Nicole Richie

Richie began dating Joel Madden, lead vocalist for the rock group Good Charlotte, in December 2006. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Harlow Winter Kate Madden, in January 2008, and their second child, son Sparrow James Midnight Madden, in September 2009. Richie and Madden announced their engagement in February 2010 and married on December 11, 2010, at the estate of Richie's father, Lionel Richie.

In November 2007, Richie and Madden established The Richie Madden Children's Foundation to assist disadvantaged mothers and children. In addition to her family philanthropic work, she serves on the board of directors for the children's charity Baby2Baby and the Environmental Media Association.

Richie faced extensive public scrutiny regarding her weight in 2006, during which she sought guidance from a nutritionist, doctor, and personal trainer while stating publicly that she did not suffer from an eating disorder. In March 2007, she was hospitalized for dehydration and subsequently diagnosed with hypoglycemia.

Richie was born Nicole Camille Escovedo in Berkeley, California, to musician Peter Michael Escovedo and Karen Moss. Through her biological father, she is the niece of percussionist Sheila E. and the granddaughter of Latin jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo. When she was three years old, her parents placed her under the care of Lionel Richie and his then-wife Brenda Harvey Richie because they were unable to provide for her financially.

Lionel and Brenda became her legal guardians and officially adopted her when she was nine years old. Her adoptive father wrote his 1986 top-ten hit song "Ballerina Girl" for her after watching her ballet rehearsals. Growing up in Los Angeles, Richie was immersed in the music industry, counting Michael Jackson and oil heiress Nancy Davis among her godparents.

Richie attended The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, where she first met Paris Hilton, before graduating from Montclair College Preparatory School. She later enrolled at the University of Arizona to study arts and media alongside Kourtney Kardashian, but she left after two years to return to California.

Richie achieved mainstream fame in December 2003 when she teamed up with Paris Hilton for the Fox reality television series The Simple Life. The show followed the two wealthy socialites as they attempted manual labor and everyday life in rural Altus, Arkansas. The series premiere drew 13 million viewers and ran for five seasons across Fox and E!, concluding in 2007.

Following the conclusion of The Simple Life, Richie served as a mentor and judge on NBC's fashion competition series Fashion Star from 2012 to 2013. In 2014, she launched the VH1 unscripted comedy series Candidly Nicole, based loosely on her comedic Twitter posts, which ran for two seasons. She later appeared as a judge on Amazon Prime Video's design competition Making the Cut and created the 2020 Quibi series Nikki Fre$h, portraying her comedic hip-hop alter ego.

In December 2024, Richie reunited with Hilton for the Peacock reality series Paris & Nicole: The Encore.

Richie made her acting debut in the 2005 comedy film Kids in America. She subsequently took guest roles on television series including Six Feet Under, American Dreams, 8 Simple Rules, Eve, and Chuck.

In 2017, Richie secured her first series regular television role on the NBC workplace sitcom Great News, created by Tracey Wigfield and executive produced by Tina Fey. Richie portrayed Portia Scott-Griffith, an eccentric and trendy cable news anchor, earning praise for her comedic timing throughout the show's two-season run. She later appeared in feature films such as Good Burger 2 and the 2024 remake of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

Richie entered the fashion industry in October 2008 by debuting House of Harlow 1960, a jewelry and accessories line named after her daughter. The label eventually expanded into apparel, footwear, eyewear, and home fragrances, earning Richie the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the 2010 Glamour Women of the Year Awards. In 2010, she launched an additional bohemian-inspired women's clothing line titled Winter Kate.

Beyond design, Richie has authored two novels. Her 2005 semi-autobiographical debut, The Truth About Diamonds, reached number 32 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction. Her second novel, Priceless, was released in September 2010.