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CNN Larry King Live
Interview With Nicole Richie
Aired November 15, 2005 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RYAN SEACREST, GUEST HOST: Tonight, Nicole Richie tells all from what happened between her and Paris Hilton to what led her to rehab to her famous father and growing up as a Hollywood wild child. Nicole Richie, here for the hour and taking your calls next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Good evening and welcome. It's Ryan Seacrest in for Larry King, Nicole Richie our guest for the hour, great to see you. Thanks for being here.
NICOLE RICHIE: Good to see you. Thank you.
SEACREST: Lots to cover tonight, Nicole, lots going on in your life. And we're going to take your calls, of course, so stand by to ask Nicole what you've always been dying to ask her. Let's start with this book, "The Truth About Diamonds."
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: What is the truth about diamonds, Nicole?
RICHIE: You have to read it and find out.
SEACREST: Well, I did read it and I have lots of questions about it but in your mind what is the truth about diamonds?
RICHIE: Well, diamonds basically represents just that whole entire life, just the people, the places and everything like that.
SEACREST: And you have a few diamonds, don't you?
RICHIE: Yes, I do.
SEACREST: And a big one on right now.
RICHIE: One good one on my finger.
SEACREST: How many do you have? How many diamond rings do you have?
RICHIE: Diamond rings?
SEACREST: Yes.
RICHIE: I only have one.
SEACREST: I heard you had a couple of them.
RICHIE: No. Well, I have two engagement rings. One is pink sapphire though.
SEACREST: OK. So this is it's billed as a novel the book.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: But now I've been reading some of it and it seems very much like your real life in Hollywood and your life with some of your friends or some of your enemies in Hollywood. How much of it is autobiographical?
RICHIE: Well, when I spoke to my dad because he's a writer and I really wanted to know what to write about he said "You have to write about what you know and your experiences," so that's what I did and I just made it a lot more exciting.
SEACREST: There's a character in the book, Chloe. Chloe is adopted by a music superstar. Chloe enjoys a privileged wild child like life growing up, gets into drugs, gets into rehab.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Co-stars in a reality series.
RICHIE: Actually it's a makeup campaign.
SEACREST: This sounds like -- OK.
RICHIE: Not a reality series.
SEACREST: This sounds like Nicole Richie.
RICHIE: Well, Chloe the character is loosely based on myself but no other characters are based on anybody else.
SEACREST: No other characters at all?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Tell me about Simone, the character in the book.
RICHIE: Simone is the person that she gets to campaign with and Simone really represents just all of the people that I have kind of pushed out of my life after I got out of rehab and kind of decided to really become an adult, you know. You just kind of press the delete button on people that are not good for you.
SEACREST: Simone, wouldn't you agree, has some things in common with Paris Hilton?
RICHIE: Yes, she does.
SEACREST: Like what?
RICHIE: She is tall and she had lost a mobile device. She lost a cell phone but Paris lost a sidekick.
SEACREST: And Paris lost this device and stars' numbers were released on the Internet. It was a big deal right?
RICHIE: Right, right.
SEACREST: I mean that is exactly what happened in her life and it's in the book.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: What else?
RICHIE: I think that that's pretty much it.
SEACREST: Do you or does Chloe get along with Simone in the book?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Why not?
RICHIE: They don't. They're just two completely separate people. They're just -- they're just really not the same people. They were more friends when Chloe kind of wasn't in her right head space.
SEACREST: You know when I'm reading it what I'm doing as I'm looking at these pages is wondering which part is real.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: And which part isn't. Was that the idea to keep us guessing?
RICHIE: Yes, that's what makes it more fun.
SEACREST: Yes, very interesting.
RICHIE: Thank you.
SEACREST: Clearly a wild life. Has Paris seen this book?
RICHIE: I'm not sure. I'm not sure.
SEACREST: Have you sent her a copy?
RICHIE: No, no I have not.
SEACREST: What do you think she would have to say about the novel?
RICHIE: I really don't know what she's going to say. It's something that I don't even think about. I mean I just -- I just wrote this book how I wanted to write it and if she wants to get upset she can but it's really not about her. It's about me. SEACREST: You have to know that because of what you're writing about people are going to respond and people are going to react to it right?
RICHIE: Yes, definitely.
SEACREST: Was that part of the intention?
RICHIE: No. I mean I'm hoping that people will just act like adults and take it for what it is and it's a story. It's a fiction novel.
SEACREST: So in real life what is the relationship between Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton?
RICHIE: Right now we're no longer friends.
SEACREST: Is there a chance that you would be friends again?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Why aren't you friends?
RICHIE: We just grew apart. I mean it's been over the course of a few years and it's something that's not even that big of a deal to me. The only time I even think about it is when it's brought up in interviews. It's a lot more serious in the press than it actually is in real life, yes.
SEACREST: Is that right? So what we read and what we hear isn't necessarily true?
RICHIE: No, definitely not.
SEACREST: What percentage would you say because I see these magazines and I watch the entertainment shows what percentage is true?
RICHIE: I would say probably about ten percent is true.
SEACREST: Why did you grow apart?
RICHIE: We just went in two separate directions. Not one person is right or wrong but, you know, I had to make some decisions in my life about what's right for me and what's not and so that's what I did.
SEACREST: Were you ever really, really close?
RICHIE: Well, we went to school together so she's somebody that I have known since I was two years old and we were all in the same circle. There was about ten of us in the same social circle.
SEACREST: She seems to indicate there's a specific instance.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: And that is the reason why you are no longer friends.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: Why do you say you grew apart and she says there's this one thing and Nicole knows what it is?
