It seems as if we’ve seen Nicole Richie pretty much grow up right before our eyes over the years. She has such an incredible life story — growing up with parents that found out that they couldn’t take care of her before being adopted by none other than Lionel Richie. She had many struggles, like any other kid growing up in Hollywood, going in and out of rehab, however, Nicole eventually got her life together for the better, and her life began to flourish. She’s a mother herself now, married to none other than rocker Joel Madden, and the pair has two children together.
Nicole Richie has come a long way since she was a little girl, however, thanks to Lionel Richie, she has a bigger family, and she was able to make a beautiful life for herself.
These are little known facts about Nicole Richie’s private life.
13 Her Biological Father Isn't Lionel Richie
Nicole was born Nicole Camille Escovedo before she became the Nicole Richie we have come to know and love. Her biological father was Peter Michael Escovedo who was a musician that toured with Lionel Richie. Nicole’s mother, Karen Moss, was an assistant to Nicole’s aunt, musician Sheila E.
12 She First Met Lionel At A Prince Concert
The first time that Lionel Richie met Nicole was at a Prince concert, and Nicole was just 4 years old. Nicole was at the concert with her biological parents, since they were both involved in the music scene. Nicole was playing the tambourine backstage and Lionel couldn’t get the adorable little girl out of his head.
11 She Moved In With Lionel When She Was 4
Nicole’s biological parents were going through a lot emotionally and financially. They were trying to figure things out, and Lionel thought he could lend a helping hand, offering to take in a 4-year-old Nicole until her real parents could figure out their situation and what would be best for Nicole.
10 She Was Adopted At 9
After living with Lionel and his wife, Brenda Harvey-Richie, for a few years, it was determined that her biological parents couldn’t properly provide for Nicole and take care of her. As a result, Lionel and Brenda officially adopted Nicole when she was nine years old, and she took their last name.
9 Her Adoptive Parents Divorced
Unfortunately for Nicole, even though she was adopted by Lionel and Brenda, things still weren’t entirely great for her. Lionel was away for weeks at a time on tour. He had also started having an affair with Diane Alexander, which became public. As a result, the affair caused Lionel and Brenda to split and get a divorce.
8 She Has Two Half Siblings
After Lionel and Brenda finalized their divorce, he then married Diane Alexander, the woman he was having an affair with back in 1995. Lionel and Diane went on to have two kids together — Miles Brockman in 1994 and Sofia Richie in 1998, giving Nicole two technical half-siblings.
7 She Wanted To Be A Figure Skater
When Nicole was a young girl, her parents enrolled her in a number of extracurricular activities such as the guitar, cello, violin, as well as the piano. She also took a shot at figure skating, where she quickly fell in love with the sport. She was so involved in figure skating that she dreamt of becoming a figure skater.
6 She Dropped Out Of University
Nicole decided that she wanted to attend university and follow her own path. As a result, she attended the University of Arizona in Tucson where she decided that she wanted to study arts and media. Things didn’t really go well for Nicole, however, as she eventually dropped out and never finished her degree.
5 She Had Some Drug Issues
Like many young people in Hollywood, Nicole was often tempted by the party scene. She was constantly partying, drinking, and even taking drugs. She was arrested in 2002 for getting into a fight in a nightclub. She was arrested again in 2003 when she was caught carrying heroin. With the support of her parents, she went to rehab where she ultimately got clean.
4 She Has Famous Godparents
It’s always so interesting to see when a famous kid in Hollywood has an even more famous godparent. For Nicole, she was lucky enough to have Michael Jackson as her godfather. She had such a close relationship with Michael Jackson that she defended him when he was charged with child abuse.
3 She Was Once Engaged To DJ AM
In 2004, Nicole began dating DJ AM. The two quickly became engaged in February of 2005, but the engagement was soon called off. A few months later in 2006, the two were spotted together again, but ultimately, the two never got married. Sadly, DJ AM passed away in 2009 of an accidental drug overdose.
2 She Married Joel Madden
In 2006, Nicole started to date Good Charlotte guitarist Joel Madden. Although the two were an odd couple, they really worked together. They had two children together before they finally decided to get married on December 11, 2010 at Nicole’s father’s estate. Family life really suits Nicole, as she’s really settled down with Joel.
1 She Has Two Kids
In July 2007, Nicole announced that she and Joel were expecting their first child together, and on January 11, 2008, her daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born. The couple then went on to have their second child on September 9, 2009, a son named Sparrow James Midnight Madden.