From the bright lights of Hollywood to the quiet fields of Arkansas, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s friendship is anything but simple.
Ever since childhood, Paris and Nicole have had a close bond as they attended school together and grew up in the same affluent Los Angeles neighborhood.
While their parents found success in and out of Hollywood – Nicole’s dad is musician Lionel Richie while Paris’ father, Rick Hilton, is the co-founder of real estate brokerage Hilton & Hyland – both Paris and Nicole paved their own path when they entered their 20s and agreed to participate in a reality show titled The Simple Life.
Twenty years after the show premiered on Fox, the BFFs remain close and are headed back to the small screen for an undisclosed project with Peacock. Before their reunion happens, however, take a look at the highs and lows of their unforgettable friendship.
The Simple Life Starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie Premieres
In December 2003, more than 13 million viewers watched Paris and Nicole say goodbye to credit cards and shopping sprees and hello to life on an Arkansas farm. Cameras rolled as the pair learned what it was like to clean rooms, serve meals in fast-food restaurants, work as camp counselors and even perform hard labor on a farm. Hilarity ensued with the show, which beat ratings for The Tracy Morgan Show.
“The Simple Life was the most fun time of my life,” Nicole said on Watch What Happens Live in 2014. “I was 20 and I had a television network, which was Fox, come up to me and say, ‘Do you want to take a trip for 28 days and get paid for it?’ I was like, ‘OK!’ It was great. It was like backpacking — it was with your best friend and you got paid for it and it was fun!”
Paris and Nicole’s Feud Takes Center Stage
Despite The Simple Life finding huge success, Paris and Nicole experienced a falling out in April 2005, or after season 3.
“It’s no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends,” Paris said in a statement to People at the time. “Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it.”
Several months later, Nicole spoke out about the friendship breakup on Today saying they “grew apart” and their publicized feud “just turned into a much bigger thing than it is. It’s just not part of my life.” She also denied rumors that their feud stemmed from Paris possibly wanting Kimberly Stewart to replace Nicole on The Simple Life. As she said, “That was never going to happen.”
The Simple Life Must Go On
Despite Paris and Nicole’s estrangement, the pair agreed to continue filming The Simple Life. As the show moved to E! for seasons 4 and 5, the ladies were not talking and only agreed to film some segments together.
One episode featured the duo running into each other at a coffee shop. In the scene, Paris entered with her dog and ordered a cookie to send over to Nicole’s table. A close-up of the dessert revealed a message in frosting that stated, “Good luck, bitch.” The Simple Life was ultimately canceled in 2007.
Paris Doesn’t Attend Nicole’s Wedding to Joel Madden
In December 2010, Nicole celebrated her wedding to Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden at Lionel’s Beverly Hills estate. While close friends like Gwen Stefani, Ashlee Simpson Ross and Khloé Kardashian were in attendance, Paris was noticeably missing from the festivities.
“Nicole knew very well that having Paris involved would have inevitably turned a special night into being about their friendship,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “There are no hard feelings there. They just grew up and apart.”
During the wedding weekend, Paris was busy shooting an Oxygen reality series in Las Vegas to celebrate Jennifer Rovero‘s birthday.
Nicole Confirms She’s Still Friends With Paris
Time heals all wounds. During a 2014 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Nicole made it clear that Paris still holds a very special place in her heart despite any past drama. “An idea of a true friend is somebody that’s going to be there with you through and through,” she told Andy Cohen. “The short answer to this is, I haven’t spoken to her in a while, but we are very good friends. I love her and I love her family. I have a lot of respect for her.”
Nicole Attends Paris’ Wedding to Carter Reum
In November 2021, Nicole was on hand to witness Paris marry Carter Reum in a fairytale wedding. Their reunion was documented as part of the Peacock series Paris in Love. After the ceremony aired, Paris reflected on how special it was to have her longtime friend in attendance. “Sill and Bill forever,” she joked via TikTok in January 2022. ”Thank you @NicoleRichie for sharing my special day with me. Love you.”
Paris and Nicole Tease New Peacock Special
More than two decades after taking reality TV by storm on The Simple Life, Paris and Nicole appear to be reuniting for a new Peacock reality series. “New Era,” the duo wrote via a joint Instagram post with Peacock in May 2024. “Same Besties. Coming soon to Peacock.” According to TMZ, the project is still very early in development and nothing has been shot yet.
An Encore to Remember
Paris and Nicole’s three-part Peacock special, Paris & Nicole: The Encore, premiered in December 2024. Paris exclusively told Us at the time that the special is an ode to their time together on The Simple Life and beyond.
“To do this celebration for the 20-year reunion is just amazing, and just to see how much we’ve grown up and how far we’ve come, and just what incredible women and wives and mothers we are, it just makes me so so proud,” she gushed, calling Nicole her sister.
She revealed, “No one makes me laugh like Nicole and I think that’s why people loved the original series, because I feel like people could relate when you have your best friend that you have your secret language with. … Everyone has a best friend like that.”
The special gives fans an update on their lives as wives and mothers. Paris shares son Phoenix and daughter London with Reum, while Nicole and husband Madden share daughter Harlow and son Sparrow.
“The first time around, you know, we were 20, and we were kids, and we just had no responsibilities,” Paris told Us. “And now, both being wives and mothers and running our businesses and everything that we’re doing in a million projects. So it was definitely a lot to balance.”