RICHIE: Well, I really don't know exactly why she did that. I could only assume that, you know, it obviously created a lot of stir so if that's what she wanted then that's what she got.
SEACREST: There are two rumors that I hear about.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: One of which is that you showed a home video of hers to some of your friends. It was an intimate video.
RICHIE: I would never do that.
SEACREST: Is there -- is there any truth to that at all?
RICHIE: None whatsoever. I would never do that.
SEACREST: Why would she think that that's the reason or why is that story even out there?
RICHIE: I actually think that that's completely made up.
SEACREST: You think it's all fake?
RICHIE: It's completely, completely made up.
SEACREST: It's all a lie?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Is there any truth to the report that she went to your parents and told them about your drug addiction?
RICHIE: No. That was not true either.
SEACREST: So you grew apart.
RICHIE: We just grew apart.
SEACREST: Or you're not telling us something. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie and "The Simple Life" and the two of you do this television show and it becomes Huge. Is that when you started to grow apart? Is that when you started to have problems with each other? Is it because of the television show?
RICHIE: No, it wasn't because of the television show. You know like I said, I got sober and when I came back to Los Angeles I just really had to take a good hard look at my life and make some decisions. SEACREST: Are you happy that you decided to do "The Simple Life"?
RICHIE: Yes, I'm very happy.
SEACREST: Why did you decide to do it?
RICHIE: At the time I actually thought that it would take up 30 days of my life and...
SEACREST: You thought just a month.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: I'll do some work, make some money.
RICHIE: Yes, exactly, exactly and it sounded like a lot of fun and, you know what, it was a lot of fun. Filming it is a lot of fun and I'm really happy that I got the opportunity to do it.
SEACREST: Was your father, Lionel Richie, was he opposed to it?
RICHIE: He was, a) because at the time I told him I was not sober and he really didn't want me going on television acting the way that I was -- that I was acting and also there weren't a lot of reality shows out so he kind of didn't understand what the purpose was. But after he saw it, he really liked it and he...
SEACREST: Do you think that because you went ahead and did that show that actually helped bring the two of you closer together because I know you went through some tough times with him as a father and as a daughter and that relationship? Did that television show in any way help bring you guys closer together?
RICHIE: Closer only in the sense that when I do need advice, career advice, he is definitely someone I can turn to because he's in the same entertainment industry.
SEACREST: Why did the show get canceled from FOX? FOX decided not to do the series again why?
RICHIE: Yes. Well they didn't have a time slot for it and so they just decided not to pick it up. But right now we're still filming. I just don't know what network it's going to be on.
SEACREST: What will you film and who will be on it?
RICHIE: I'm not sure. We don't have a concept yet.
SEACREST: Yes.
RICHIE: But we are set to film. Our contracts have been picked up.
SEACREST: Will it be you and Paris Hilton, the two stars of the series? RICHIE: Yes. Yes.
SEACREST: Will you do it in the same place?
RICHIE: I believe we're doing it separately.
SEACREST: I've heard that you're going to try and do it separately.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Is that your wish?
RICHIE: It would be nice, yes. You know what I really have fun filming no matter what. I love doing the show. It's a lot of fun. I love the producers and the directors and, you know, it's a really fun show.
SEACREST: Well you seem very fulfilled. You seem very happy.
RICHIE: Thank you.
SEACREST: You look great. We're going to talk with you about overcoming the drugs, also your music career and more about the book. Here's a clip of Nicole Richie in "The Simple Life." We'll be right back on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: What are you eating all this food for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well it's for the guys working?
RICHIE: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RICHIE: Hot guys? Are they as handsome as you are? Do you guys take baths together?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
RICHIE: Did you enjoy your meal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really good.
RICHIE: You've got beautiful eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just sweating and working hard all morning.
RICHIE: I love that in a man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you really?
RICHIE: I love men who sweat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sweat a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forty-five hundred dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forty-five hundred dollars?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. All the crystals these are all Austrian crystals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's gorgeous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But this is our whole budget.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then you have to increase it. Who's in charge?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad.
RICHIE: Hi dear, it's Nicole Richie. I'm planning your daughter's wedding and we just wanted to know if we could maybe increase the budget another $5,000?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every other dress in here is white and we have this one off white one and we just thought that since she's not a virgin she shouldn't have an all white one. She should just have off white. OK. I love you. See you tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: "The Simple Life," we're back with Nicole Richie. You look so different in that video.
RICHIE: I do. I know it's crazy. Maybe it's the red lipstick.
SEACREST: I think it's more than that. How much weight have you lost between then and now?
RICHIE: You know I don't know because I've never owned a scale.
SEACREST: Is that right?
RICHIE: So I really have no clue.
SEACREST: Were you aware of the fact that you look different and are you aware that you look different? I mean clearly you've lost quite a bit of weight. RICHIE: Oh, definitely. I mean once I -- once I got out of rehab I had gained weight and so I just decided to get a trainer and, you know, over the course of the past three years I've been losing weight.
SEACREST: Some people have said that you've lost it very quickly.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: And that you're too skinny, scary skinny.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: Do you have an eating disorder?
RICHIE: No, I absolutely do not.
SEACREST: Why do you think people have reported that?
RICHIE: I really don't know and I also don't know why people think that it happened so quickly. It hasn't been two weeks. It's been three years. And I don't know, you know. I'm really healthy and I'm really happy and I think that there are some people out there that -- that just don't want to see you happy that always kind of want to hold you back.
