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Nicole Richie<\/strong><\/a> is clearing up confusion after fans noticed her daughter, Harlow Winter Kate<\/strong><\/a>, appears to be going by a different name.<\/p>\n The TV personality, 44, addressed the chatter while speaking People<\/em><\/a> at an event on Wednesday, January 14. The conversation came just days after Richie shared a heartfelt Instagram carousel honoring Harlow\u2019s 18th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201c18 years of you \u2665\ufe0f\ud83c\udf82 @katemaddennn,\u201d Richie wrote in the caption \u2014 and it didn\u2019t take long for followers to notice that the account she tagged used the name Kate, rather than Harlow.<\/p>\n Naturally, speculation followed, with fans wondering whether the teenager had changed her name.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, she goes by her middle name,\u201d Richie explained at the event. \u201cShe has her whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the buzz in the comments section, Richie admitted she didn\u2019t pay much attention \u2014 but she understands why people were surprised. \u201cI didn\u2019t look, but it makes sense \u2026 she goes by her middle name,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Richie shares daughter Harlow Kate, 18, and son Sparrow<\/strong>, 16, with husband Joel Madden<\/strong>. Over the years, the Simple Life<\/em> alum has been refreshingly open about what it\u2019s like raising teenagers \u2014 especially now that her kids are reaching ages that feel all too familiar.<\/p>\n \u201cI just so clearly remember what it\u2019s like to be a teenager. It feels like it happened yesterday for me,\u201d Richie said in a December 2024 interview with Glamour<\/em><\/a>. \u201cAnd they know everything I did.\u201d<\/p>\n That awareness has shaped how she approaches parenting. \u201cI knew before I had them that I was going to have to be transparent with them about who I was,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve actually found freedom in that. I didn\u2019t want my kids having some big discovery about me. And I\u2019ve always been very open and honest with my kids and hope that they are open and honest with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI very much remember \u2014 I think now that I\u2019m seeing my kids at an age where I remember everything from that age,\u201d she further told People<\/em><\/a> in October 2025. \u201cSo they\u2019ll be telling me stories of whatever the comings and goings of them and their friends, and it sounds exactly like what I was going through senior year. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s like a TV show.\u201d<\/p>\n Richie has also been candid about navigating parenting challenges, particularly when it comes to social media. During a December 2024 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show<\/em> alongside longtime friend and former costar Paris Hilton<\/strong>, Richie shared her philosophy on raising kids in a digital-first world.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, the platforms are there and they exist, and that is how people that age communicate with each other,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, you know, I think I have been more inclined to, instead of make it this forbidden thing, to really, first of all, understand it on my own so that I know the world that they know.\u201d<\/p>\n She added, \u201cThe digital world and the real world are very different things, but it\u2019s very real.\u201d<\/p>\n For Richie, staying informed is essential. \u201cOne of the most important things for me to do as a parent is to not, not know anything about the digital world because then that just separates me even more from this generation that grew up in that world,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n