'Simple Life' star Nicole Richie ‘fine' with kids doing reality TV when they're older

Her big shot at fame came when she appeared on the pioneering reality TV series 'The Simple Life'. Photo: AFP

Nicole Richie is not opposed to keeping reality TV fame in the family – but not just yet.

The author, lifestyle expert and fashionista reflected on her big shot at fame – on the pioneering reality TV series The Simple Life which co-starred Paris Hilton.

When asked if she’s open to her two children – Harlow, 13, and 11-year-old Sparrow (whom she shares with husband Joel Madden) – following in her footsteps, she had a mixed reaction.

“Well, obviously now they’re preteen, so I’m going to say no,” Richie told Entertainment Tonight.

“If they’re 18 and they want to go do whatever it is, as long as it feels good and authentic to them, I’m fine with it.”

The Simple Life ran for five seasons from 2003 to 2007, becoming a cultural flashpoint leading to an unstoppable cottage industry of reality TV that’s still viable in 2021.

The fish-out-of-water concept chronicled the antics of two privileged L.A. socialites going into uncharted territories (like riding Greyhound buses, rural Arkansas farm work, serving fast food and working as camp counselors).

The 39-year-old daughter of Grammy-winning music legend Lionel Richie considers the show a success because it was the first of its kind.

“First of all... there were only two reality shows before then. It was The Osbournes and The Real World, and this show wasn’t that, so it was a completely new concept altogether,” Richie confided.

“We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into or where we were going.”

She continued: “I think one of my favourite things about The Simple Life and one of my favourite things about doing it was, it really took us out of our everyday lives and put us in somebody else’s world... So I was always able to maintain a level of privacy and able to have my own life.”

The entrepreneur said The Simple Life formula wouldn’t work in modern times, which is why a reboot isn’t likely.

“I think that concept was so great because you were able to take people’s phones away for a month,” she quipped. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service