SEACREST: Is that right?
RICHIE: And so I kind of think that that's why the rumors have held on.
SEACREST: How much does it frustrate you when you see images of yourself on a television show or on the cover of a magazine and, you know, it says eating disorder?
RICHIE: It really frustrates me because I would never want people who watch my show or read my book to think that I support that or that I think that it's OK or that I wouldn't do anything about it. I was the one that put myself in rehab. I was the one that went to my parents and said, you know, "I have a problem and I need to take care of it."
And, if I had a problem, then I would take care of it. And one thing I've always been, I've been a lot of things but one thing I've always been is honest and I would never lie and say that I didn't have a problem if I did.
SEACREST: Why do you think you were able to take yourself to rehab? So many people have to go through the intervention.
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: And be dragged to rehab.
RICHIE: Yes. SEACREST: How did you know that you had to do it and you had to do it now?
RICHIE: Well when the show -- when the show was about to start, I knew that I had to really get myself together because I did not want to be on television like that. I had lost relationships with my mom. I had lost relationships with my dad, my brother and sister and I was just like, you know what, this is definitely the time to just get it together and so that's what I did.
SEACREST: But tough, I mean very tough.
RICHIE: Oh, yes, it's very tough.
SEACREST: Because you're walking away from something that you were addicted to.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: And you're in rehab and you realize that you've got to fix yourself. What was that epiphany like? What was that first day like when you show up in this facility and you realize this is the first day of your new life?
RICHIE: Well, the first few days actually I don't necessarily remember just because they were so horrible. But, you know, I mean you get really sick and it's scary when I think back on -- on how physically ill I was just because I did not have everything in me that I -- that I used to have in me. And the fact that I was taking something that was so powerful that I became physically addicted to it is really scary and, you know, I mean it was just -- it was really bad.
And then by the end of the 30 days, they take a picture of you when you walk in and then they take a picture of you when you leave and the change was just really out of control.
SEACREST: What drugs were you using?
RICHIE: Heroin at that time.
SEACREST: A serious drug.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: A very serious drug.
RICHIE: I had tried other things beforehand but...
SEACREST: And at what age did you try your first drug?
RICHIE: Thirteen.
SEACREST: And what was that?
RICHIE: Marijuana. SEACREST: And then at 17, 18 what were you into?
RICHIE: By 18 I had stopped using cocaine and that's when I got -- got into pills a little bit and then -- and then I got into heroin.
SEACREST: It just seems so incredible to have access to all of that.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: To be so young and to be out on your own and have the access. How did you have it and how did you get to it?
RICHIE: Well, I was very good at manipulating my parents because they were getting a divorce and they didn't speak to each other and I really used that to my advantage. I would call my mom and say I was going to my dad's or, you know, call my dad and say I was going to my mom's and I knew that they wouldn't call each other.
SEACREST: Trickery.
RICHIE: Yes and, you know, I definitely did that, which a lot of kids do just not to that -- not to that level.
SEACREST: Was the fact that your dad traveled a lot and he wasn't there often, your parents were going through the divorce, was that the reason that you think you turned to the drugs and that you got into the drugs?
RICHIE: I think there was a -- I think there's a lot of reasons. I think that, yes, my parents were going through a lot. I think it also just had to do with me and my personality and me wanting to kind of be free.
I mean I constantly had security guards around me when I was younger and I wasn't allowed to go to the mall with a lot of my friends and stuff like that. And so, when I finally was able to sneak out, I would just really, really take it to the next level.
SEACREST: Are you fully recovered?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: When was the last time you had an illegal drug?
RICHIE: Three years ago.
SEACREST: And how do you feel now?
RICHIE: I feel great. I feel great, very healthy and alive and really happy that I can remember yesterday and I can remember the day before.
SEACREST: What advice do you give to people who are going through this or families who are going through that same thing right now? RICHIE: I would just say to stick close to your family and if you're -- if you can't then, you know, have a good support system of friends around you because I definitely wouldn't be able to do it alone. And I've lost a lot of friends to this disease and it's really upsetting.
I know that Robert Shapiro was just on here the other night and I'm really good friends with Brent.
SEACREST: A very sad story there.
RICHIE: And it was really sad so, you know, it's definitely -- those kinds of things are a wake-up call and I'm lucky enough that I got through it alive but, you know, a lot of people don't.
SEACREST: That's very true. How old are you now?
RICHIE: Twenty-four.
SEACREST: Twenty-four years old. You're so young. Nicole Richie is with us. We're going to take your calls and chat some more after the break. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: Can I pull people's teeth out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are certain things that you will be able to do and certain things that you won't be able to do.
PARIS HILTON: Who is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Andrea.
HILTON: Hi, Andrea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was the last dental assistant that we had that came, tried and failed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, guys, let her pull out. Excuse me, sir. Oh (INAUDIBLE). Hey, thanks you guys. Thank you guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We conditioned the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: We're back. There's a clip of Paris Hilton and her boyfriend getting into a car accident which was played all over the news. Did you happen to see that, Nicole?
RICHIE: Yes, I did.
SEACREST: What did you think when you watched that played on television?
RICHIE: I didn't think anything, just lucky that I wasn't there I guess.
SEACREST: Do you think -- you roll your eyes and it's like you're saying with your face typical, do you think things like that?
RICHIE: I never wish anything bad upon anybody and, you know, when anybody gets into a car accident I hope that they're OK and that they can get it together.
SEACREST: And they were OK. I think they just ruined a very expensive car, at least the hood of a very expensive car.
