‘The Simple Life’ Revisited: See the Golden Years of Millennial Icons Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie
New era, indeed! In a joint Instagram post, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie announced their return to reality TV via Peacock. Both socialites posted “New Era. Same Besties.” alongside a video of a vintage television displaying static. The former stars of The Simple Life shared no other details. But fans are celebrating the return of the infamous duo and speculating about this new series.
In the spirit of nostalgia, let’s look back at the early 2000s when Hilton and Richie set the standards for millennial fashion and transformed the entertainment industry.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie pre-‘Simple Life’ fame
Pre-Simple Life, Paris Hilton often landed in tabloids as she partied her way through NYC. The heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire began modeling in 2000 and earned the title “New York’s leading It Girl” in 2001. As she sought more exposure via the small-screen, Fox developed a reality TV concept about socialites forced to experience farm life.
Producers immediately wanted Hilton to star. Her sister Nicky Hilton, socialite Kimberly Stewart, and Band-Aid heiress Casey Johnson turned down the co-star role. So Lionel Richie’s daughter Nicole Richie agreed to join the small cast. Paris and Nicole filmed the first season from April to May 2003. Season one of The Simple Life premiered on December 2, 2003.
‘The Simple Life’ skyrockets Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to fame
Many criticized Paris and Nicole for their vapid comments and unapologetic stupidity on the reality show. But The Simple Life‘s first episode increased Fox’s “adults 18-49” viewership by 79%, drawing 13 million viewers. The second episode of season one saw even more growth, with 13.3 million viewers.
Some TV critics acknowledged The Simple Life‘s tongue-in-cheek humor. Rotten Tomatoes‘ general critique states, “There is no denying that Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are downright entertaining.” Seattle Post-Intelligencer editor Melanie McFarland summarized the show’s concept: “Hilton and Richie try to bring Beverly fabulousness, and brattiness, to the country folk. They fail miserably. We all get a good laugh. At least their unapologetic shallowness and good-natured mental incapacity carry the thing through.”
The Simple Life shot Paris and Nicole to superstardom. The duo quickly landed media gigs, product partnerships, and modeling opportunities. Hilton had already received attention via modeling and a sex tape, the latter leaking around the time the reality show first premiered.
Paris began developing her acting career extensively in the early 2000s, guest-starring on Raising Helen and The O.C. She launched perfume, jewelry, and lifestyle collections and starred in several Guess campaigns. As the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton busied herself outside of the show, the second season of The Simple Life premiered on June 16, 2004, to an audience of 9.8 million viewers.
The Simple Life duo hosted the 2004 Teen Choice Awards to much acclaim. Paris received “Choice TV Personality” and “Choice Reality Television Star – Female” nominations. The Simple Life was nominated for “Choice Television Show – Reality,” and Richie was nominated for “Choice Female Fashion Icon.”
Paris announces she’s no longer friends with Nicole
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie filmed the third season of The Simple Life from October to November 2004. However, by 2005, Paris announced that she and Nicole were no longer friends. In a statement, she explained, “Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it.” A source went to People, sharing that Nicole envied Paris’s rise to superstardom. Fox prepared to hold the pair accountable for two additional seasons but canceled its plans by October 2005.
In November 2005, Nicole told Today that she and Paris “just grew apart” and their rift became “much bigger” than it was. The pair continued to film together, with The Simple Life moving to E! for the fourth season. It premiered on June 4, 2006, and drew 1.3 million viewers — a large number for a smaller network at the time.
Paris and Nicole reunite just in time for the final season of ‘The Simple Life’
Paparazzi spotted Paris and Nicole socializing together in late 2006. As the pair dined together in West Hollywood, fans held hope that they would repair the friendship. It was later revealed that Nicole sent Paris an email wishing her happy birthday in September 2006, sparking their initial reconciliation. Nicole told Harper’s Bazaar, according to People, “Our fight was so built up by the press. Half of it wasn’t even real.”
Paris later said, “People are really two-faced in this town, and they were trying to play us against each other. It made me sadder than any breakup with a boyfriend. It was just like the worst feeling ever.”
E! cancels ‘The Simple Life’
The fifth and final season of The Simple Life premiered on May 28, 2007. Midway through the season, E! announced the show’s cancellation, with the final episode airing on August 5, 2007. Paris told Reality TV World at the Rush Hour 3 premiere, “It’s been a great five years, and we had so much fun. But I’m happy to end it at that.”
Since 2007, Paris has ventured into additional reality TV roles, footwear lines, a motorcycle racing team, mobile apps, international boutiques, DJ residencies, a haircare collection, music video cameos, memoirs, TV hosting, advertising campaigns, NFT collections, and a cooking show.
Nicole appeared on Fashion Star, Candidly Nicole, Great News, and Making the Cut, among other TV series. She founded the lifestyle brand House of Harlow, published two novels, appeared on the covers of dozens of fashion magazines, and released a comedy rap album.
Nicole married Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden on December 11, 2010. They have a daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden, and a son, Sparrow James Midnight Madden, born in January 2008 and September 2009, respectively.
Paris married businessman Carter Reum on November 11, 2021. They have a son, Phoenix, who was born via surrogate on January 16, 2023, and a daughter, London, who was born in November 2023.
