Andy DehnartNicole Richie was once Paris Hilton’s sidekick, but now she’s calling the shots, according to a report. Citing The Daily Star, Digital Spy says Nicole “told producers that she would withdraw her scenes from the show unless Hilton returned to the US for wrap filming. Nicole was apparently furious after learning that her former friend has been skinny dipping at Cannes while deadlines for the reality series are fast approaching.”
She just might have the clout to do that. A Vanity Fair profile of Nicole quotes someone close to her saying, “Nicole really drove the show. People were always saying to her, ‘You’re the funny one.'” Speaking of her relationship with Paris Hilton, Nicole tells Vanity Fair that she called off their friendship because she no longer liked Paris, not because of a dispute. “We never had a fight. I just decided I didn’t want to be her friend anymore. We’re just two completely different people; we don’t have that much in common. I really don’t have anything horrible to say about her.” She denies the story that she showed Paris Hilton’s sex tape to friends, saying, “A, I don’t watch porn, and B, I don’t want to see someone I’ve known forever having sex. I mean, that’s gross!”
She may have to deal with Paris in the future, however; Vanity Fair reports that “Nicole remains contractually obligated to The Simple Life should the ratings warrant its continued existence.” (The fourth season starts Sunday at 10 on E!)
Also in the profile, which appears in the reality TV-heavy June issue (the one with Mole host Anderson Cooper on the cover), Nicole admits that she’s “too thin right now” and says, “I really do need to do something about it. I’m not happy with the way I look right now.” One of her caregivers says she’s “in the realm of anorexia” but not quite there yet.