Sofia Richie Is Having a “Nervous Breakdown” Ahead of Her Baby’s Arrival, Her Dad Lionel Richie Jokes

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 21 May 2024

As she prepares for the arrival of her first baby, Sofia Richie is about to have a “nervous breakdown,” her father Lionel Richie said in an interview with Extra on Sunday. (Sofia married husband Elliot Grainge in April 2023.)

“I keep saying, ‘Calm down,’” Lionel said. “When the baby comes, then your nervous breakdown will start, you know.”

Lionel—who is a judge on American Idol—told the outlet that his life is “so full” at the moment: “I mean, 39 years ago was ‘We Are the World,’ the greatest night in pop, and now here it is on Netflix and is doing amazing, No. 1 around the world,” he said of his documentary, released back in January. “And then we’ve got my Sofie—my baby’s now having a baby. What the heck is going on?”

Sofia Richie and Lionel Richie — Sofia is Lionel's youngest child (they're seen here in 2017).

In January—just days after Sofia and Elliot sweetly announced they were going to be parents for the first time—Lionel told Entertainment Tonight “I’m so thrilled for Elliot and Sofia. They are just over the moon.” But there was one caveat, he said: he doesn’t want his grandchildren calling him “Grandpa,” per Page Six.

“I’m Pop-Pop,” he said. “We don’t get the ‘Grandpa’—yeah, that’s a little deep. Pop-Pop is where we’re going.” (Lionel is already Pop-Pop to daughter Nicole Richie’s two children with her husband Joel Madden, Harlow and Sparrow.)

Lionel has also admitted that hearing the news that his youngest child is having her own child “freaked [him] out a little bit,” adding in January “But at the same time, Elliot and Sofia are such a force. This little baby is gonna be souped up like you’ve never seen before. It’s amazing.”

Sofia and Elliot revealed their relationship in early 2021, and by April 2022 were engaged; at the time of his proposal, Sofia wrote of her to-be husband “Forever isn’t long enough.” After a Parisian bachelorette party and a bridal shower, the two married just over a year ago in France, where guests included Paris Hilton, Cameron Diaz, and more boldfaced names. And, very soon, baby will make three.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

Stay In The Know