Nicole Richie

Background

Nicole Richie was born on September 21, 1981, to parents Peter Michael Escovedo and Karen Moss. However, her parents decided to put the three-year-old girl under the care of their friend’s family due to financial difficulties. She became legally adopted by her new parents — Lionel Richie and Brenda Harvey — when she was nine years old.

Richie also had a rather unorthodox childhood. Her parents’ divorce when she was 12 led to Richie being primarily raised by her mother. When his adoptive father remarried, she gained a half-brother and a half-sister. Richie’s father was a drug addict and she followed his bad example for a while, getting arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. After spending time in jail, Richie decided to change her life.

In 2003, Richie debuted on M.T.V’s “The Simple Life” with Paris Hilton. The show was a hit, and two years later, the two starred in a film. She launched “The House of Harlow” fashion line in 2009. Richie has since appeared as a guest judge on other reality competition series such as “Fashion Star” and “Making the Cut.” In 2018, Richie starred in the H.B.O. series “Camping.” Under her moniker Nikki Fre$h, Richie released a music album in 2020. She also drew from her life experiences and wrote two novels. Now in her later years, Richie is a mother of two and a successful businesswoman. She is still active on social media, where she shares photos of her family and her work. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness.