Did Kid Rock Really Date This Real Housewives Of Orange County Star?

Nicole James is the newest star on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and she's already making waves on her first season of the series by feuding with frenemy and returning "RHOC" star Heather Dubrow. Radar Online reported that Nicole was demoted (either by choice or force) from housewife to "friend of" for alleging Heather's husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow, performed a botched surgery. "Nicole was brought on by Heather but only filmed for a few weeks," a source told the outlet in October 2021. "A big storyline that will play out (but is also the reason why she's no longer on the show full time) is that Nicole was unhappy with the breast augmentation Terry performed on her many years ago." 

Nicole filed a lawsuit against Heather's husband years ago — and it wasn't pretty when Heather found out while filming. "There's no filming," Heather shouted upon learning Nicole's secret, via The Sun. "The show is over, no, no."

Now that "RHOC" Season 16 has kicked off, it's clear "friend of" Nicole is a worthy addition to the "Housewives" mix of drama. The star also comes with an interesting dating history, which most notably includes a relationship with famed musician Kid Rock.

"RHOC" star Nicole James has a history with Kid Rock. According to Distractify, Nicole and Kid Rock likely linked up around 2007, following the rocker's split from Pamela Anderson in 2006. Kid Rock and Anderson's short marriage ended badly, with the musician blasting his ex-wife in a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone. "I just want to get past it," he said of the drama of his divorce. "After this, I'm done talking about it."

Around the time she dated Kid Rock, Nicole fit the bill for being a musician's girlfriend, as she favored an edgier style years ago. Redditors on r/realhousewives compared a photo of the "RHOC" newbie from 2003 to a current snap, showing a definite departure from Nicole's ultra-glam appearance nowadays. One commenter said Nicole's former bleach-blonde look favored Kid Rock's former wife Anderson. Though Nicole's romance with Kid Rock may sound high profile, the singer was romantically linked to several women in the later 2000s following his breakup with his Playboy model wife, including Paris Hilton, Danish model May Anderson and country music star Kellie Pickler, according to Ranker. Whatever history Nicole had with the rock star, it was likely only a fling.

While her nearly two decade-old fling with Kid Rock was not built to last, Nicole James moved on to live what appears to be a very luxurious life. Much speculation has gone on about Nicole's husband, however, as "Housewives" fans can't confirm if she is married or not. "The Real Housewives of Orange County" cast members debated Nicole's last name on a recent episode, with star Emily Simpson clarifying, "I think she's just been married a whole bunch and you just don't know," via Blurred Reality. Whether or not there is a man in her life, Nicole is the very proud mother of three to daughters Presley and Lauren and son Blake. "Being their Mom is my favorite thing ever," Nicole wrote on Instagram in celebration of Mother's Day 2019. "These 3 made me who I am today and they are my greatest accomplishment In life."

On her way to reality TV stardom, Nicole has already ruffled viewers' feathers on a recent episode of "RHOC." When her co-star Noella Bergener broke down in hysterics at a restaurant over her divorce, fans were not happy with the way Nicole failed to properly console Noella, Meaww reported. "Nicole is NOT a good friend," one fan tweeted. "She was more concerned about her image over Noella's well being. Nicole was legit rushing her to leave the restaurant quietly while she was having a nervous breakdown!" Perhaps fans can expect to learn more about Nicole's motives (and her juicy backstory) in future episodes.