We were talking about addiction and going into rehab before the break and it's very interesting that you said "I've got to help myself" and you decided to go and take it upon yourself and you made that decision.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: When you got pulled over the day before or on that day, I don't know when it was but you got pulled over and you were caught with heroin in your automobile is that right?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Walk us through what happened that day.
RICHIE: Well, actually the day that I decided that I wanted to go and we had picked the day to go to rehab I had a week in between that day and when I actually went. So, that day that I was driving was actually like the one time I wasn't doing anything wrong and I wasn't even driving my car. I was driving a friend's car. And I got pulled over for I think it was bad tags or something like that, something really...
SEACREST: So, did you know that there were drugs in the car?
RICHIE: No, no, no, no. I had no idea. Somebody had dropped -- somebody had dropped it in the car.
SEACREST: So you didn't really panic? The siren went off. The police pulled you over.
RICHIE: I had no clue. I had -- I had absolutely no clue.
SEACREST: Routine traffic stop.
RICHIE: Yes, just a traffic stop for bad tags and when the cop came to the car they had found a balloon of heroin on the floor of the passenger seat and -- and I had begged and pleaded and said that it wasn't mine. And, you know, you can always tell.
You can look at -- you can look at someone's eyes and tell if they are sober or not and they knew that I was -- that I was fine but at the same time I am driving a car and the car had drugs in it, so technically I have to go to jail for it.
And, the first thing I thought was I don't want -- what am I going to do? I can't tell my parents. I absolutely can't tell my parents. And I just really wanted to get out at that point.
SEACREST: Get out.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: What do you mean get out?
RICHIE: I mean I just wanted to get out of jail. I wanted to get out of the city. I was just done with ever single...
SEACREST: Did you ever consider suicide?
RICHIE: No, never, never.
SEACREST: You went into therapy.
RICHIE: I -- well I've been in therapy since I was three.
SEACREST: For a long time?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Since you were three?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: What happens when you're three years old in therapy? What do you talk about?
RICHIE: I don't know. I thought that everyone went to therapy. It just -- I don't know everyone's parents with their kids in therapy.
SEACREST: It's just part of Hollywood life isn't it?
RICHIE: I don't know.
SEACREST: But at three and four years old I can't imagine what that conversation is like. What did you discover about yourself as you grew up with a therapist?
RICHIE: I don't know. I mean when I was younger I didn't even think anything of it. It was just a weekly person that I saw so I didn't really look that -- that deeply into it. And then I had stopped going when I was doing really bad because I didn't want to tell my therapist about what I was doing.
But, I think that why therapy is important, especially for me, is because I'm definitely one to hold things in and, you know, when I was doing drugs obviously I wasn't happy with my life but I wasn't telling anybody and wasn't going to therapy, so I kind of used drugs to get out of my own head and...
SEACREST: To escape?
RICHIE: Yes, exactly, and now that I have a) a therapist but, b) my mom, my dad and my fiance and my friends that are trustworthy enough that I can speak to and trust it's very easy for me.
SEACREST: Well you've been through so much in a short amount of time. What are those issues now? What are the biggest issues in your life right now?
RICHIE: The biggest issues in my life, well I tend to take a lot of things on at once.
SEACREST: Too much on your plate?
RICHIE: Yes, so, you know, I get -- definitely get stressed out and stuff like that. I mean...
SEACREST: And how do you deal with stress? How do you deal with it?
RICHIE: Well, I'm learning to talk about it and deal with it instead of -- instead of holding it in but, you know, now I think just like every day problems, like I mean yesterday I was having really big problems with my dog. That was the big problem of the day, you know.
SEACREST: What about being in the neighborhood, if you will, of Hollywood? I mean you still go out. It's part of your lifestyle to be in these clubs. Isn't that dangerous for somebody who is recovering from a drug addiction?
RICHIE: Well, to be honest with you, I actually didn't know how many people didn't do drugs until I sobered up and because, you know, I was so out of my mind that I just thought everybody else was too.
SEACREST: Right.
RICHIE: And it's actually interesting to see how many people there are in L.A. that don't -- that don't drink or do drugs and I actually don't really go out, out unless my fiance is deejaying and...
SEACREST: Are you tempted at all when you're out now?
RICHIE: No, no, but I don't really -- I don't hang out with anybody that does drugs, so I'm not around it.
SEACREST: How about your father? We mentioned him earlier, Lionel Richie. What is that relationship between the two of you now? How strong is it? I know it's much better.
RICHIE: We have a very, very good relationship now. SEACREST: And when you get together with him is it water under the bridge or do you still continue to talk about the things that you guys have been through and how have you fixed that relationship?
RICHIE: Well, he is in therapy now also and we started going to therapy when I went into rehab, so we just have tools that we use to get through things and if he has a problem with me he has to come and tell me and if I have a problem with him...
SEACREST: How often do you speak with him?
RICHIE: I speak with him, depending on if he's in the country or not, but we speak, you know, a few times a week.
SEACREST: He's a great guy.
RICHIE: Yes, he's great.
SEACREST: He is so charismatic.
RICHIE: Yes, he is.
SEACREST: And just obviously a fantastic artist and a great personality. So, when we come back, we're going to take a break and come back with Nicole Richie, take some of your calls, and I'm also going to talk to her about love.
