Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie Fell Out Years Ago, but Now They’ve Found the Strength to Forgive Each Other
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were friends for decades and even considered each other sisters, but at one point, almost lost all of that. They had a serious falling out in the ’00s; so much so that for a long time afterward, they publicly ignored each other. But they’ve found the strength to understand that their relationship is more important than their petty differences, and now they’re inseparable once again, not shying away from publicly expressing their warm feelings for each other.
Paris and Nicole were close since childhood. The girls went to the same school, lived in the same neighborhood, and got into all sorts of adventures together. They were true “partners in crime” and supported each other’s ideas, even (or maybe especially) the most seemingly crazy ones. It got to the point that the girls’ parents wished they would stop being friends.
But the girls were definitely not always out to cause trouble. Nicole confessed that she and Paris were quite the homebodies. They loved going to each other’s house, putting on sweatpants (Paris in pink and Nicole in black), making spaghetti or grilled cheese sandwiches and then lounging around, watching TV together. They also loved dressing up together and even dated twins for a while.
In 2003, Paris and Nicole caught the attention of millions at once. They starred in the reality show The Simple Life, where they stepped away from all the privileges of their luxurious lives and went to live on a farm. With no mobile phones or credit cards, the socialites struggled to survive, working at a dairy farm, a grocery store, and many other places. And all the while, the girls stuck together, supporting each other as always.
The show’s success led to it getting renewed for a second season and then a third. It was precisely after the third season that everything started to fall apart.
In 2005, Paris suddenly announced that Nicole would not be appearing in the new, fourth, season and that a replacement had been found for her. However, despite this announcement, Nicole was still on the show in both the fourth and fifth seasons. That said, the coldness between the girls was evident, and fans were left wondering what had happened and what could have driven this wedge between them.
It became apparent to many that their relationship began to sour when Paris was invited to the Saturday Night Live talk show alone, without Nicole. For the inseparable friends, this seemed unthinkable and must have hurt Nicole’s feelings. They started falling out, and soon after, Paris honestly said: “It’s no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends.”
Communication between them was truly difficult: they ignored each other and seemed to not even notice each other at public events. For example, at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2005, Nicole literally never left her fiancé’s side to not cross paths with Paris, who was already posing for the cameras. And a few days later, when the two ended up in the same restaurant, they sat at opposite ends of the establishment to be as far away from each other as possible.
In the final season of The Simple Life, Paris and Nicole did end up reconciling. However, the question remained: did this actually happen, or was it only scripted?
And sure enough, they weren’t seen talking to each other for several years. Nicole didn’t even invite Paris to her wedding in 2010, justifying this by saying she wanted to celebrate only with people who are truly close to her.
Years later, however, the girls decided to fight for their friendship after all. So, in 2018, Paris and Nicole appeared at The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Awards together, constantly joking and hugging each other. And then they spoke so warmly of each other that it became clear: their relationship is, once again, a close one.
In 2021, Nicole found the strength to fully forgive Paris and became a guest at her wedding. Paris sincerely thanked her friend for sharing this special day with her. The girls laughed, smiled, and looked very happy. They had clearly been able to find the strength to get back the closeness they’d shared before. It’s true what they say: friendship can overcome anything.
Did you know of these ups and downs in Paris and Nicole’s friendship? Are there people in your life whom you’re still close to despite any differences you may have had?