Nicole Richie
Encyclopedia
Nicole Camille Richie is an American fashion designer, author
, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo
, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo. Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of soul
singer Lionel Richie
and his then-wife Brenda Harvey. Richie is perhaps best known for her role in the Fox reality television series The Simple Life
. In recent years Richie has focused on charity work and environmental issues. In November 2007 Richie and husband Joel Madden
created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".
Richie's tumultuous personal life has attracted significant publicity in tabloid press, for her dramatically thin appearance, which sparked rumors of an eating disorder
, to driving under the influence
(DUI) arrests in 2003 and 2006, and her extensive drug abuse
throughout her late teenage years and early twenties.
. Following the divorce, Lionel remarried and gave Nicole two younger siblings: Myles (born 1994) and Sofia (born 1998).
Richie has one godmother, Nancy Davis, daughter of Marvin Davis
and mother of Brandon Davis. Quincy Jones
and Michael Jackson
were each Richie's godfathers. Jones said in a People magazine interview that he has "known Nicole Richie since she was a baby. She's a very smart girl"..
In 1986, she began attending The Buckley School
in Sherman Oaks, California, where she met Paris Hilton
. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School
in 1999. She studied Arts and Media for two years at the University of Arizona
, and her classmates were Kourtney Kardashian
and Luke Walton
.
In 2003, Richie and her then best friend Paris Hilton
starred in the reality series The Simple Life
, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas
. The series debuted on Fox
on December 2, 2003, to high ratings. The premiere episode drew thirteen million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating to 79%. The series continued for a second and third season, and Richie achieved superstardom for her out-spoken, comedic persona.
The show was subsequently canceled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth season, which was a hit for E!, drawing nearly one million viewers and a relatively unsuccessful fifth season. More complications arose during the production of a fifth season. Both Richie and Hilton faced major charges for DUI
, and were at risk of serving jail
time. Hilton was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished. Richie accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to four days in jail, again after production had wrapped. Despite talks of a sixth season, the series finished its run at the end of the moderately unsuccessful fifth season.
In 2005, Nicole Richie made her acting debut in the comedic drama Kids in America
. Richie has guest starred in television series including Eve
, Six Feet Under and American Dreams
, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and playing the recurring character Heather Chandler on Chuck
. In July 2008, plans were announced to turn Richie's 2005 novel, The Truth About Diamonds
, into a television series.
On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Richie would guest judge on Project Runway
.
Richie is currently filming Fashion Star
for NBC
.
.
Richie's second novel, titled Priceless, was released on September 28, 2010. It tells the story of a girl who loses everything and then learns about what really matters in life.
advertising campaigns. In April 2007, Richie announced plans to start a jewellery, accessories, and sunglasses line along with a perfume and style book. In October 2008, she debuted a jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960
. The line became available at Kitson's online boutique. In Spring 2010, the line was extended to include apparel and shoes. In 2009, Richie joined maternity store A Pea in the Pod to create the new collection maternity clothes. The line was titled "Nicole". Richie created pieces that she would love to wear as an expectant mother. In February 2010, Richie expanded her fashion business with a women’s line called Winter Kate, her daughter's two middle names. The collection was inspired by timeless prints and shapes, beautiful paisley and florals.
In 2010, she won "Entrepreneur of the Year" for her House of Harlow 1960 brand at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. House of Harlow 1960 was also nominated in the category "Celebrity Fashion Line" at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
. In July 2011, it was reported that Richie's House of Harlow 1960 line has unveiled a 14-piece handbag collection. The House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Shopbop.com. In July 2011, it was announced that Richie participated as a mentor in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star
alongside Jessica Simpson
.
's The View playing the piano. Although widely speculated that Richie is working on an album, she told People that it's not true; however, she said "I do eventually [want to record an album], but right now I have a lot on my plate". In February 2010, Richie was featured on the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti
". "I was 4 years old in a studio watching my dad record "We Are The World
" and today I get to do it again. Excited to help make a change," she later said of the experience.
In 2004, she auditioned for the part of Maureen in the popular Broadway hit, Rent
, but did not get the part. In 2008, she was offered the lead role in the hit musical Chicago
as Roxie Hart.
were no longer speaking. Hilton commented: "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it." Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about the cause of the split, though it was speculated that the pair fell out due to Nicole showing one of Paris' homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends. They eventually reconciled in October 2006.