You mentioned your fiance (INAUDIBLE). You're going to find out about (INAUDIBLE). And also I hear rumors that there may be babies in the future, so stick around. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SEACREST: Welcome back. I'm Ryan Seacrest in tonight for Larry King. Nicole Richie is our guest. And the book is called "The Truth About Diamonds." It is in stores. So you can go check that out. It's a novel, but lots of similarities about life in Hollywood and Nicole's life in Hollywood. Also "The Simple Life." You say it is coming back, but we don't know where.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: You promise you don't know where.
RICHIE: I promise I don't know where.
SEACREST: You haven't made a deal with any network.
RICHIE: No network.
SEACREST: Look me in the eye.
RICHIE: I promise.
SEACREST: Let's talk about your relationship. DJ AM, Adam, tell me about him. RICHIE: He is amazing.
SEACREST: What does -- you say DJ AM. What does he do?
RICHIE: He's a deejay.
SEACREST: He spins records at the clubs. He's very, very popular here in Hollywood.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: People pay him a lot of money to show up at parties.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: How did you meet?
RICHIE: We met through friends actually when we used to go out quite a lot. And we wasn't very fond of me back when ...
SEACREST: Really?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Why not?
RICHIE: Well, he's seven years sober, and at the time, you know, I wasn't. And we knew each other on a very acquaintance hi-hi level. But we never got setup or anything like that. It just kind of happened that we happened to hang out one day. And the first day we hung out, we never stopped hanging out. We've been together ever since.
SEACREST: When did you realize that he wasn't that into you? Did he tell you?
RICHIE: No, we weren't into each other. It was just a very like hi-hi type of thing. I mean, he sees a lot. Way more than I've ever seen, just because that's where he works. He works in clubs. And I think, now, that he just thought that I was just a lost girl.
SEACREST: And he's an older man.
RICHIE: And he's older.
SEACREST: How much older?
RICHIE: He's 32.
SEACREST: Shush. Quiet. Don't give my age away. Early 30s. When you say he has been through the addiction and he's recovering and he's seven years sober. What was he addicted to?
RICHIE: He was addicted to crack cocaine.
SEACREST: Wow. And how did he overcome it? RICHIE: He went to rehab and got sober.
SEACREST: How long?
RICHIE: How long ago?
SEACREST: Yeah, how long was he in rehab?
RICHIE: A month I think.
SEACREST: Wow. And he also was heavier than he is now.
RICHIE: Yes, yes.
SEACREST: Significantly.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: How much did he weigh?
RICHIE: He weighed I think 300 pounds.
SEACREST: Had he had gastric bypass surgery?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: And how about the two of you now? Fulfilled, peace of mind, happy.
RICHIE: Yes, very, very happy.
SEACREST: And the future? Let's talk about it.
RICHIE: OK.
SEACREST: Break some news here tonight on CNN. Are there going to be kids?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: How many?
RICHIE: Five.
SEACREST: I heard one. Five and one. The battle will continue after the show tonight. How did he propose to you?
RICHIE: Well, we kind of both knew that it was going to happen, so it wasn't a big surprise or anything like that. We had spoken about it. But he proposed to me on my birthday. And it was very sweet and it was very traditional. He asked my dad for permission first. And then he got down on one knee and ...
SEACREST: Where did he do it? Where? At home?
RICHIE: Yes. SEACREST: And tell me about the wedding plans.
RICHIE: I want to have a very, very big wedding. I want it to be very extravagant. I want like hundreds of people and elephants.
SEACREST: You want elephants?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Hundreds of people and why elephants?
RICHIE: And a horse and carriage.
SEACREST: You want a circus.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Why elephants?
RICHIE: Because elephants are really good luck. And they're beautiful animals. You don't think?
SEACREST: No, I do, I think they're beautiful. I just think the hundreds of people and elephants seemed a strange segue.
RICHIE: You know the movie "Coming to America."
SEACREST: Yes I do.
RICHIE: That was ...
SEACREST: That's what you want. You want that whole scene.
RICHIE: But I want it bigger that that, but yes.
SEACREST: And will some of the guest be people that we know? Some of the famous young people in Hollywood, some of that circle that we see in the newspapers and the magazines and read about possibly in your book?
RICHIE: Yeah, I'm sure that there will be. There will also be a lot of people that have just been in my life that aren't in the public eye.
SEACREST: I have a feeling Paris won't be coming to this wedding.
RICHIE: No, she won't.
SEACREST: What about her sister? I heard she might be coming.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: So the two of you are still friends.
RICHIE: Yes. SEACREST: Is that dynamic difficult?
RICHIE: No, I get along with Nicki, I get along with Kathy, their mom and their dad.
SEACREST: And they don't try to step in and fix the relationship, step in and fix the relation between you and Paris?
RICHIE: Well, we're adults. And to be honest with you, I promise you, it's not a feud -- like we're not enemies.
SEACREST: You have to look at some of these covers.
RICHIE: I know. It's really ridiculous.
SEACREST: There is one that I saw one earlier today that said the feud is more intense than ever. The fight continues.
RICHIE: And it's like there is no feud. There is no feud.
SEACREST: And the stars are picking teams. Some are on your side, some on her side.
RICHIE: I wouldn't want anybody to be on my side or her side. It is not a team thing. I have friends that are friends with her and friends with me. It is not a big deal.
SEACREST: Do you feel like you have to avoid her at all?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Not at all.
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Because you are likely to run into each other here, it's a very small town.
RICHIE: We do run into each other.
SEACREST: What happens to you when you see her?
RICHIE: I just -- We just don't talk.
SEACREST: You don't speak to her.
Let's talk a call from Cleveland, Nicole Richie fan. Hello, Cleveland. You're on, go ahead. Nicole Richie's with us.
