Lionel Richie can’t help but gush over daughter Sofia Richie Grainge becoming a mom of two.
“The beautiful part about it is that the family keeps growing and my pride keeps popping out of my chest. But it’s wonderful. Everyone is happy and that’s the part I love the most. Just watching everyone blossom,” Richie, 76, told USA Today in an interview shared via TikTok on Tuesday, March 31.
He continued, “Pop Pop is out there again. … Isn’t that funny? I came here thinking I am Mr. Richie, Mr. Richie. Now I’m Papa Richie on American Idol.”
Richie Grainge, 27, shared in March that she and husband Elliot Grainge had welcomed their second baby.
Lionel Richie Is ‘Absolutely Thrilled’ About Daughter Sofia’s Pregnancy
“Henry Cecil Grainge 💙 03/18/26,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Loves of my life.”
The couple, who tied the knot in 2023, previously welcomed daughter Eloise in May 2024.
“Lionel is absolutely thrilled for Sofia and Elliot. He was ecstatic when they told him and the family that they were expecting their first child,” an insider exclusively told Us Weekly of Lionel’s reaction to adding another grandchild to the family. “Sofia is Lionel’s youngest, and it was such a bittersweet moment for him, because he realizes his baby girl is all grown up and going to become a mom. He couldn’t hold back the tears.”
Months after Eloise’s arrival, Richie Grainge reflected on her daughter’s “emotionally draining” delivery and her own recovery after giving birth.
Lionel Richie Jokes Pregnant Sofia Richie Is Having a ‘Nervous Breakdown’
“I felt very ill. So, [Dr. A, my physician] sent over her wonderful nurse, and my blood pressure was 165 over 103,” she recalled on an October 2024 episode of the “She MD” podcast, noting she was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia. “My poor husband was like, ‘I have to get you to the hospital because Dr. A’s saying it’s just not safe. It’s just not safe that you’re home.’ So, I spent 24 hours in the hospital, and it was really, really, really hard.”
Richie Grainge explained that her treatment included taking blood pressure medication for nearly three months.
“From the second Eloise was born, I was like, ‘I can’t miss an awake time. I can’t miss a moment. I don’t want someone else taking care of my kid,’” Richie Grainge said. “[I] was like, ‘Yes, I feel so blessed and fortunate to be able to have people help me and to be able to have support, but I also am not interested in someone raising my kid.’ I wouldn’t have had a kid if I wasn’t ready to take that on. My mom guilt has been balancing those two things.”
