Lionel Richie's Daughter Has Grown Up To Be Gorgeous

Making oneself famous and then keeping the public's fascination for years to come is simply the family business for the Richies. Sofia Richie is the third person among her kin to become a public figure. Her father: Commodores singer, 1980s soft rock sensation, and "American Idol" judge Lionel Richie. Her older sister: 2000s reality TV pioneer, tabloid princess, and Paris Hilton sidekick Nicole Richie. 

But Sofia Richie isn't banking on her well-known last name to make something of herself in music or TV. She seems to be on her way to doing her own thing, carving out her own unpredictable path in a distinctly 21st century fashion. Only in her early twenties, Richie has already captured the attention of the fashion world, landing a modeling contract and telling people what to wear and how to look. Here's the story of how Sofia Richie quickly rose to fame, and why she'll probably stay famous for quite a while.

Sofia Richie is the youngest daughter of Lionel Richie (and his second wife, Diane Alexander), who got his start in music in the '70s as a member of the funk band the Commodores. In the '80s, Richie went solo and softer, and hits like "Hello," "All Night Long (All Night)," and "Say You, Say Me," helped him sell more than 100 million albums and earn five Grammy Awards. He's also apparently just as dedicated to keeping tabs on his social butterfly of a daughter as he is to his music.

"My dad tracks my phone once a day," Sofia Richie tweeted in 2017 (via Us Weekly) after photos surfaced of the Richies using FaceTime while the younger was in Cannes, France. "Awkwardly enough I get a notification every time. I think it's funny so I don't tell him I know." The elder Richie later denied being quite that watchful. "I don't track. I don't understand," he told USA Today. "I keep trying to tell my kids the same thing: 'I own Chicago. I own Miami. I have been around the world.'"

At one point in time, way back in the mid-2010s, a teenage Sofia Richie considered following her father into pop rock. "When I was 13, I was saying that I wanted to be signed to a label," Richie told Entertainment Tonight. "I was begging my dad to get me signed with somebody." But dad Lionel Richie, who has experienced the sometimes cruel and horrible machinations of the music industry up close, wouldn't play. "I'm glad he held me off," Sofia added, "because I really found myself and found what I truly wanted to do." 

Richie also admitted that had she grown up with an increased level of fame and attention befitting that of a second-generation singer, life would have been tougher. "I just feel like you have to go through this crazy transition if you're going to continue on with your career, from a child star to an adult star," she reflected. "Now I get it and I'm like, 'I would not have wanted to go through that.' I just want to come out and be the person that I am. I don't want to have to go through a transition in front of the whole world."

And yet, Richie did give the world a taste of what it could be missing. In 2012, she teamed up with YouTube musical sensation Pia Mia for a cover of Adele's "Turning Tables." Pia Mia sang while Richie accompanied on piano.

Sofia Richie is young, pretty, and rich, meaning she could probably date almost anybody she wanted. And for a long while, she was in a relationship with the guy millions in her generation also coveted: teen dream Justin Bieber. According to E! News, Bieber took Richie on a romantic getaway to Mexico in celebration of her eighteenth birthday, and for months, the young lovebirds were inseparable.

"We have a special relationship," Richie coyly said of her relationship with the Canadian "Baby" boy to Billboard. "Justin is very easy to talk to, and that's hard to find with people in Los Angeles." Bieber returned the verbal affection, as it were, writing "Ur so pretty" on one of her Instagram posts (per Teen Vogue).

Despite the stars aligning, this potentially great romance fizzled. Mere weeks after their romantic Mexican vacation, it was all over. "It was super-hot and heavy, and because Justin doesn't want a relationship right now, he wanted to cool things down," an insider told E! News, adding that things simply fell apart on their own.

While things didn't work out with Justin Bieber, Sofia Richie found love again, with the much older Scott Disick. E! News reported in May 2017 that the pair were spotted together in Cannes, France, but Richie sought to quell any rumors she'd coupled up with Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy, tweeting, "Just so everyone can get their panties out of their a**es, Scott and I are just homies. #Relax." Talk of a Richie-Disick romance ramped up a month later when the two were spotted having dinner together at Malibu sushi hotspot Nobu. Still, Richie maintained that the relationship was platonic. "The last time I'm gonna say it. Scott and I are just friends. I'm single and focused on friends, family and work. #againrelax," Richie tweeted (via E! News).