CALLER: Hi. I have just probably a two-part question.
SEACREST: Uh-huh.
RICHIE: OK.
CALLER: I'm wondering if you're in a 12-step program. And you know, usually being in one, they ask you to, you know, for obviously your own health and everything, to stop hanging out with friends that do drugs and also do you stay away from alcohol since you had a heroin addiction?
RICHIE: Well, as far as the 12-step program, I really do keep that part confidential. But yes, I do not hang out with anybody that does drugs. And I stay away from alcohol. I do have friends that drink. But I just don't.
SEACREST: Thank you for the call. We'll be right back. More with Nicole Richie after the break live on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what is your budget?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: $5,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what kind of wedding theme do you like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I haven't really thought about a theme.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mardi Gras?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We could do like a Marilyn Manson theme.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No way. I'm thinking more like traditional. What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Traditional sounds good to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A naked wedding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: S&M.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's do naked.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are the hell are these pigs' feet? Pigs' feet? Ew! I'm going to barf.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pigging' feet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oew, barf. Yuck. Feet sounds bad enough. Pigs' feet is worse. Ew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What else?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bottled water, generic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does generic mean, do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How disgusting does this meat look? Like it's been sitting there a week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: OK. We're back with Nicole Richie. Did she just ask what generic means?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Is that all real? When you're shooting that.
RICHIE: That was season one, so yes.
SEACREST: So she didn't know what generic meant back in season one. OK. "The Simple Life." Are you excited to tape the show again?
RICHIE: Yes, I'm excited about every project that I have going now.
SEACREST: You will tape the elephants in the wedding?
RICHIE: No. I will not tape my wedding.
SEACREST: You won't? You won't do that?
RICHIE: I'm not going to tape anything that has to do with my real life.
SEACREST: But wait a minute. That is your real life, kind of.
RICHIE: Well, "Simple Life" is 30 days of us being out of our regular lives. So no one knows where I live or about my relationship.
SEACREST: Have the producers asked you if you would entertain the idea of covering your real life here and your relationship here?
RICHIE: I mean, yeah, it always comes up. People always throw it out there.
SEACREST: So yes. Yes, but you say no, you don't want to do that?
RICHIE: But the answer is no.
SEACREST: I don't want to do that. You're putting out a CD?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Tell me about the CD.
RICHIE: I'm just in the process of recording right now. And I've been singing my whole life, actually. And I play instruments. I play piano, violin and cello.
SEACREST: Wow!
RICHIE: So I'm just recording it right now. It is like a mixture of pop and funk, I guess.
SEACREST: What are the songs about?
RICHIE: The songs are about what I know. Again, about just growing up and becoming a woman.
SEACREST: Growing up here and becoming a woman here. I mean, the book when I asked you about that, you said it's about what I know. Are the same sort of stories told in the lyrics of these songs?
RICHIE: No. The book is more based on growing up in Hollywood and stuff like that. I mean, my album is more based on just being a girl no matter who you are. Facing everyday problems being a woman.
SEACREST: What artists influence you? Who do you listen to and like?
RICHIE: I actually listen to a lot, a lot of different artists. I listen to Gwen Stefani, Prince, Metallica, Cat Stevens, Britney Spears. I mean, I have such a wide range.
SEACREST: You really actually look up to Britney Spears in the pop world, don't you?
RICHIE: I love her.
SEACREST: Why do you love her?
RICHIE: I think just she's a great all-around performer.
SEACREST: Do you know her?
RICHIE: No, I don't.
SEACREST: You don't know her?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Well, Britney, if you're watching, you need to call Nicole Richie. She's a fan. How difficult is it in pop music now, do you think, to have a successful album?
RICHIE: I think that it's definitely difficult. I mean, you know, there are a lot of artists that I think are really great that didn't make it. So, I don't really know, to be honest, what it takes to make it. I think it just really depends.
SEACREST: Paris is putting out a CD?
RICHIE: Yes. SEACREST: Does that have any influence on you and the rush to deliver or not to deliver, the fact that she's also going to be in the marketplace with a CD?
RICHIE: No. I have a musical background, grown up around musician. I've always known that this is what I was going to do. So her putting out an album to me is the same thing as anybody putting out an album.
SEACREST: Your father, Lionel Richie, what does he say about the music and the CD and has he helped you put it together?
RICHIE: He's more playing the dad role, but he's definitely really excited.
SEACREST: That has to be tough for him to just play the dad role. Here is a guy who is so passionate about music. By the way, he's a great judge of talent.
RICHIE: Yeah.
SEACREST: And a great judge of songs.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: So does he step over that line every now and then?
RICHIE: He really actually tries not to because he knows that that is the best thing. So he's actually been really good about it. But I actually went into the studio a few months ago and it was the same studio that I grew up in, that he recorded in the '80s.
SEACREST: Wow!
RICHIE: It was a lot smaller, actually, than I remembered. But it was really cool just to see, just to be able to record in a studio that I grew up in.
SEACREST: Have you said, dad, listen to this track and tell me what you think?
RICHIE: No, I'm too scared.
SEACREST: Why are you scared?
RICHIE: I'm just shy when people - even when people watch the show or anything, I just don't like to be there. He can listen to it, just not when I'm there.
SEACREST: When is it supposed to come out?
RICHIE: Next year.
SEACREST: Next year?
RICHIE: I don't have a release date yet. SEACREST: OK. And a Britney Spears fan. I love that. The fact that you have such a diverse group of people that you admire and look up to is very interesting. So we're looking forward to that and hopefully it works its way up the chart. Let's go to - let's see if we can go to line number six, I'll work Larry's machine over here. Big Stone Gap, Virginia. You're on with Nicole Richie. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hi. First off, I'd like to say my fiance loves your hair.
