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Lionel Richie Says He’s ‘Pumped’ as Daughter Sofia Richie Expects Baby No. 1
Lionel Richie revealed he has high expectations for his daughter Sofia Richie when it comes to being a mother. He shared his praises just five days after Sofia, 25, revealed she’s expecting baby No. 1 with her husband, Elliot Grainge.
“You know what? I am pumped up,” Lionel, 74, told People about Sofia’s pregnancy in an interview published on Tuesday, January 30. “I am now going to spoil yet another child in the world.”
Despite being excited to have another grandchild, the “Hello” singer admitted he hopes Sofia’s child will give her a taste of what he went through as a parent. “And I am not quite sure what the child will do to me, but I’m hoping that the child gives the parents a bit of a run, because every parent wants to get even as to what you did to me,” he jokingly added.
“She’s going to be fantastic,” he continued about Sofia’s upcoming role as a mother. “These are two loving parents, and I don’t think they really know what’s coming because every kid is different. So no matter what advice I give them, there’s no manual for this. They’ll figure it out.”
While Lionel didn’t reveal any advice he plans to give Sofia and Elliot, 30, he did express his excitement about the new addition to their family. “I’m in a position right now where I’m going to love this child to death, spoil [her] to death,” he stated. “And on very special occasions give the child back so the parents can actually raise this child.”
The American Idol judge is already the proud grandfather to daughter Nicole Richie’s two teenage children, Harlow, 16, and Sparrow, 14, whom she shares with husband Joel Madden.
Sofia announced her pregnancy while gracing the cover of Vogue on January 25. “She’s growing pretty fast, so [the due date] is a bit up in the air,” the model told the outlet about her daughter as she debuted her baby bump for the first time.
“I found out very, very early. I was about four weeks pregnant. I was on a trip to Milan for fashion week, and I was going to the Prada show. I was doing a really quick 24-hour turnaround, and I felt terrible but didn’t think much of it,” she recalled. “I thought it was jet lag.”
Sofia and Elliot planned to attend an Ed Sheeran concert one night after she returned to Los Angeles, so she took a pregnancy test when her period was late because she expected the show to be a boozy evening.
“I was so used to seeing negatives that I knew when something looked even kind of different,” she said about the pregnancy test, noting that they had been casually trying to conceive since they tied the knot in April 2023.
After she took three positive tests, Sofia said that Elliot “was so excited” and they “both cried.” She continued, “It was crazy and overwhelming and so hard not to scream it from the rooftops. But knowing I was so early, I was so protective—even with my friends.”