Prepare to be shocked — Richie and Disick really were dating all that time. According to E! News, the pair dated for just over three years, ultimately breaking off their romance in May 2020. "There wasn't a fight or anything bad that happened between them," an inside source claimed. "Sofia thinks Scott has a lot on his plate right now and thinks it's best for them to be apart so he can focus on himself. She is only looking out for him and his best interest and it was primarily her decision for them to split." Richie reportedly got her stuff out of Disick's place, and he sought treatment for mental health issues.

Lionel Richie isn't the only super famous relative of Sofia Richie — her older sister, Nicole Richie, is quite well-known, too. Alongside Paris Hilton, she starred in one of the earliest reality TV show hits, Fox's The Simple Life. Nicole has long since left behind the frivolity of reality TV in favor of fashion, creating the House of Harlow 1960 brand. 

Taking after Nicole in that regard, Sofia has her own line of jeans under the Rolla's. As their website proclaims, Rolla's x Sofia Richie products are "inspired by classic, iconic denim looks." In addition to jeans, Richie has also waded into beach and pool wear. In 2019, she launched her first swimwear line, creating a 10-item collection in cooperation with Frankies Bikinis. In 2020, she had plans for her own, separate bikini brand, under her own name. After that, she wants to market hair and beauty products.

Although Nicole's quite fashionable in her own right, Sofia has always been interested in fashion design, so Nicole feels no need to share fashion tips with her younger sister, who is 17 years her junior. "I'm very particular about my clothes," Nicole told People when discussing her affinity for fashion and Sofia's choice in style. "We have different styles."

At just 16 years old, Sofia Richie landed a contract with Select Model Management, according to E! News. She steadily made a name for herself in the world of attractive people wearing clothes, making her New York Fashion Week runway debut (for Yeezy Season 4) in January 2017. "Runway is really fun," Richie told InStyle. "For Yeezy, I didn't expect to walk at all — I got a call and was on the plane the next day, and it was the most amazing experience."

Before long, she was walking the runway for Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana and appearing in a national campaign for DL1961. A lot of that came as a surprise for Richie, because at 5'6", she's not your typical beanpole model. "I got really good feedback from Chanel, which I didn't expect, because I'm shorter, and shorter models get a lot of hate," Richie explained. "So I was happy to see that I didn't."

While Sofia Richie's main business is wearing expensive clothes and silently looking nice, she isn't shy about speaking her mind when she needs to, even on potentially controversial topics like race. "I'm very light, so some people don't really know that I'm black," Richie told Complex in 2016. "I've been in situations where people will say something kind of racist, and I'll step in and they'll be like, 'Oh, well, you're light.'" That makes for some awkward moments, but Richie will not back down, adding that she's of the opinion that people who say ugly things "better get [their] s*** together" lest they "get slapped out of here."

When not conversing with ignorant fools, Richie also has to face other frustrating individuals: the paparazzi. "Sometimes you just want to walk out of your house and look ugly and get a coffee and wear your sweatpants all day," she explained. "Honestly, I might've thrown [her outfit] together in 30 seconds. I might've slept in that. And s***, someone's going to photograph me, and everyone's going to say I'm a mess or I look depressed, when really I'm just not wearing mascara."

The saying "birds of a feather flock together" is certainly true when it comes to Sofia Richie and her ever-growing friends circle. In 2016, when her profile was on the rise, she started sharing pictures with all sorts of gal pals, serving as an announcement that she'd been accepted into the A-list of social media stars. In February of that year, Richie posted a black-and-white snap with Kylie Jenner, Jordyn Woods, and others — as everyone knows, Jenner is the "it" girl of our time, and being seen next to her will only increase fame and attention. 

By the end of that year, Richie had shared an incredible selfie with actor Terrence Jenkins and model Rita Ora. And by early 2020, Richie's status as a generational and cultural influencer was fully established: she'd amassed more than six million Instagram followers on the strength of fewer than 1,000 posts.

When it comes to close friends, she's touted Paris Hilton, of all people, as a sisterly figure. "She gives the best advice and she wants the best for me and she sees how my path is going," Richie told Wonderland magazine. "She's really rooting for me and giving me the best tips, how to avoid certain things and how to be the best version of myself that I can be." (Being yourself? Now that's hot!)

Sofia Richie has a taste for danger. If her Instagram account is any indication, the model and budding designer doesn't seem to have much fear inside of her. When she's not hanging out with famous dudes or her more famous dad, Richie can be seen participating in high-speed recreational activities. 

