Reality TV royalty Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are reportedly reuniting for a brand new small-screen project, two decades after they won international fame on The Simple Life.
Per TMZ, the new series is in the early development stage and will star both Paris, 43, and Nicole, 42, with the outlet's source claiming that they've already sold their idea to a streamer. While it's unclear where and when it will land, James Corden's production company, Fulwell 73, have allegedly secured the filming rights.
Paris and Nicole - who grew up together in Los Angeles and attended the same school - appeared to give credence to the rumours, as they took to Instagram yesterday with a collage of throwback photos together and captioned it with a nod to their Simple Life nicknames. 'From Day 1: Sill and Bill,' they wrote. The reality show spanned from 2003 until 2007, following Paris and Nicole as the socialites ditched their lives of luxury for low-paying jobs and activities.
While there is no denying that the dynamic duo have reclaimed their BFF status, their friendship hasn't gone without its hiccups. In 2005, just two years after The Simple Life burst onto the scene and became the blueprint for reality TV, rumours of a feud between Paris and Nicole began to whirl. It wasn't until April 2005 that Paris became the first to break her silence on the speculation, delivering this statement to People: 'It’s no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends,' she said. 'Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it.'
A source close to Paris also claimed to People that Nicole was jealous of the media attention her best friend and co-star received, and 'resented being left out of things', namely Paris' hosting opportunity on Saturday Night Live.
Meanwhile, friends of Nicole's told People that things became strained between the women because 'Nicole [had] grown out of her wild ways, [quit] drinking and [was] spending more time with her [then] fiancé, Adam Goldstein'.
In November 2005, Nicole appeared on the Today show and, according to People, stated that she would not speak to Paris if their paths crossed again. The TV personality claimed they 'grew apart', and while she denied it was a 'feud', she said the clash 'just turned into a much bigger thing than it is' and it wasn't a 'part of [her] life'.
But the following year, the pals put their differences aside and met up for dinner with Nicole's famous father, singer Lionel Richie, sparking hope that they had reconciled. While their respective spokespeople failed to confirm whether their friendship was back on, Nicole was spotted leaving Paris' home in West Hollywood the following morning. Her publicist said at the time, 'They had a meal last night. It's not my place to say what was discussed or the nature of the meal, but it's a good thing when people have a meal together.'
Since then, the course of true friendship has run smoothly. In 2014, Nicole opened up about her bond with Paris on Watch What Happens Live. She said, 'Paris is somebody that's been in my life since day one. I haven't spoken to her in a while technically, but if you really want to get into it, my view of a friendship is somebody that you don't necessarily have to talk to every day, somebody that you can call when you need them and they're just going to be there. An idea of a true friend is somebody that's going to be there with you through and through.'
Then in 2019, Paris revealed that they are still in touch, while signalling just how far their friendship dates back. She said on Watch What Happens Live, 'I love Nicole. We were actually texting three days ago because it's our high school reunion, so she was reminding me of the date.'
If those interviews and rumours of a joint TV comeback aren't enough proof that the feud is water under the bridge, Nicole was also invited to Paris' wedding to Carter Reum in 2021. And we'd say that getting an invite to Paris Hilton's nuptials means you're in the good books...
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.