RICHIE: Oh, thank you.
CALLER: Well, actually, I was talks about Ryan's.
RICHIE: I said the same thing to him.
SEACREST: Well, thank you to your fiance.
CALLER: Anyway, my question was this. Has anyone ever noticed the way you talk has changed so much?
SEACREST: You sound all grown up, Nicole.
RICHIE: Thank you. Thank you so much. No, I haven't heard that. But thank you.
SEACREST: Thank you for the call. Thanks for watching and thanks for the compliment on the hair. Natural color. Appreciate it.
All right, we're going to come back in just a second with Nicole Richie. Anderson Cooper is standing by in New York. What's coming up tonight, Anderson, on 360?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Hey, Ryan. How's it going? That's the biggest tie I've ever seen, by the way.
SEACREST: You know, I don't know. It is -- it's bigger than my head, isn't it?
COOPER: No, it works, it works for you.
SEACREST: Look at the size of -- your bow's tiny, mine is huge.
All right. What's coming up on the show?
COOPER: I've heard that often. We're going to be taking a look at the storm warnings going none the Midwest. Nashville is taking a pounding right now. We'll take a look at the latest on that, show you the damage. We're also going to look at an ongoing problem in Iowa. A prison break, two prisoners armed and dangerous. A massive manhunt is on the way. We'll have the latest on that.
Ryan?
SEACREST: Thank you very much, Anderson. Doing a great job. Really, really like the show. COOPER: Thanks.
SEACREST: All right. And I'll tighten up the tie. We'll be right back. More with Nicole Richie after the break and your calls. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Go down and get behind the last of them. Yell at them. Get 'em to come out. Really get harsh with them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want me to yell at them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Harshly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (expletive depleted) (inaudible) Like that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was kind of a little more harshly then I meant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEACREST: "The Simple Life." We're back with Nicole Richie who just asked if this is a clip-on tie and the answer is no, it's not a clip on.
RICHIE: Well, I didn't know.
SEACREST: That's like having a training wheels. You have a clip on ...
RICHIE: Is it a manly thing, you have to tie your own tie?
SEACREST: Well, if you can't and you're my age, then you really have a problem. OK. I want to ask you - I want to go back for a second and want to ask you about your birth parents, your real parents. Do you know them?
RICHIE: Yes, I do.
SEACREST: Who are they?
RICHIE: I don't identify them. For confidentiality reasons.
SEACREST: Rumors that your father, your birth father was a guy in Lionel's band?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Is that true?
RICHIE: Not true.
SEACREST: And how did Lionel Richie and Brenda spot you? How did they find you?
RICHIE: Well, my parents were friends with them. And so they've known each other since before I was born.
SEACREST: So now you speak to your mother on a regular basis?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: And your father?
RICHIE: My biological father? No.
SEACREST: You do not.
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: Just your mother.
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Why not your father?
RICHIE: He's just never been a part of my life.
SEACREST: Has he tried to reach out to you?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: And when you and your mother speak now, what do you talk about?
RICHIE: Just regular things. We're like girlfriends.
SEACREST: And how does she feel about all of your rise to fame and the things you've been through, the tough times, the good times and the bad times?
RICHIE: She's really happy. She's really happy for me. And her and Brenda, my other mom are friends. It sounds very weird, but yeah, everybody gets along.
SEACREST: What kind of an impact did the divorce have on you between Brenda and Lionel and the fact that you say you knew that he was cheating and all you wanted was an honest answer from him?
RICHIE: Right.
SEACREST: What kind of impact did that have on you?
RICHIE: At the time I really didn't think that it bothered me because I was nine at the time. And that was the age where you just more get caught up in like your friends and talking on the phone and little stuff like that. And I really didn't think that it bothered me that much.
Looking back on it, it was really difficult to see how hurt my mom was. I didn't think that my dad was hurt at the time because he really wasn't around. But you know, it was really difficult. And I kind of took on the role as just wanting to make sure that everybody was OK.
SEACREST: How does a kid recognize infidelity?
RICHIE: Well, I would read it in magazines.
SEACREST: Really?
RICHIE: So, yeah.
SEACREST: So you got it from the press. You read the tabloids?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: Do you still read the tabloids?
RICHIE: I look at pictures. I don't read the stories.
SEACREST: You don't read the stories?
RICHIE: No.
SEACREST: And what do you think when you see the pictures?
RICHIE: Sometimes I'm like, OK. And sometimes I get upset. It just depends on what the story is.
SEACREST: Is the paparazzi a problem for you?
RICHIE: It's less of a problem now that I've moved into a doorman building.
SEACREST: Did you have to because of the paparazzi.
RICHIE: I felt the need to do that, yes. Not because I thought that they would do anything to me. But it's scary to think that so many people know where you live. And you know, I think that if I'm at a party or if I'm shopping or eating at the Ivy and there's paparazzi, you know what? Like that's expected. But to sit outside my house every day, I do think is a little much.
SEACREST: Yeah. And that's what they would do?
RICHIE: Yes. They still do it. But now I just feel safe because I have security and everything with that.
SEACREST: Let's go to line eight and Spencer, Iowa. You're on with Nicole Richie. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, Nicole.
RICHIE: Hi.
CALLER: Well, first of all, congratulations. RICHIE: Thank you so much.
CALLER: You're welcome. And I'm not an escaped convict from Iowa.
