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Would Lionel Richie Do a Reality Show With His Kids Sofia and Nicole? He Says...

American Idol judge Lionel Richie gets candid about whether he'd ever take center stage on a reality show featuring him and daughters, Sofia and Nicole Richie.

By Hayley Santaflorentina May 22, 2023 8:06 PMTags
Watch: Katy Perry REACTS to Iam Tongi's American Idol Win

Lionel Richie is no stranger to the spotlight, but he's not sure whether he wants it to follow him home. 

After the season 21 finale of American Idol, E! News exclusively got the scoop about whether the All Night Long singer, who is father to Nicole and Sofia Richie, would ever let his family be the center of a new reality show.

"Let me say this to you: Living with my kids has been a reality series that I've been trying to forget for a long time," the 73-year-old quipped in the May 22 episode of E! News. "So, to bring it to the public right now would be something called, post-traumatic syndrome."

Nicole, 41, is no stranger to reality TV. She starred in The Simple Life alongside Paris Hilton, and then had her own show in 2014, Candidly Nicole, on which Sofia, 24, made occasional appearances.

"You know my kids, they have a journey. They're used to this thing called 'all your business, every day out in the street,'" Lionel continued. "I'm a little bit more reserved, so I'll let them do their thing and Papa Richard can kinda go home and enjoy the fireplace." (See more from Lionel's interview on tonight's episode of E! News.)

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Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge's Tropical Honeymoon

Instead of focusing on reality TV, Lionel has embraced competition shows and has been a judge on American Idol for six seasons.

During the May 21 finale, high school student Iam Tongi was crowned season 21's winner. Iam was up against Megan Danielle, who came in second, and Colin Stough, who came in third, entering this season's finale.

ABC/Eric McCandless

"Remember, now, winning number one is one thing," Lionel told E! News after the show. "Maintaining number one is called the hard work." 

And Lionel knows Iam has the support he needs to take his win to the next level. 

"He's got a great family support. The village raised him. So, he's got the support," he added. "Right now, he needs to think how do I get, first of all, across America and then around the world one song at a time?"

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