Sofia Richie's father gave the stamp of approval on her new relationship.
According to a source close to the model, Sofia's father, singer and American Idol judge Lionel Richie, very much approves of her new romance with music executive Elliot Grainge, who is the son of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge. The two were first spotted together earlier this month in Beverly Hills. On April 8, Sofia confirmed their romance on Instagram with pics of the two looking cozy that she captioned with a heart.
"Sofia and Elliot have known each other for years but just recently became romantic," an insider tells E! of the pairing. "They weren't close growing up but Lionel has been friends with Elliot's father and has worked with him for years."
Lionel "completely adores" his daughter's new guy, the source continues.
"He thinks they are a perfect match and it was very natural progression for Sofia and Elliot to get together," says the insider. "They are all family friends and Sofia and Elliot [started] hanging out more recently this year. She thinks he's hilarious and loves that he is a chill guy."
While the relationship is "very new," the insider reveals Sofia is "very interested" in getting "serious" with the exec.
"It's going well," the source says. "They are very happy and in the honeymoon phase."
Sofia was previously in a relationship with Scott Disick. The two officially split in the summer of 2020 after three years together.
On the March premiere of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Scott claimed the reason for the breakup rested in Sofia being uncomfortable with his relationship with the mother of his three children, Kourtney Kardashian, telling Khloe Kardashian that Sofia "literally said with an ultimatum, 'You have to choose me or Kourtney.'"
A source told E! at the time, "Sofia is not surprised that Scott shared their relationship issues with the Kardashian family and publicly on the show. She wished it stayed private but knew it would happen when they split. Sofia has moved on and put the drama behind her. At this point, there is no chance they will ever get back together."