Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie became stars thanks to their 2003 reality show The Simple Life, but their famous family members weren't originally on board.
Hilton, the daughter of Hilton hotel family members Kathy Hilton and Richard Hilton, and Richie, the daughter of legendary musician Lionel Richie, are longtime friends who lead luxurious lives and social circles. He was attracting media attention as a star. show.
“I was completely wrong. I didn't want her to do any modeling or anything, I just wanted her to go to school. She was going to be a veterinarian, so she was on the show. “And I was wrong,” Kathy told FOX News Digital during the “DIRECTV's Christmas at Kathy's” holiday party benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities families in Southern California. spoke.
She added, “It was super fun. There won't be another one.” [like it]. You can't even try.
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Paris Hilton's mother, Kathy Hilton, and Nicole Richie's father, Lionel Richie, both admitted they were hesitant about having their daughters appear on The Simple Life. (Getty Images)
Lionel was also unsure about the girls going to a secluded area, saying: entertainment tonight Earlier this year, “When they first started doing things like driving the wrong way on the freeway, I kept saying, 'What are you guys doing?' [they’d say] “This is reality TV, Dad!”
“My parents didn't want us to do that and told us not to do it,” Hilton said. told glamor In our December cover story.
The Simple Life sends the pair to rural Arkansas, where they live on a farm with their family without cell phones, money or branded goods, and try to adapt, enjoying the contrast of fish out of water. struggle. The townspeople were surprised at their ignorance.
“She went ahead and did the show, and I was wrong…That was the funniest part.”
The show was a hit, with four more seasons produced and set the tone for reality series such as: “I want to keep up with the Kardashians.”
“And I don't know if the world knows this, but they started this mess, and I was the first guinea pig dad to go along with this,” Lionel told ET about the show's success. told.
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's hit reality show, The Simple Life, first aired in 2003. (20th Century Fox Movies/Everett Collection)
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“It was the first time this kind of thing happened. They hear we're going to be sent somewhere, but we don't know where we're going,” Hilton told Glamor. “But after the first episode aired, my mom called me and said, 'This is the funniest show I've ever seen in my life. You and Nicole are amazing.' “She's like, “I was wrong for once.'' ”
Cassie explained the appeal to Us Weekly, saying the show was “no swearing, no fighting.” [and] It was really cute and fun and just silly and very similar to me. ”
Although they were already famous thanks to their families, “The Simple Life” catapulted them into true stardom.
“I mean, we had fun doing it, so of course we hoped people would like it, but the reason we said yes was just to have fun,” Ritchie told Glamor. spoke. “We thought it was going to be quite an adventure. We didn't even know which city we were going to. All we knew was that we would be away from home for 30 days. It's very different than signing up for something today. Back then, that model didn't exist, so we just wanted to pursue joy and have fun.”
Nicole Richie told Glamor that she thought appearing on the show with Paris Hilton “would be quite an adventure.” (Fraser Harrison/Getty Images)
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Unfortunately, along with that fame and fun came increased scrutiny from fans, opponents, and the media.
“The media in the 2000s was very toxic. It targeted a certain group of girls, and Nicole and I were two of them. Being young girls and having no idea who you are when the whole world is watching you. “It was very difficult to know,” Hilton told Glamor magazine. “But on the other hand, sometimes people exaggerate and invent these stories just to sell tabloids. It's amazing how times have changed. There's more respect now, and it's a lot safer. I think the 2000s were vicious for all girls.
“We always did it because we wanted to pursue joy and have fun.”
Ritchie further added, “I think it was a huge burden on me, more than I can even admit to myself at this point. But looking back, I can't help but realize how much of an impact it had on my daily life and the choices I make every day.” “But it's not,” he added. It's also a strong motivator for me to have my own voice and my own story, and I'm really proud that women have come a long way to say, 'That's actually not okay.' ”
In an interview with hollywood reporter, Ritchie said at the time: “I'm not angry about anything. There are 20-year-olds who are much more mature than me, and I think they are, but boundaries weren't necessarily something I would encourage.'' ” he said.
Paris Hilton described the media attention she and Nicole Richie received at the time as “toxic.” (Ray Mikushaw/Wire Image)
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Hilton and Ritchie will reunite 20 years after the series premiere of “Paris & Nicole: The Encore” on Peacock.
In the first episode of the three-part series, they return to Altus, Arkansas, and reunite with some people they met in town, including a bar patron who dumped bleach on the pool table after a misunderstanding. Masu. (She offers to pay for damages in the episode.)
“The 2000s were a terrible time for all girls.”
The Reddings, who were initially together, declined to appear on camera during the reunion, but Hilton said during the episode that reuniting with them was “really special.”
“It was really nice to be able to thank them. To be honest, 20 years ago, we really came and stirred up that city like bats from hell,” Ritchie said.
In the first episode of their reunion special, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton revisit the small town of Altus, Arkansas. (Sarah Jay/Getty Images, SONIC)
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Reuniting with all your past adventures isn't the ultimate goal of this special, however. Instead, Hilton and Ritchie decide to complete an opera based on a nonsense one-word song they composed as children: “Sanasa.”
“I wasn't going to sit on the couch and look back at what I'd done before and say, 'That was so much fun,'” Richie told THR. “That's not what I want to do. But mixing us with the music elite for a similar fish-out-of-water experience? That's interesting.”
The rest of the series follows the longtime friends as they collaborate with composers, singers (including Thea) and others to stage the opera in just three weeks.
“When we were filming The Simple Life, it was just an inside joke, but it became an international sensation. People loved it. It's what people need. What 'Sanasa' needs, even if you don't know it yet, is be operatic,'' Ritchie said. W Magazine.
Instead of a traditional reunion special, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will perform an opera to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “The Simple Life.” (Harmony Gerber/Getty Images)
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Hilton added, “The idea of an opera was very unexpected. That's why we loved it.”
And now their family buys into the concept of reality.
“I think it's going to be exciting,” Kathy said. Our weekly magazine. “They are a dynamic duo.”
Kathy Hilton called them a “dynamic duo.” (Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)
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Lionel jokingly added: “They haven't changed. Let me tell you something, it's scary to see those two standing next to each other,” adding, “And now they're back together again. “Oh my god, good luck, world,” he added. Thankfully, now that I'm older, medication will help me get through this next phase of my life. ”
“Paris & Nicole: The Encore” is now available on Peacock.