She dated DJ AM (Adam Goldstein
) from 2003 to 2005, and they broke up after a nine-month engagement. Richie was also briefly linked to childhood friend Brody Jenner
of MTV's The Hills.
Richie began dating Good Charlotte
lead singer Joel Madden
in December 2006. They have two children: daughter Harlow Winter Kate Richie Madden (born January 11, 2008) and son Sparrow James Midnight Madden (born September 9, 2009). The couple confirmed their engagement in February 2010, and married on December 11, 2010. In February 2008, the first photos of Harlow were sold for $1 million.
, "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.'" She also said, "I started seeing a nutritionist
and a doctor. I was scared that it could be something more serious." During this time it was reported that she had also sought the help of a psychiatrist
and a personal trainer
. Later that year, in September, Richie stated "I am not anorexic
. I am not bulimic
. I do not have an eating disorder
." On October 27, 2006, it was announced that Richie was seeking treatment for "an inability to put on weight," though it is not treatment for an eating disorder.
In March 2007, Richie was taken to the hospital for dehydration. On March 21, her representatives announced she was diagnosed with hypoglycemia
.
.
On December 11, 2006, Richie was arrested by the California Highway Patrol
after she failed a field sobriety test. She was charged with driving under the influence
on State Route 134 in the Burbank
/Glendale, California
area. Several motorists had reported a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class
entering the SR134 freeway on the exit ramp and traveling in the opposite traffic direction. She admitted to using marijuana
and the narcotic
Vicodin
before the incident. July 27, 2007, Richie was sentenced to four days in jail, but served only about 82 minutes of the sentence as Richie checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California
on August 23, 2007 at 15:15 PDT and was released at 16:37 PDT. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's department told People magazine that Richie "was released early due to overcrowding in the jail system. This is standard procedure for nonviolent offenders." After spending 82 minutes in jail, Richie was "Of course pleasantly surprised to be released so quickly," said her attorney.
Richie signed up for an 18-month SB 38 anti-drinking driver education program, according to papers filed with the Superior Court of California. On June 22, her probation was extended one year to March 2011 because she missed her anti-drinking driving class. However, Richie's probation was terminated early on December 29, 2010 after her lawyer presented details to the judge that Richie had completed all terms of her probation.
created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation". Richie, Joel and Benji Madden
along with UNICEF held a fundraiser for the Tap Project in March 2009. They sold 143 water pumps to bring water directly to the villages and raised $100,000. Esprit
donated 10% of all the sales on April 2, 2009 at their newly opened 3rd Street Promenade store to The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation. The Richie-Madden Foundation specially designed "Cup with a Cause" for 7-Eleven. It was a part of their charity-focused coffee campaign in February 2010. During 2010 the Foundation worked together with Beyond Shelter, a non-profit organization devoted to providing shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles
.
In May 2008, Richie and Madden shot a UNICEF public-service announcement to generate aid for the cyclone-devastated Myanmar
.
Richie and Madden have also written blogs on the UNICEF website and encouraged people to help children in need.
Richie has been a board member of the Environmental Media Association for several years and took part in their awareness program in May 2009. Each member "adopted" a school to raise awareness for the program and help students with environmental education. She participated in a charity hand-me-downs auction that started on the website handmedowns.com. The proceeds went directly to The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to help bring more opportunities to children in the US and abroad.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, actress, singer and television personality. Her father was Peter Michael Escovedo
Peter Michael Escovedo
Peter Michael Escovedo is an Emmy-award nominated percussionist and musical director. Born 7 July 1961, in Alameda County, California, he is also known as Peter Michael Escovedo III....
, a musician who played for a brief time with Lionel Richie, and her mother Karen was the executive assistant for Sheila Escovedo. Nicole Richie is the adopted daughter of soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and his then-wife Brenda Harvey. Richie is perhaps best known for her role in the Fox reality television series The Simple Life
The Simple Life
The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...
. In recent years Richie has focused on charity work and environmental issues. In November 2007 Richie and husband Joel Madden
Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden is an American singer, record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte.-Early life:...
created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation".
Richie's tumultuous personal life has attracted significant publicity in tabloid press, for her dramatically thin appearance, which sparked rumors of an eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
, to driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
(DUI) arrests in 2003 and 2006, and her extensive drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
throughout her late teenage years and early twenties.
