Nicole Richie ‘Felt A Responsibility’ To Reach Out To Her Biological Parents When She Was About To Become A Mom

Apr 08, 2022

Lionel Richie is a well-known and respected performer in the music industry. He has been in the business for several decades, having first risen to fame during the 1970s as the co-lead singer and songwriter of the Commodores.

Afterward, he branched out into a solo career, with this venture starting in the 1980s. From that point on, he continued to write music for other artists as well as release music of his own. Some of his best-known songs include "All Night Long (All Night)," "Hello" and "Say You, Say Me.”

While many people are aware of Lionel and his legacy, some may not know that he is the adoptive father of Nicole Richie. Nicole was born on Sep. 21, 1981, and is a television personality, fashion designer, musician and actress. Her biological parents also worked in the entertainment industry, which is how Lionel came to know the family. However, it was clear that Nicole’s parents needed help, and she needed somewhere that she could really call home, which resulted in Lionel adopting her when she was just a little girl.

Since then, Nicole has gotten to experience the glamorous side of living in California, while she also encountered some challenges along the way. She has since started a family of her own. However, she never forgot where she came from. Many years later into her adulthood, Nicole knew it was finally time to reflect on her past with her biological parents. Read on to find out more about Nicole’s adoption story and what led her to reconnect with her biological parents.

Before she became well known, Nicole was just a little girl who loved to play the tambourine. Her aunt is Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, better known by her stage name Sheila E. When she was very young, Nicole would often go backstage where her mom, Karen Moss, worked as Escovedo's personal assistant. During that same time, Nicole's dad Peter Michael Escovedo – who also happened to be Sheila E's brother – earned a living as a musician on tour with Lionel.

As the story goes, Lionel happened to be backstage on a day that Nicole's parents had taken her to work with them. He reportedly heard the young girl playing her tambourine. That sweet scene led to a chat with Nicole's parents, who confessed to Lionel that they were struggling to stay afloat financially. Lionel and his wife Brenda Harvey offered to help the Escovedo family when they invited Nicole to come and stay with them before going on to become her adoptive parents.

However, this wasn’t easy for the family. In her memoir, Sheila talked about how hard it was to essentially lose a family member, as per the NY Daily News. “The heartbreaking part is that once Nicole Escovedo legally became Nicole Richie, it felt like we lost her,” she said. “We all lost her.”

On the other hand, it was a life-changing moment for the Richie family. During an interview with ABC News, Lionel said:

"Nicole was actually a godsend. She was a little girl who needed a shot. She was used to people coming and going. She looked at me and I'd say, 'I'm not going anywhere.'"

Since being adopted by Lionel, Nicole found herself living in California, where she worked hard at making a name for herself. She first found fame during the mid-2000s with the reality TV series "The Simple Life" alongside her best friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton. Nicole was subsequently thrust into the spotlight and has remained there since.

She has continued to appear on television and is the founder of a lifestyle brand, House of Harlow. She is also married to Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden. The pair first began dating in 2006 and were married in 2010. They have two children together and live in Los Angeles, California.

It's clear that Nicole respects her father and all the work he's done. In conversation with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2013, she said: "My childhood was my childhood. I don't have another one to compare it to. My dad has said before that he doesn't think he was a good dad. But I've never felt like that. He's being too harsh on himself." She added:

"Looking back, I think I had a wonderful childhood."

However, when she became pregnant with her first child, she realized that she needed to take a step back and reflect on her past with her biological parents, according to the Chicago Tribune. Nicole said:

“When I found out that I was pregnant, there was just something inside of me that felt a responsibility to mend any issues that I’ve had with my parents in the past, because, listen, I’ve put them through a lot.”

It’s clear that Nicole never forgot her roots, and has continued to grow as an individual while also growing her career and family.

Did you know about Nicole Richie’s adoption story? What do you think about her trying to mend the issues from her past? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.