“He Wanted to Be a Kid Again”: Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian on Growing Up Around Neverland
- MJStory
- Nov 3
- 5 min read
Playful mid-90s snapshots circulating online show young Nicole Richie, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, and others at the Neverland photobooth – offering a glimpse into Michael Jackson’s Neverland that feels worlds apart from the long-standing media myths. Through the years, both would recall those same memories and reflect on the Michael Jackson they knew.
Perhaps a lesser-known fact, Nicole Richie – a renowned actress and fashion designer and the daughter of singer Lionel Richie and his first wife, Brenda (Harvey) Richie – is also Michael Jackson’s goddaughter.
At the height of the allegations in November 2003 – which led to Jackson’s 2005 trial – she spoke publicly in Jackson’s defense and shared her own childhood memories.
Richie said she had spent many days and evenings at Neverland Ranch as a child. “You know, a group of us would all sleep in the same room,” she said. “It was like absolutely nothing more than just an adult kind of wanting to be a kid again – just enjoying the company of children. I grew up with him. I have spent many evenings there and many days there.” She added, “I can only speak for myself, but absolutely nothing went on.”
“It really hurts me to see that his whole life is ruined,” she said.
Richie also said she would have spoken up immediately if anything had felt wrong. “I’m not a quiet person,” she said. “If there was something going on, I’d be like, ‘who are you?’ and I’d tell my parents. But my parents would never put me in hands that they thought were dangerous. I never had any complaints, and you know, I love him.”
In the same interview, she remarked that the timing of the allegations was “very convenient.”
Less than two years later, Jackson was fully acquitted of all charges.
In 1994, Nicole even celebrated her 13th birthday at Neverland – and that’s where the now-viral snapshots are from. Among the guests were Nicole’s schoolmates, including Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Sara Foster, and Gaby Hoffman.
Although Michael Jackson wasn’t present at the party, the ranch itself was completely open to his guests – the rides, animals, and all its usual attractions. Actress Gaby Hoffmann later recalled meeting Jackson’s chimps, including Bubbles.
These accounts further show that Neverland was far removed from the dark, enigmatic image that surrounded it in the media. It was a place Michael Jackson often shared with others – children and adults alike; friends, acquaintances, and even strangers – opening its gates to visitors even when he wasn’t around. He wanted everyone to experience the magic he had built there.
It also challenges another common misconception – that Michael Jackson only befriended boys (falsely suggesting a sinister preference). In reality, many of the children who spent time at Neverland were girls, some of whom, like Nicole Richie, would later speak about those memories with warmth and gratitude.
That same year, Kim Kardashian too celebrated her 14th birthday at Neverland. She later described the experience with vivid affection: “That was the most magical place on earth… When you drove up there were baby elephants and chimpanzees in overalls, and there were all the rides. It was everything you can possibly imagine. The memories I have from that place will last for the rest of my life.”
Kim and her sisters have often spoken fondly of Jackson on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and on social media, recalling his kindness and sense of humor. In one lighthearted moment on the show, Khloé Kardashian said, “No voodoo shit can tear us down,” and Kim replied, “That’s what Michael Jackson used to say!”
Kim, a frequent guest at Neverland, later dated Jackson’s nephew, TJ.
Back to the Richie family – their bond with Michael Jackson ran deep. Jackson had known Lionel since their Motown days, when Michael was still a young member of the Jackson 5 and Lionel was beginning his own rise with the Commodores. Decades later, their friendship would lead Jackson to become the godfather of Lionel’s two daughters, Nicole and her younger sister, Sofia (with his second wife, Diane Alexander).
Sofia, who’s also friends with Jackson’s daughter Paris, reflected on her childhood memories with him. “Michael was a really sweet guy,” she once said. “[Neverland Ranch] was the Disneyland of Beverly Hills.”
Ironically or not, Kim Kardashian’s and Sofia Richie’s words resonate with none other than Wade Robson – who once described Neverland with the same awe and affection, long before his $400 million lawsuit.
“It’s like Disneyland, it’s the best thing in the world!” he said at the time.”
Nicole's parents, Lionel and Brenda Richie both remained adamant defenders of Jackson long after his death. In 2013, Lionel dismissed the Wade Robson’s allegations as “bogus,” expressing disbelief over posthumous lawsuit, .
Lionel Richie later reflected on Michael Jackson’s bond with children, saying it came from a place of missed childhood. In a 2015 interview, he remarked that it wasn’t something that “flies when you’re 40,” yet maintained that Michael’s home was his daughter’s favorite hangout:
“Michael never got to hang out as a kid,” Richie said. “So as he got older, he was hanging out with the only people he felt comfortable with, and that was the kids. Sometimes you’d walk in and there’d be 25 kids all watching a Disney film. Kids loved it – Nicole’s favorite hangout in the world was Michael’s. He was her godfather.”
Nicole's mother, Brenda has been even more outspoken, often defending Jackson on social media. In 2019, following the Leaving Neverland broadcast, she denounced it as a “one-sided so-called documentary” that “shows no proof at all that Michael Jackson did anything.”
The Richies' defense carries a different kind of weight – not just as friends, but as parents who had trusted Michael with their own children, and, like Nicole, never saw anything but kindness.
For the Richies, as for many others who truly knew him, Michael Jackson wasn’t a mystery – he was simply part of their lives.
Sources
Nicole Richie defends Michael Jackson while Paris Hilton blows off Letterman. Reality TV World (Nov 2003).
Lionel Richie on Michael Jackson Allegations: “Bogus.” TMZ (May 9, 2013).
Brenda Harvey Richie's X
Rock royalty! Sofia Richie reveals what it was like having Michael Jackson as her godfather. Daily Mail (Sept 2018).
Kim Kardashian recalls celebrating her 14th birthday at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. People Magazine
Keeping Up With the Kardashians (E! Network)
Gaby Hoffmann recalls visiting Neverland with Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian. Us Weekly (Jan 2020).
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