Since his parliamentary term ended, he largely withdrew from party politics to focus on his writing and journalism.

[1] He was a staunch supporter of Israel, and wrote the blog Frie Ytringer which focused on the Islamisation of Europe.

When Stålsett stepped down in 2005, and was succeeded by Ole Christian Kvarme, Simonsen however rejoined the church.

[5] In 2004 Simonsen was a competitor on the reality television show Robinson VIP, a Scandinavian adaptation and celebrity edition of Survivor that aired in 2005, finishing as runner-up.

Prior to the expulsion, Simonsen had faced scrutiny due to a Rikets tilstand documentary on TV 2, alleging that he had used his position as representative to help a friend obtain a liquor license.

[8] Simonsen however hold that party chairman Carl I. Hagen misused his position to expel him together with other high-ranking members in 2001 for rather non-existent reasons.