Nicole Richie Was "Given" To Dad Lionel Richie At Age 3, But Her Biological Dad Is Still In The Pict

June 2024 · 6 minute read

Highlights

When Nicole Richie was a little girl, she did not have a stable environment to grow up in. Instead of being at home and having a consistent routine, Nicole was on the road with her parents, Karen Moss and Peter Michael Escovedo. Karen was an employee of Sheila E., otherwise known as Sheila Escovedo, Peter's sister. Both were out touring with bands often to make ends meet, which meant that Richie's needs were not being met at the time.

The first time that Lionel Richie witnessed this was when Nicole was on stage with Prince at two years old. She was playing a tambourine and having the time of her life. But behind the scenes, Nicole's family life was falling apart. Bills were not able to be paid, Nicole was being bounced from one family member to another while Peter and Karen would go on tour, and Peter and Karen were having marital troubles at the time as well.

Lionel witnessed this first-hand when Peter went on tour with him. It was then that Lionel offered to let Nicole stay with him and his then-wife, Brenda, so that Nicole could have a routine. But a short timeframe turned into years and, after Nicole had been there for more than two years, Lionel and Brenda Harvey offered to adopt her. The adoption happened when Nicole was nine years old; only one year later, Lionel and Brenda had an acrimonious divorce.

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After Nicole's formal adoption, Karen was in and out of her life. Peter was much less involved. Over the years, Nicole has forgiven her biological parents and even built a relationship with them. While Nicole Richie was given to Lionel Richie at age three, her biological father is in the picture today, albeit living a dramatically different lifestyle than Nicole.

Nicole Richie's Father Is Peter Michael Escovedo

Peter Michael Escovedo has played percussion for some of the biggest names in the music industry

Nicole's father is Peter Michael Escovedo. Peter is a percussionist who still works in the music business today. His father, Pete Escovedo, was an original musician with Santana and is who Peter was named after.

Peter has played with some musical greats over the years. Some of the musicians that Peter performed with include:

It was playing with Lionel that made Lionel aware of the dire situation that he and Karen had with trying to take care of Nicole, which eventually led to Nicole being adopted by Lionel and Brenda.

However, while Karen tried to be there for Nicole after her adoption, Peter did not appear to do the same. Instead, be it because of his schedule or because Nicole chose not to have a relationship during her formative years, Nicole and Peter were not close. Surprisingly, that changed as Nicole got older.

Nicole Richie Decided To Let Peter Michael Escovedo Back In Her Life After He Gave Her Up For Adoption

Becoming a mom made Nicole Richie reevaluate the relationships in her life

Growing up, Nicole has admitted to acting out purposefully. Acting out being something that is totally relatable about Nicole for fans. However, when the acting out turned to something larger with Nicole becoming out of control, she turned to illegal substances.

The reason for Nicole's use of illegal substances was something that she attributed to "being bored." Later, Nicole wanted to make things right in her relationships, first with her adoptive parents and then with her biological ones for being so hard on them.

"I kind of took matters into my own hands and was creating drama in a very dangerous way," Nicole explained. "I think I was just bored, I had seen everything—especially when you’re young, you just want more."

The reunion of sorts with Karen and Peter came when Nicole found out she was pregnant. Any anger or animosity she had toward them, Nicole wanted to get rid of. Instead, Richie wanted to mend fences and be the type of parent her "child would look up to."

"When I found out that I was pregnant, there was just something inside of me that felt a responsibility to mend any issues that I've had with my parents in the past, because, listen, I've put them through a lot," Nicole said.

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While her relationship with Peter is not as close as it is with Karen, any ill-feelings that Nicole had toward them have been let go, which helped Nicole heal and ensured that she would have a healthy relationship with her children as well.

What Peter Michael Escovedo Is Doing Today

Peter Michael Escovedo continues to work in the music industry today

These days, Peter is still working in the music industry. Most recently, he has been on the road with his dad, Pete, for the Pete Escovedo Retirement Tour.

Over the years, outside of working on albums, Peter has also worked as the musical director of the Wayne Brady Show and the Martin Short Show. Both of which he received Emmy nominations for.

While Peter does not appear to have been there a tremendous amount for Nicole over the years, it does look like he has been successful with his career. There is not an exact figure as to Peter's net worth, but from all outward appearances, it does not look like he is struggling to make ends meet.

As far as the relationship between Peter and Karen, multiple sources suggest they remain married. However, in 2016, a biography on Peter suggested he was in a relationship with a woman named Patrice. The two were reported to live a bohemian-type lifestyle, preferring to live below their means in Southern California.

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