How Are Nicole Richie, Sofia Richie Grainge, and Lionel Richie Related?

A breakdown of the Richie family tree.

Despite the fact that Sofia Richie Grainge is the face of quiet luxury and Nicole Richie was the epitome of the early aughts It-girl, few people know the full story behind the famous duo's family tree. As sisters, they've always supported each other in their business endeavors, and behind the scenes, they've been a happy Hollywood family since long before The Simple Life took over TV. But how, exactly, are they related? Ahead, a breakdown of the Richie family tree.

Lionel and his wife adopted Nicole Richie when she was nine years old.

Nicole Richie was born Nicole Escovedo on September 21, 1981, to parents Peter Escovedo and Karen Moss. By the time she was three years old, however, she was under the care of Lionel Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey Richie. The couple legally adopted Nicole when she was nine.

“I don’t know how we got into the conversation, ‘Well, why don’t you just kind of keep the kid here?’” Lionel said in a 2020 HuffPost interview. "I remember [Nicole] had abandonment issues for obvious reasons. [She'd] been handed around to every relative in the family. I remember what I said to [her]. I said, ‘I’m never, ever going to leave you.’”

Lionel kept his promise, noting that adopting Nicole transformed his life.

“I think [she] changed my life a great deal in terms of softening my heart, because everything up to that point was about songwriting and the business and touring,” he said. “All of a sudden I found something that I could actually fall in love with that was never going to leave me. How about that?”

Sofia Richie was born six years later.

After adopting Nicole and, later on, finalizing his divorce from Brenda Harvey, Lionel got remarried in 1995 to fashion designer Diane Alexander. The pair already had a son together, Miles, and one year after tying the knot they welcomed a daughter: Sofia. Though Nicole and Sofia have a 17-year age gap, they share an unshakeable bond.

"So lucky to call you my big sis," Sofia wrote on Instagram in celebration of Nicole's 40th birthday. "I love you beyond words."

Lionel Richie has three grandkids.

In addition to his three children, Lionel now has three grandchildren: Sofia's daughter Eloise, and Nicole's kids, Harlow and Sparrow. Sofia welcomed her daughter in 2024 with her husband, Elliot Grainge, while Nicole shares her children with her husband, Joel Madden. Speaking of Madden: his brother, Benji Madden, is married to Cameron Diaz, meaning that Nicole and Diaz are also technically related, at least in the sense that they are sister-in-laws.

They're a down-to-earth family.

Though Lionel's children—and grandchildren—have grown up in the spotlight, that hasn't stopped him from giving them a (somewhat) normal childhood—no small feat for someone whom Sofia calls "another level of megastar."

“I learned how to deal with people knowing who you are from my dad," Sofia told Town & Country. "He handles it with such grace. He embraces everyone who comes up to him. He’s appreciative, he’s thankful. He’s taught me to never have that ‘Oh god, not today’ attitude. He’s another level of megastar, and my whole life I’ve watched him. I’ve never seen him say no to a picture. I’ve never seen him be rude to anyone who walks up to him on the street. That’s been my role model.”