Nicole Richie is clearing the air after hinting her 18-year-old daughter no longer uses the name Harlow.
“Yeah, she goes by her middle name,” Richie, 44, told People on Wednesday, January 14. “She has her whole life.”
When asked about the widespread response to the reveal, Richie continued, “I didn’t look, but it makes sense … she goes by her middle name.”
Fans were left feeling curious after Richie celebrated her daughter’s 18th birthday via Instagram on Monday, January 12, in a joint post with husband Joel Madden.
“18 years of you ♥️🎂 @katemaddennn,” the caption read alongside a slideshow of photos from the teen’s childhood.
Madden, 46, added in the comments section, “That’s my girl ❤️✨.”
Joel’s twin brother, Benji Madden, gushed over his niece in a comment of his own, writing, “How to make a grown man cry!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ love you Kate! You’re a bad ass! Never forget it! Happy 18!! 🎉🎉❤️❤️🎉.”
Richie and Joel tied the knot in 2010, two years after welcoming their eldest child. The couple also share 16-year-old son Sparrow.
Though Richie and her husband are no strangers to the spotlight themselves, the pair have tried to keep their family life out of the public eye.
“One of the biggest differences in the way I’m raising my kids versus the way I was raised is that I was on tour a lot. I don’t really do that with my kids,” Richie explained to DuJour Magazine in September 2012. “It’s important to me that they have stability. I like them to be home. … I was taken out of school and had tutors. By the time my father [Lionel Richie] went on stage, I was asleep.”
Years later, Nicole opened up about the possibility of her children following in her reality TV footsteps.
“I think it would be a different thing going into it now,” she told Entertainment Tonight in August 2021. “It just depends on what it is. But if my kids said to me, ‘I want to try this new thing that hasn’t been done before.’ Well, obviously now they’re preteens, so I’m going to say no. But yeah, if they’re 18 and they want to go do whatever it is, as long as it feels good and authentic to them, I’m fine with it.”
The family made a rare red carpet appearance together in April 2024, attending the premiere of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead in Los Angeles. Nicole and Joel posed alongside their children, as well as Lionel, 76, his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi, and ex-wife Brenda Harvey-Richie.
Despite shielding her children from the scrutiny of public life, Nicole has shared candid insight into her relationship with Joel. During an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in December 2024, Nicole revealed she knew Joel would be her husband “the first night we met.”
Nicole’s BFF Paris Hilton, who was a guest on the same episode, was totally supportive of the romance. “I just thought they were so cute,” she recalled. “Joel is so sweet. He’s so loyal. He’s just one of those types of guys that’s completely different than an L.A. guy.”
