Nicole Richie's Hair Is Lit on Fire in Terrifying Video From 40th Birthday Party

We have a few burning questions for Nicole Richie after things went awry at her 40th birthday celebration. See for yourself what happened when the star blew out her candles!

By McKenna Aiello Sep 22, 2021 2:41 AMTags

Stop, drop and roll! Nicole Richie's 40th birthday just went up in smoke. 

On Tuesday, September 21, the TV personality and House of Harlow designer shared footage from the alarming moment her hair caught on fire as she blew out her birthday candles. 

In the Instagram video, which you can check out below, Nicole's loved ones cheered as she leaned over her cake to make a wish and extinguish the flames. Suddenly, fire from the candles engulfed the ends of her curls and the birthday girl (understandably) screamed in terror. A friend is then seen reaching over to put out the fire with her hand. 

Despite the fright, it seems the Great News actress recovered quickly from the incident, captioning her post, "Well… so far 40 is [fire emoji]."

Husband Joel Madden put it perfectly when he stole a line from Nicole's The Simple Life co-star Paris Hilton and commented, "That's hot."

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Nicole Richie and Joel Madden's Cutest Couple Moments

Not everyone was as calm and collected as Nicole and Joel, however.

"My heart just dropped!!!!" Kelly Rowland replied to Nicole's post, while Olivia Munn commented, "Holy s--t." 

Meanwhile, Benji Madden aptly encouraged his sister-in-law to "stay lit," writing, "Happy Birthday Sis love you and thankful for you always."

Before things went awry at her birthday bash, Nicole was celebrated by her famous family on social media.

Joel penned a touching Instagram tribute, which read, "Happy Birthday Nicole. You've made love feel timeless I've forgotten how old we are."

Likewise, model Sofia Richie said she's "so lucky" to call Nicole her "big sis," writing on Instagram, "I love you beyond words."

Thanks Nicole, for reminding us to check our smoke detectors!

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