In 2015, she popped up on a motorbike, dressed in a red jacket, black pants, and white boots. Months later, Richie surfaced in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, where she rode a dune buggy up and down the picturesque sand dunes of the desert, then completed a round of skydiving and lived to post the picture. "So I went skydiving today," Richie captioned the snap, humorously and succinctly. And then there was that time in 2018 when Richie and then-beau Scott Disick braved a bungee-based ride with a tremendous drop during a trip to a Six Flags amusement park. Such is the thrilling life of Sofia Richie.

It's safe to say that Sofia Richie's upbringing was far from typical, given that dad Lionel Richie was prone to hobnobbing with some of the biggest stars in the music industry. One of those celebs was the late Michael Jackson, whose tragic real-life story came to a sad end in 2009. Richie and the Jacksons were close — so much so that the self-proclaimed King of Pop was daughter Sofia's godfather.

Growing up, she and Jackson's daughter, Paris, were good friends. "When we were little kids, Paris and I would be hanging out here with both of our dads," Richie told the Evening Standard in 2016, recalling Jackson as being "very soft-spoken, so sweet, my dad was really close to him." In fact, she told the newspaper, her fondest childhood memories are of visiting Jackson's Neverland Ranch. "It was like Disneyland," she recalled. 

Richie also reminisced about Jackson during a 2018 appearance on Australian radio show "Fitzy & Wippa." He was a really sweet guy," she said, as reported by the Daily Mail. She also confirmed that she and Paris remained tight. "Paris is the sweetest girl, she's like family to me," Richie added.

Sofia Richie's modeling career has been nothing but successful, but in 2015, she took it to the next level. That was the year that Madonna hand-picked her as the face of Material Girl, the fashion line she launched alongside her daughter, Lourdes Leon, who has grown up to be as gorgeous as her famous mom. "Sofia Richie perfectly embodies the style and spirit of Material Girl," Madonna told People at the time (via UPI). "Coming from an artistic family, self-expression is in our blood," added Leon. "I love Sofia's style and energy, and look forward to collaborating with her."

For Richie, who'd long been a major fan of the music icon, repping Madonna's brand wasn't just another gig. "I'm obsessed with Madonna, so it was insane and overwhelming for me," she told the Evening Standard, revealing she'd met her previously, through her father, before becoming associated with Madonna's label. As she explained when interviewed for Yahoo! Style, the opportunity to work with one of her idols was beyond thrilling. "Of course I look up to Madonna," she said (via MadonnaUnderground). "I mean, she's Madonna. She's like the god of music."

Sofia Richie is a confirmed dog lover and owns multiple pups. "I have three dogs," she told Teen Vogue in 2014. "One is a French Bulldog puppy named Cairo!" According to a screenshot in the magazine, Cairo wasn't just a dog, but was also a social media influencer, with its own Instagram page. While that page appears to be inactive these days, another one of her pups, Hershula, is keeping the "dogfluencing" tradition alive with its own Instagram, devoted to sharing the adorable dachshund's exploits with more than 30,000 followers. 

Sadly, Richie said goodbye to one of her four-legged friends in 2019, when dog Jake passed away. "Jake became our angel today," she wrote in the caption to an Instagram video of herself giving Jake a chin scratch. "No words can describe how much he meant to me. I will forever miss him," she added. Her dad also shared a tribute to Jake, also via Instagram. "Unconditional love," wrote Lionel Richie. "Today we lost one of our dearest family members."

As a young child, Sofia Richie had a particular peculiarity that set her apart from other little girls, reflected in her shopping habits at the time. Interviewed for a cover story for the magazine Popular, Richie revealed that at a certain point, she began making her own style choices, which didn't necessarily do her any favors. "My mom dressed me up until I was 8, and she dressed me really cute, and then when I was 10, I would only shop in the guys' section at the Gap!" she revealed, via Perez Hilton. 

Her decision to stop setting foot in the girls' department has come back to haunt her as she's grown older. When her friends display childhood photos of themselves wearing tutus or adorably feminine outfits, Richie tends to sit things out. "I'm so terrified to show them my pictures, because it's me in boy shorts and a ponytail and my brother's shirt," she added.

