Why Paris Hilton And Nicole Richie Fell Out
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie had one of Hollywood’s most iconic best-friendships back in The Simple Life era. Then, out of nowhere, it all fell apart. When videos came out of Nicole and Paris getting up to their old tricks at Paris’s wedding, it made us wonder…what happened to their friendship? So we did a deep dive on it and oh boy—there were some real surprises, some scandalous and some just straight-up disturbing
1. They Go Wayyy Back
The Simple Life traded on the fact that its stars, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, were wealthy socialites. But how do two 22-year-old girls actually end up as socialites? Well, it all has to do with their families. While the story behind Hilton’s status is pretty cut-and-dry—it’s right there in her name, Nicole’s story is a little more complicated.
2. She Went From Rags To Riches
Nicole Richie was actually born Nicole Camille Escovedo.
Her parents were in the music scene and her dad was in 80s pop and R&B icon Lionel Richie’s band—but they didn’t quite have the success that Richie had, and they struggled to raise Nicole.
When she was three, she moved in with Lionel and his wife Brenda. Later, when she was nine, they legally adopted her.
This put Nicole squarely in the same realm as Paris Hilton and a slew of other soon-to-be-famous rich kids—but it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
3. Her Childhood Was Seriously Dramatic
When Nicole was seven years old, the happy family she’d been part of nearly exploded in one fateful night. Brenda Harvey had suspected that Lionel Richie was cheating on her, and she tracked him down at the apartment of a woman named Diane Alexander. When Brenda found Lionel there, she started hitting him. Officers showed up and detained her, and it eventually led to the dissolution of their marriage.
When Lionel remarried, it was to a familiar name: Diane Alexander, the woman Brenda had caught him with. Nicole saw a lot of turmoil for a kid—but her teen years would be even more dramatic.
4. They Turned Her Into A Monster
During Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey’s contentious and very public divorce, they spoiled Nicole as a way to distract her from the turmoil—but they went a little too far, and even Nicole later said that no kid should have that much freedom.
With few rules and an unfettered access to her dad’s credit cards, Nicole would take that opportunity and run with it.
While the Paris and Nicole the world got to know through The Simple Life and the tabloids were very similar, their upbringings couldn’t have been more different…