RICHIE: OK.
CALLER: I heard it on the TV. My question is, by the way, great for laying it on the line. It shows maturity. I think that's great.
RICHIE: Thank you so much.
CALLER: I think that's wonderful. My question is do you ever feel like you were second fiddle to Paris?
RICHIE: No. I don't. I think that was more of a press thing. Each person is the center of their own universe. And so I just kind of lived my life how it was. I mean, my life was not "The Simple Life." that's not who I am. That's not my life or anything like that. That's just a television show.
CALLER: Did you feel like she was getting jealous because you were becoming more and more famous?
RICHIE: No, I don't. I actually don't.
CALLER: And Simone in your book is not Paris Hilton.
RICHIE: No, she's not.
CALLER: Not entirely at least. The book is out, it's called "The Truth About Diamonds." What is "The Truth About Diamonds." Nicole Richie. Her first novel.
We'll be right back on CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm never doing that again. Never again. Are you going to eat milk ever again?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm never eating hamburger again either.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's cow (expletive deleted) on my arm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not as bad as the stuff on your cheek.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you pick that up?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Throw it in the trough. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the trough?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's where you put the feed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hate this!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SEACREST: Welcome back. I'm Ryan Seacrest in for Larry King tonight. Nicole Richie our guest this evening. I want to take a couple of calls before we run out of time. Let's grab Toronto. You're on with Nicole Richie. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, Nicole. This is Tasha.
RICHIE: Hi, Tasha.
CALLER: Hi, there.
You were great on "The Simple Life." I think have you a great sense of humor. You don't take yourself too seriously.
RICHIE: Thank you.
CALLER: And I think you just look fabulous now.
RICHIE: Oh, thank you so much.
CALLER: I think you look wonderful. And I'm just wondering have you had any plastic surgery at all?
RICHIE: No. I have not. Not at all.
SEACREST: Would you? Have you ever thought about it?
RICHIE: No, never.
SEACREST: What is the secret now? You do, you look fantastic. What do you think the big difference is? What's is secret to this?
NICOLE: I think that I'm still growing up. I mean, I'm only 24. So people just, they change.
SEACREST: You like to dress in adult clothes now, don't you.
NICOLE: Yes.
SEACREST: Thanks for the call. Warren, Ohio. You're on with Nicole Richie. Go ahead.
CALLER: Hi, Nicole.
RICHIE: Hi!
CALLER: My name is Autumn. I'm from Warren.
RICHIE: Hi!
CALLER: I just want to congratulate you on your engagement.
RICHIE: Thank you so much.
CALLER: Have you set a wedding date? Is it going to be in the near future? Are you going to wait?
RICHIE: We're going to get married next summer.
SEACREST: What's the date? Let's set it now. Good question.
Let's go ahead and set that date. What do you think?
RICHIE: What, should we do it right now, live on the air?
SEACREST: Yeah, let's just pick a day. Yeah, why not.
Thanks for the call. We appreciate it.
So soon. Before we run out of time. A little truth or tabloid just to clear some of this stuff up. Late night prank calls from Paris Hilton. That's been all over the magazines. Is that true?
RICHIE: I've been getting prank calls. I'm not going to say who they're from.
SEACREST: Nicole? You think they might be from Paris?
RICHIE: I don't know. I don't want to mention names.
SEACREST: Does the number look like a Paris number?
OK. We've covered that. How about the fact that Nicki is coming to your wedding. You said that is a for sure, right? So we're clearing that up. Huge wedding with elephants. We got that.
Is there anybody famous that you are really, really wanting to meet that you've never met before.
RICHIE: Bette Midler. I'm obsessed with her.
SEACREST: You're obsessed with Bette Midler?
RICHIE: Yes.
SEACREST: What would be the first thing you'd say to Bette Midler upon meeting her?
RICHIE: I admire you. And you're very talented.
SEACREST: What about in the next year or two years? I know you've done a movie. Do you want to do more movies?
RICHIE: Yes, definitely.
SEACREST: How about more reality, aside from "The Simple Life."
RICHIE: No. No more reality.
SEACREST: How about sitcoms?
RICHIE: Yeah.
SEACREST: You want to do sitcoms because you like acting. Are you studying? Do you study?
RICHIE: Yes, I have studied. I'm not right now, but I have, yeah.
SEACREST: What is it that you love about the movies aside from the paycheck?
RICHIE: I don't know. You know what, I've had a really good experience working with other people. And it's fun playing a role and stepping out yourself for a minute. It's cool.
SEACREST: Are you driven, Nicole?
RICHIE: Yes, I am.
SEACREST: Are you fulfilled?
RICHIE: Yes, I am.
SEACREST: Well, congratulations on everything.
RICHIE: Thank you so much.
SEACREST: You've overcome a tremendous amount of hard times.
"The Truth about Diamonds." That is the novel. It is the book. It is in stores. Go check it out. It's very, very compelling and clever, too, I must say.
"Kids in America," the movie's been out. It was out in October and "The Simple Life", Nicole says it is coming back to television. It will not be about the wedding but it will be on somewhere and somewhere soon.
Thank you very much.
RICHIE: Thank you.
SEACREST: Great to see you. Congratulations on everything.
RICHIE: You too.
SEACREST: All right. That's it for me. Larry, thank you for letting me sit in. We're going to go to New York now. Anderson Cooper coming up. 360. And I know, Anderson, you have the latest on the tornadoes.
COOPER: That's right, Ryan. Thanks very much. Great job. Interesting hour.
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