Lionel Richie Admits He 'Almost Lost Consciousness' Because Of Daughter Nicole Richie's Wild Ways With Drew Barrymore

Apr 10, 2023

Lionel Richie opened up about his worst nightmares realized during his daughter Nicole Richie's teenage years when she got into a lot of trouble with her friend Drew Barrymore. The "American Idol" judge visited Barrymore on her daytime talk show and talked about his version of the story of the girls' wild child years in the early 2000s.

Barrymore explained to her talk show audience that she and Nichole belonged to a "little girl wolf pack" as kids who grew up in Hollywood. However, their lives have completely changed as grown-ups raising their own children. 

After serving as her guardian for years, Nicole was legally adopted by Lionel and his first wife, Brenda Harvey-Richie, when she was 9 years old. However, Lionel and Brenda divorced when Nicole was 10 and were indulgent parents who said "yes" to everything she asked because they were guilty about breaking up the family. Nicole said in a Vanity Fair interview in 2006 that she didn't think a girl her age at that time should have been given a lot of freedom. 

When Lionel remarried and had two other children with his new wife, Nicole further spiraled into a party girl with her wolf pack. But when Nicole became a huge star because of "The Simple Life," she got into the wrong crowd and was arrested for drug possession. After she lost two friends due to an overdose, Nicole turned to her adoptive father for help, and Lionel took her to rehab.

On the other hand, Barrymore had a chaotic childhood and spent some time at a psychiatric institution when she was in her teens. Like Richie, the actress said that she didn't have parental guidance growing up, but her time in the facility taught her boundaries. 

Soon after her rehabilitation, Nicole met and married Joel Madden and had a daughter in 2008 and a son in 2009. On the other hand, Barrymore had daughters Olive in 2012 and Frankie in 2014 with ex-husband Will Kopelman. 

Lionel told Barrymore that he does not even know how she and Nicole changed for the better after their wild ways made the headlines. The "All Night Long" singer confessed that he never thought the girls, now in their 40s, could transcend their lives and become devoted mothers or wives.

Barrymore said that when they got their party ways “out of their system,” they eventually turned out OK. Lionel offered to tell his side as Barrymore held his hand.

"You all almost killed me. I'm so glad you got it out of your system,” Lionel revealed on "The Drew Barrymore Show.” “You almost cut my system off. I almost lost consciousness."

Lionel also said that if he was able to live through Nicole’s rehabilitation, then he could survive any other challenges. The "Hello" singer added that he was "somewhere between meditation and medication" during Nicole and Barrymore’s wild child years, especially as he frequently got late-night calls from the sheriff's office whenever the girls got into trouble. 

“Who is going to pay me back for all that medication I took?” Lionel asked Barrymore as a joke and nodded his head when the actress said he must be looking forward to watching her and Nicole get some “parental payback” with their own kids. 

At the end of the interview, Lionel kissed Barrymore’s cheek and remarked that she was doing very well, referring to her sobriety for more than two years. 

Lionel Richie was candid about his challenges as a parent of a wild child. What do you think of his conversation with Drew Barrymore? Do you know someone who can relate to his experiences? Pass this story along!