Early life and education
Nicole Richie was born in Berkeley, California. At the age of three, her birth parents agreed to let her move in with Lionel Richie and his then-wife Brenda Harvey because they could not afford to provide for her financially. "My parents were friends with Lionel," she told People in 2003. "They trusted that they would be better able to provide for me." Initially, Lionel Richie became her guardian. Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey effectively raised Nicole as their daughter. She began attending weekly sessions with a psychotherapist at age three, remaining in therapy throughout childhood. Nicole was legally adopted by Lionel and Brenda when she was nine years old. Shortly after the adoption was formalized, Lionel's affair with another woman became public knowledge. Lionel and Brenda went through a bitter, public split, and as a result, indulged Nicole's every whim. "Their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don't think a little girl should have that much freedom," said Richie in an interview with Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. Following the divorce, Lionel remarried and gave Nicole two younger siblings: Myles (born 1994) and Sofia (born 1998).
Richie has one godmother, Nancy Davis, daughter of Marvin Davis
Marvin Davis
Marvin H. Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist...
and mother of Brandon Davis. Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
were each Richie's godfathers. Jones said in a People magazine interview that he has "known Nicole Richie since she was a baby. She's a very smart girl"..
In 1986, she began attending The Buckley School
The Buckley School
The Buckley School is a college preparatory day school, founded in 1933 by Isabelle Buckley. It is located in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley portion of the Los Angeles, California...
in Sherman Oaks, California, where she met Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School
Montclair College Preparatory School
Montclair College Preparatory School, also commonly known as "Montclair Prep" is a school located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, near Panorama City. The school teaches grades 9 through 12.-History:Founded in 1956, by the late Dr. Vernon E...
in 1999. She studied Arts and Media for two years at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, and her classmates were Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Mary Kardashian is an American businesswoman, socialite, model, actress and reality television personality who gained fame as a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami.She is the oldest child of Kris Jenner and...
and Luke Walton
Luke Walton
Luke Theodore Walton is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His primary position is at small forward. After the 2010 NBA Finals, Walton and his father Hall of Famer Bill Walton became the first and only father and son to...
.
Television
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
starred in the reality series The Simple Life
The Simple Life
The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...
, in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of Altus, Arkansas
Altus, Arkansas
Altus is a town in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 817 at the 2000 census. When the Iron Mountain Railroad laid rails up the Arkansas River Valley in the 1870s from Little Rock to the...
. The series debuted on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on December 2, 2003, to high ratings. The premiere episode drew thirteen million viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating to 79%. The series continued for a second and third season, and Richie achieved superstardom for her out-spoken, comedic persona.
The show was subsequently canceled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth season, which was a hit for E!, drawing nearly one million viewers and a relatively unsuccessful fifth season. More complications arose during the production of a fifth season. Both Richie and Hilton faced major charges for DUI
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
, and were at risk of serving jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
time. Hilton was sentenced to 23 days in jail, though this was after production of the season had finished. Richie accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to four days in jail, again after production had wrapped. Despite talks of a sixth season, the series finished its run at the end of the moderately unsuccessful fifth season.
In 2005, Nicole Richie made her acting debut in the comedic drama Kids in America
Kids in America (2005 film)
Kids in America is a 2005 film directed by Josh Stolberg. It was written by Andrew Shaifer and Josh Stolberg. The film is inspired by real events.-Cast:*Gregory Smith – Holden Donovan*Stephanie Sherrin – Charlotte Pratt...
. Richie has guest starred in television series including Eve
Eve (TV series)
Eve is an American sitcom starring Eve, Jason Winston George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks and Sean Maguire. That aired on the UPN network from September 15, 2003 to May 11, 2006, with 66 episodes produced spanning 3 seasons...
, Six Feet Under and American Dreams
American Dreams
American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios...
, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, and playing the recurring character Heather Chandler on Chuck
Chuck (TV series)
Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central...
. In July 2008, plans were announced to turn Richie's 2005 novel, The Truth About Diamonds
The Truth About Diamonds
-The story line:The novel tells the story of Chloe Parker, a woman in her early 20s who had been adopted at the age of seven by a music superstar and his wife, and who now associates with Hollywood celebrities...
, into a television series.
On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Richie would guest judge on Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
.
Richie is currently filming Fashion Star
Fashion Star
Fashion Star is an upcoming American reality television series on NBC, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Elle Macpherson. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Writing
In 2005, Richie wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Truth About Diamonds, which was released by Bharell Jackson Publishing. The novel is loosely based on her life, but is mostly fictional. It chronicles the life of Chloe Parker, the adopted daughter of a singer who makes her way through all of the hottest nightclubs and parties in Hollywood and battles a drug addiction. In early January 2006, The Truth About Diamonds peaked at number #32 in Hardcover Fiction on The New York Times Best-Seller ListNew York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
Richie's second novel, titled Priceless, was released on September 28, 2010. It tells the story of a girl who loses everything and then learns about what really matters in life.
Fashion
She has been the face of Bongo Jeans and Jimmy ChooJimmy Choo
Dato' Jimmy Choo, OBE, born Choo Yeang Keat, is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd that became known for its handmade women's shoes....
advertising campaigns. In April 2007, Richie announced plans to start a jewellery, accessories, and sunglasses line along with a perfume and style book. In October 2008, she debuted a jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960
House of Harlow
House of Harlow 1960 is a jewelry line by Nicole Richie. The line debuted at Kitson's online boutique in 2008. The line has been worn by many celebrities, such as Vanessa Minillo, Madonna Tina Farhat and Ashlee Simpson...
. The line became available at Kitson's online boutique. In Spring 2010, the line was extended to include apparel and shoes. In 2009, Richie joined maternity store A Pea in the Pod to create the new collection maternity clothes. The line was titled "Nicole". Richie created pieces that she would love to wear as an expectant mother. In February 2010, Richie expanded her fashion business with a women’s line called Winter Kate, her daughter's two middle names. The collection was inspired by timeless prints and shapes, beautiful paisley and florals.
In 2010, she won "Entrepreneur of the Year" for her House of Harlow 1960 brand at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. House of Harlow 1960 was also nominated in the category "Celebrity Fashion Line" at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. In July 2011, it was reported that Richie's House of Harlow 1960 line has unveiled a 14-piece handbag collection. The House of Harlow 1960 handbag collection will be available at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Shopbop.com. In July 2011, it was announced that Richie participated as a mentor in NBC's new reality show Fashion Star
Fashion Star
Fashion Star is an upcoming American reality television series on NBC, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Elle Macpherson. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
alongside Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
.
Music
Richie was a member of the rock band "Darling". She made her musical debut in February 2005 with a live appearance on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The View playing the piano. Although widely speculated that Richie is working on an album, she told People that it's not true; however, she said "I do eventually [want to record an album], but right now I have a lot on my plate". In February 2010, Richie was featured on the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti
We Are the World 25 for Haiti
"We Are the World 25 for Haiti" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the 1985 hit song "We Are the World", which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine relief in...
". "I was 4 years old in a studio watching my dad record "We Are The World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
" and today I get to do it again. Excited to help make a change," she later said of the experience.
In 2004, she auditioned for the part of Maureen in the popular Broadway hit, Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, but did not get the part. In 2008, she was offered the lead role in the hit musical Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
as Roxie Hart.
Relationships and family
In April 2005, reports surfaced that Richie and longtime friend Paris HiltonParis Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
were no longer speaking. Hilton commented: "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it." Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about the cause of the split, though it was speculated that the pair fell out due to Nicole showing one of Paris' homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends. They eventually reconciled in October 2006.
She dated DJ AM (Adam Goldstein
Adam Goldstein
Adam Michael Goldstein was an American DJ, remixer, record producer and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, co-owner of a management company called Deckstar and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna and Will Smith, among others...
) from 2003 to 2005, and they broke up after a nine-month engagement. Richie was also briefly linked to childhood friend Brody Jenner
Brody Jenner
Sam Brody Jenner is an American television personality. He is the son of Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner and his former wife Linda Thompson.-Reality television:...
of MTV's The Hills.
Richie began dating Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 1998, the band's constant members have been lead vocalist Joel Madden, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist Benji Madden, bass guitarist Paul Thomas and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Billy Martin...
lead singer Joel Madden
Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden is an American singer, record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte.-Early life:...
in December 2006. They have two children: daughter Harlow Winter Kate Richie Madden (born January 11, 2008) and son Sparrow James Midnight Madden (born September 9, 2009). The couple confirmed their engagement in February 2010, and married on December 11, 2010. In February 2008, the first photos of Harlow were sold for $1 million.
Weight issues
In early 2006, Richie made headlines with a dramatically thinner appearance, after spending two seasons of The Simple Life slightly heavier than her usual weight. In May she told Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.'" She also said, "I started seeing a nutritionist
Nutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
and a doctor. I was scared that it could be something more serious." During this time it was reported that she had also sought the help of a psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and a personal trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
. Later that year, in September, Richie stated "I am not anorexic
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
. I am not bulimic
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
. I do not have an eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
." On October 27, 2006, it was announced that Richie was seeking treatment for "an inability to put on weight," though it is not treatment for an eating disorder.
