Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have been going strong ever since they met at a party in 2006.
“He was there hanging out with my girlfriend’s sister and we met very, very briefly,” Richie recalled to 60 Minutes Australia in 2013. “He was very shy … just kind of kept to himself. I couldn’t get a read on him for the life of me.”
The couple ended up hitting it off and started dating. They went on to welcome daughter Harlow in 2008 and son Sparrow in 2009 before tying the knot in December 2010.
In September 2019, Richie opened up about the key to her long-lasting marriage with Madden.
“I don’t know [if there’s] a secret [to it], other than we love to laugh and have fun,” she told Us Weekly at the time. “It’s nice doing the journey of life together. Doing it with somebody else that has the same goals as you is a really fun way to live.”
Richie noted that Madden is “the most supportive” husband.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Richie and Madden’s relationship timeline:
2006
The pair met at a friend’s party when Richie was 25 and Madden was 27.
“When I met her, I think we were both on different trains,” Madden recalled to 60 Minutes Australia in 2013. “We might have just for a second got off at the same station and met each other, and then we both got on a completely different train.”
August 2007
In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Richie confirmed she was pregnant with her and Madden’s first child.
January 2008
Richie and Madden welcomed daughter Harlow.
“She gives life a whole new meaning and a whole new purpose,” Richie shared with People at the time.
February 2009
Madden announced that Richie was pregnant with their second child.
“I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister!” he wrote in a since-deleted blog post. “God has truly blessed my family. Hope [you’re] all feeling as good as I am right now.”
September 2009
Richie and Madden welcomed son Sparrow.
“In the middle of [the] night, the very early hours of September 9, 2009, Sparrow James Midnight Madden was born to Nicole Richie and Joel Madden,” Richie announced on her website. “He weighs 7lbs 14oz. Nicole, Joel, Harlow and Sparrow are all doing well. Thank you for all of your good wishes.”
February 2010
The couple announced their engagement.
“Yep. I’m engaged. Very happy,” Madden wrote via X at the time. “Yeah we’ve been engaged for a while so your [sic] all kind of late on that. But thanks for the hooplah all the same.”
December 2010
Richie and Madden tied the knot.
April 2013
Madden says meeting Richie was a “religious experience.”
“That’s like, a life-changing, cathartic event,” he explained to 60 Minutes Australia at the time. “Meeting the person you know is gonna be your wife. She’s my best friend. It’s the only person I’ve ever met that’s as influential on my life as my brother Benji [Madden].”
December 2018
Richie exclusively told Us that nothing makes her happier than to “be in sweats” and “shut off” from the world with Madden and her kids.
November 2023
Ahead of their 13th wedding anniversary, Madden couldn’t help but gush about Richie, noting that “she’s beautiful” and she’s his“queen.”
“She’s been the greatest partner. I feel lucky,” he shared on the Tamron Hall Show, adding that Richie has been a “big part” of his journey with personal identity. “The only thing I’ve done longer than 17 years is the band [Good Charlotte].”
Later that month, Madden noted that he and Richie have done “lots of therapy” throughout their marriage.
“I don’t think we pretend to be perfect either,” he said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I think we’re all human.”
December 2024
Richie opened up about how she knew Madden was The One after meeting for the first time.
“Joel is very shy,” she said during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “The first night I met him, he actually didn’t speak to me, and I was like, ‘This is my husband.’”
Although they didn’t speak much that night, Richie said Madden “ended up texting” or emailing her.
Later on in the interview, Paris Hilton, Richie’s best friend, said she “loved” Richie’s relationship with Madden right away.
“I just thought they were so cute,” Hilton gushed. “Joel is so sweet. He’s so loyal. He’s just one of those types of guys that’s completely different than an L.A. guy.”
