Nicole Richie’s mother made a rare public appearance for a special family occasion.
Brenda Harvey-Richie, 74, attended the high school graduation ceremony for her granddaughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden, and was dressed to the nines for the milestone.
Clad in a summery floral print dress with chic bucket hat, Brenda couldn’t have looked any happier watching her granddaughter receive her diploma.
In a moment worthy of a frame, the graduate gathered for a group photo with her family – her parents as proud as can be of their daughter.
The graduate – who goes by her middle name Kate – donned a red gown, gold sash, and lei while she posed beside her father, Joel Madden, mother, grandmother, and brother Sparrow, 16.
It’s a major moment for any teenager, and one that her mother ensured was documented for the family photo album.
Nicole Richie’s mother Brenda Harvey-Richie made a rare public appearance for a special family occasion
Nicole, looking her best in a cheetah print dress and wide-brim hat, took a selfie with the graduate and Sparrow.
Nicole and Joel tied the knot in 2010, two years after welcoming Kate and a year following the birth of Sparrow.
Now teenagers, Richie says it’s become her ‘favorite stage’ of parenting so far.
‘I just so clearly remember being 16 that it’s actually surprising how quickly I can go back there,’ she told Today.
‘When my daughter’s telling me drama with her friends, I go, “I remember. Laila Heckmath did that to me.” I remember first and last names, so it’s fun. It’s wild. And just the best.’
Kate celebrated her 18th birthday earlier this year, a milestone that sparked headlines when it was revealed the teenager goes by her middle name rather than Harlow.
‘Yeah, she goes by her middle name,’ Richie told People. ‘She has her whole life.’
Born to Peter Michael Escovedo – a member of Lionel Richie’s band – and Karen Moss, Nicole was adopted by Lionel and Brenda when she was nine years old.
Unable to afford her needs, Peter and Karen asked Lionel and Brenda if they were able to care for her when she was just three-years-old.
The celebrity couple became her guardians and officially adopted her six years later.
Brenda looked incredible in a summery floral print dress with matching bucket hat
Kate was clad in a red gown with a gold sash and lei thrown over her shoulders
Richie pulled her daughter in for a warm hug
The proud mom dressed for the occasion in a cheetah print dress and hip wide-brim hat
Richie took a selfie with the graduate and her son Sparrow
Nicole and Joel tied the knot in 2010, two years after welcoming Kate and a year following the birth of Sparrow
Lionel Richie and Brenda, far R, supported Nicole’s film Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead in 2024
‘Nicole was actually a godsend,’ Lionel told People. ‘She was a little girl who needed a shot.’
‘She was used to people coming and going,’ he said. ‘She looked at me and I’d say, “I’m not going anywhere.”‘
Lionel and Brenda split a few years later due to rumors she discovered his infidelity with stylist Diane Alexander.
‘Brenda and I went through a very interesting time,’ Lionel added. ‘We didn’t agree on a lot of things, but we did agree on [Nicole].
But the exes were both present at the premiere of Richie’s film, Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, in 2024.
‘My dad was very loud, you guys. He kept talking the whole movie,’ she told Today. ‘He was like, ‘Oh, this is great. Oh, my God, I can’t believe it. Oh, she is so funny!’ And I was like, ‘Dad.’ We’re in a room full of people.’
‘My mom was the same, just as bad,’ she said. ‘They were so excited to be there.’
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