When Sofia Richie made the rounds at the 2015 edition of New York Fashion Week, she sported a bold new look when it came to her hair, having dyed it silvery blonde. That wasn't simply for fashion, but also for fandom. She's a devoted viewer of Game of Thrones — and dyed her hair blonde because of the show; as she revealed in an interview with Nylon, she drew inspiration from "Mother of Dragons" Daenerys Targaryen (portrayed by actor Emilia Clarke), mimicking the color and style sported by the Khaleesi in the fantasy series. 

Richie opened up more about that particular look when she sat for an interview with Seventeen. "I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan," she said, gushing about her adoration for the show. "Khaleesi is my full-on idol," she added. "And I think the color brings out my facial features."

Many people who were looking to keep tabs on their wellness with elegance ditched their fitness watches and slipped on an Oura ring, which tracks health, fitness, sleep, heartbeat, and other essential holistic functions. Count Sofia Richie among the ring's true believers, judging by an interview in Vogue in which she gushed about her Oura ring so much that her interviewer felt compelled to buy one herself.

In fact, Oura's own YouTube channel posted a video of Richie getting ready. After pulling on a belt and then selecting the right pair of shoes, Richie is next seen putting on some jewelry. Her Oura ring can clearly be seen adorning the middle finger of her right hand, as she slides a few other rings upon the naked fingers. She completes the look with a large, chunky men's-style wristwatch. 

She can also be seen wearing her ring in a skincare tutorial. That particular video not only shows her wearing the ring but also features her extending her index finger and laying a kiss on the ring.

Having been the face of Madonna's fashion brand, in 2019, Sofia Richie decided that the time was right for her to launch her own. Thus, Sofia Stone was born, a fashion line that provided the budding designer with an opportunity to get creative with style. 

"I finally feel like I'm at the point in my life where I have so many creative ideas that I want to share and I'm bottled up," Richie shared in an interview with Women's Wear Daily. According to Richie, being surrounded by the fashion and couture from a young age, she paid attention, explaining that as a model, "I was around so many designers and I always took notes and tips from them. It came easily and I knew all the little things I wanted and didn't want."

That level of detail resulted in a pretty cool hack that she insisted be featured within the waistband of Sofia Stone pants. As she explained, she frequently wound up getting her clothing altered and wanted to come up with a solution to avoid that as much as possible. "A funny trick that I did is, inside of each of the pants, I've done a 'snatch yourself' thing where you can pull it and adjust the waist to your waist so that people don't have to get things altered," Richie said.

Sofia Richie took a big step in her personal life in April 2023. That was when she walked down the aisle and said "I do" to British music executive Elliott Grainge. Held in the South of France, their wedding was a lavish, star-studded affair, boasting a guest list that included her big sis, Nicole Richie, and pal Paris Hilton. Other celebs on hand included Cameron Diaz and her husband, Benji Madden, of rock band Good Charlotte.

Just over a year after tying the knot, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Eloise. "Best day of my life," Richie wrote in the caption for a photo of her newborn that she shared on Instagram. In October 2025, Richie revealed that she and Grainge were expecting another arrival, posting a photo on Instagram displaying her swollen belly.

Motherhood, she explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, had caused her to reorient her priorities so that her daughter always came first. "Now as a mom, I think I'll create some more boundaries," she said in the 2024 interview. "If I've gotta go to fashion week, then she's going to pack her bags and come with me. If she can't, then I'm not going to be able to make it."

It's no secret that Nicole Richie attained quite the reputation as a party girl back in the day, especially when she and her "Simple Life" co-star Paris Hilton were joined at the hip. That was not lost on her younger sister, and Sofia Richie viewed those wild times in her sibling's past as more of a cautionary tale than behavior she wanted to emulate.

According to Sofia, Nicole — who has candidly discussed her past struggles with heroin — took a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach when discussing drugs with her. "People look at me thinking, 'Oh, you are probably going to go through the same thing,'" Sofia told ES Magazine (via the Daily Mail). "[Nicole] says, 'Don't let people pressure you to do what they think is cool, like taking drugs. Be true to yourself.'"

In fact, she's become so ardent about avoiding drugs in any form that she refused a doctor's prescription for anti-anxiety medication. Instead, she tried to tackle her anxiety issues in other ways. "I read a lot of books, and once I figured out what I was doing to myself, I learned how to control it," she told Cosmopolitan. "I would convince myself that I was panicking or that I wasn't comfortable, and once I realized that I was doing that to myself and nothing was actually wrong with me, I was totally fine."