Nothing can stop Rob Shuter's spinning—not even the loss of his best clients. A day after being dropped as Jessica and Ashlee Simpson's publicist, the pathologically crafty Brit disseminated a statement, attributed to Jessica, intended to suggest that the parting was in no way the long-overdue shit-canning it appeared to be.

"I did not fire Rob Shuter," read the statement. "He is a great publicist and a great friend." Asked whether that meant he would still be repping the Simpson girls, Shuter studiously avoided comment. (In contrast, Insider host Lara Spencer, who, as we reported yesterday was also rumored to be dumping Shuter, personally called us back in the middle of the night to say it wasn't true.)

Of the many people who aren't shedding tears over Shuter's fate, the most dry-eyed of all may be PR maven Ken Sunshine. Widely considered a class act by the flacking industry's admittedly low standard, Sunshine has repeatedly been on the receiving end of Shuter's brazen mischief—most recently, when Shuter pumped a casual get-together between Jessica and Sunshine client John Mayer into a love story worthy of a People cover. He also repped Nick Lachey through his divorce from Jessica, and Ben Affleck through his split from Jennifer Lopez. Said one publicist who knows both men, "It's all about karma, darling."

PREVIOUSLY:
Canned Shuter's Epic Battle With Simpson
Joe Simpson Fires Rob Shuter