Nicole Richie is celebrating a major milestone for her oldest child — and sparking some curiosity about what her daughter prefers to be called these days.
On Monday, Jan. 12, Richie, 44, posted a carousel of photos on Instagram to honor her daughter’s 18th birthday. The images included rare snapshots of Richie and her daughter, Harlow Winter Kate, taken across different stages of her life.
“18 years of you ♥️🎂 @katemaddennn,” Richie wrote in the caption. Her husband, Joel Madden, also commented: “That’s my girl ❤️✨.”
In the comments, some fans noticed that the account Richie tagged uses the name “Kate” — one of her daughter’s middle names — and wondered whether the teenager now goes by Kate instead of Harlow.
“Happy birthday!? Did she change her name?” one person wrote. “Wait does she not go by Harlow?” another asked.
Richie shares her daughter and her son, Sparrow, 16, with the Good Charlotte singer.
In a past interview, Richie spoke about parenting teens and said it’s been rewarding to watch her kids grow into new stages of life. She also noted that hearing them describe school, friendships, and everyday drama feels surprisingly familiar — almost like reliving her own teenage years.
She later discussed how she approaches social media as a parent, explaining that online platforms are a major part of how teenagers communicate. Rather than treating it as a forbidden topic, she prefers to understand the digital world herself so she can better relate to what her kids experience.
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Richie emphasized that the online world and offline life can feel very different, but both are real in their own way — and staying informed helps her stay connected to her children’s generation.
She also shared that she regularly reminds her kids that what they post online can last forever — though she acknowledged they already understand the risks that come with having a digital footprint.
