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Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are two icons from the 2000s who are still enjoying A-list fame. The 43-year-old’s new show, The Simple Life: Encore, is out on December 12, but there was a moment in pop culture history when they weren't friends.
Joining the Call Her Daddy podcast, Hilton and Richie talked about the feud, saying it was the media's fault for "spinning things and creating drama that didn’t exist, which was normal in the 2000s." “Back then, the media was just so toxic and they loved starting feuds between people because, obviously, that sold tabloids,” Hilton told host Alex Cooper.
Richie said it made her sad thinking about a time without her friend, adding their age didn’t help either because they “didn’t know how to communicate with each other,” and believed whatever they heard was true.
“We didn’t have the communication skills we have right now to have check-ins, which is so important,” she said. “And I think just with all relationships, it’s so important to have check-ins and to be honest and real and, you know, tender with the people that you love the most.”
Breaking down the "feud"
Things were going well between Paris and Nicole as Hollywood's favorite blonde besties, with three successful seasons of their show. But in April 2005, the hotel heiress said she wanted a different co-star: Rod Stewart’s daughter, Kimberly.
Although she said she was still best friends with Nicole, she explained that she wanted to do "what's best for the show."
A few days later, Hilton confirmed the rumors of a feud, saying, “It’s no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends.” “Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it," she continued.
At the time, there were rumors that Richie showed Hilton’s 2004 adult tape at one of her parties, per a 2006 story by TMZ, which is probably the type of tabloid news they were talking about.
Another reason floating around was related to Saturday Night Live. A source close to Hilton told PEOPLE at the time that Richie was "jealous" of Hilton’s fame and resented her for being invited to host the show in February 2005.
Despite the feud, they ended up filming season 4, which touched the feud, though they did so mostly separately.
During a November 2005 appearance on Today, Richie said they “just grew apart” and that an issue “just turned into a much bigger thing than it is.” When asked if she would speak to Hilton if she ran into her, Richie said no.
But the childhood besties, who had known each other since they were two, didn’t stay apart for long. They were seen having dinner together on October 9, 2006, after Hilton emailed Richie on her 25th birthday in September.
In a June 2007 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Richie said, “I can't get mad at her for talking s--- about me. We were in a fight!” Saying the same thing they said in the podcast, Richie explained, “Our fight was so built up by the press. Half of it wasn't even real."