In March 2007, Richie was taken to the hospital for dehydration. On March 21, her representatives announced she was diagnosed with hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
.
Legal issues
In February 2003, Richie was arrested in Malibu, California and was charged with possession of heroin while driving with a suspended driver's licenseDriver's license
A driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
.
On December 11, 2006, Richie was arrested by the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....
after she failed a field sobriety test. She was charged with driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
on State Route 134 in the Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
/Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
area. Several motorists had reported a black Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
The original 460-series Geländewagen went on sale for civilian buyers in 1979, after having debuted in February of that year. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a long one of 2,850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A two-door short...
entering the SR134 freeway on the exit ramp and traveling in the opposite traffic direction. She admitted to using marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and the narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
before the incident. July 27, 2007, Richie was sentenced to four days in jail, but served only about 82 minutes of the sentence as Richie checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood, California
Lynwood, California
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in...
on August 23, 2007 at 15:15 PDT and was released at 16:37 PDT. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's department told People magazine that Richie "was released early due to overcrowding in the jail system. This is standard procedure for nonviolent offenders." After spending 82 minutes in jail, Richie was "Of course pleasantly surprised to be released so quickly," said her attorney.
Richie signed up for an 18-month SB 38 anti-drinking driver education program, according to papers filed with the Superior Court of California. On June 22, her probation was extended one year to March 2011 because she missed her anti-drinking driving class. However, Richie's probation was terminated early on December 29, 2010 after her lawyer presented details to the judge that Richie had completed all terms of her probation.
Charity
In November 2007, Richie and partner Joel MaddenJoel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden is an American singer, record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte.-Early life:...
created "The Richie Madden Children's Foundation". Richie, Joel and Benji Madden
Benji Madden
Benji Madden is an American guitarist and backup vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, which he co-founded with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden.-Early life:...
along with UNICEF held a fundraiser for the Tap Project in March 2009. They sold 143 water pumps to bring water directly to the villages and raised $100,000. Esprit
Esprit Holdings
Esprit Holdings Limited is a publicly owned manufacturer of apparel, footwear, accessories, jewellery and housewares under the Esprit label. The company is headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and Ratingen , Germany. In the 2007–2008 business year, Esprit Holdings Limited generated a worldwide...
donated 10% of all the sales on April 2, 2009 at their newly opened 3rd Street Promenade store to The Richie-Madden Children’s Foundation. The Richie-Madden Foundation specially designed "Cup with a Cause" for 7-Eleven. It was a part of their charity-focused coffee campaign in February 2010. During 2010 the Foundation worked together with Beyond Shelter, a non-profit organization devoted to providing shelter for homeless families in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In May 2008, Richie and Madden shot a UNICEF public-service announcement to generate aid for the cyclone-devastated Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
.
Richie and Madden have also written blogs on the UNICEF website and encouraged people to help children in need.
Richie has been a board member of the Environmental Media Association for several years and took part in their awareness program in May 2009. Each member "adopted" a school to raise awareness for the program and help students with environmental education. She participated in a charity hand-me-downs auction that started on the website handmedowns.com. The proceeds went directly to The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation to help bring more opportunities to children in the US and abroad.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Six Feet Under | Herself | Episode: "Untitled" |
| 2004 | Eve Eve (TV series) Eve is an American sitcom starring Eve, Jason Winston George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks and Sean Maguire. That aired on the UPN network from September 15, 2003 to May 11, 2006, with 66 episodes produced spanning 3 seasons... |
Karen | Episode: "Valentine's Day Reloaded" |
| 2004 | Rock Me Baby | Amanda | Episode: "Kiss and Don't Tell" |
| 2004 | American Dreams American Dreams American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios... |
Brenda Reid | Episode: "Charade" |
| 2005 | 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules 8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005, with 76 episodes produced over three seasons. It is based on the self-improvement book of the same name. The show starred John Ritter until his death on September 11, 2003... |
Ashley | Episode: "Ditch Day" |
| 2005 | Kids in America | Kelly Stepford | Lead Role |
| 2008 to 2010 | Chuck Chuck (TV series) Chuck is an action-comedy/spy-drama television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working for the Central... |
Heather Chandler | 2 episodes |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Choice TV Personality: Female | |
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards | Best Celebrity Fashion Line |