Nicole Richie, star of The Simple Life and daughter of music legend Lionel Richie, clarified a detail about her daughter after fans questioned a recent Instagram post.
Richie, who married Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden in 2010, shares two children with her husband. Their daughter, Harlow Winter Kate, born in 2008, turned 18 on January 11, and Richie marked the milestone with a birthday tribute.
In the post, Richie tagged her daughter’s Instagram account, writing, “18 years of you ♥️🎂 @katemaddennn,” alongside a slideshow of photos from throughout the years.
Because Richie’s daughter has long been known publicly as Harlow, some fans were caught off guard by the name switch, with one commenter asking, “Happy Birthday!? Did she change her name?”
The mom of two cleared up the confusion while attending an event at The Edition in West Hollywood on Wednesday, January 14, telling People that her daughter “goes by her middle name."
“She has her whole life,” Richie added.
The fashion designer has typically referred to her children by their given names in public, even as her daughter goes by Kate in her personal life. Both Harlow and her brother, Sparrow James Midnight Madden, who was born in September 2009, have largely stayed out of the spotlight.
But with Harlow turning 18 this year and Sparrow to follow in 2027, fans may start seeing more of the Madden kids as they get older.
