Pop star Jessica Simpson is a virtual brand name. She has a reality show, a recording career, fast-food endorsements and a network variety show as well. And if she's a brand, the latest brand extension is her sister, 19-year-old Ashlee Simpson.

Ashlee already has a role on the WB series 7th heaven and an MTV reality show of her own on the way chronicling the production of her first CD.

"I always say that Ashlee's not following in my footsteps, she's making footsteps of her own because she's not becoming me by any means," Jessica Simpson told 20/20.

She may be different, but their father knows that Ashlee's career has benefited from years of his efforts on Jessica's behalf. "The beauty of what's happened here, is that you don't have to knock down the doors that we've spent years knocking down to get in," said Joe Simpson.

And as the two tackle Hollywood there remains plenty of love between the sisters. According to Ashlee they "never had, like, a real fight."