--- title: Nicole Richie Reveals Her Meanest Prank to Jimmy Kimmel description: No one is safe from her practical jokes canonical: https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/ author: Tara John article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-31T11:11:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:29:30.264Z og:title: Nicole Richie Reveals Her Meanest Prank to Jimmy Kimmel og:description: No one is safe from her practical jokes og:url: https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23849872223b1f8d/69885d4f35ba6f3729c0e711/nicole-richie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Nicole Richie On "Extra" og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Nicole Richie Reveals Her Meanest Prank to Jimmy Kimmel twitter:description: No one is safe from her practical jokes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23849872223b1f8d/69885d4f35ba6f3729c0e711/nicole-richie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She Ever Played to Jimmy Kimmel > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7e5fd9c1-e9fc-4b63-a2e0-a030b93374dd&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7e5fd9c1-e9fc-4b63-a2e0-a030b93374dd&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=7e5fd9c1-e9fc-4b63-a2e0-a030b93374dd&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7e5fd9c1-e9fc-4b63-a2e0-a030b93374dd&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Late-Night Highlight: Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She's Ever Pulled [Watch (HLS stream): Late-Night Highlight: Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She's Ever Pulled](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JfkfSKDv.m3u8) (1:29)  _Published 2015-07-31. In case you don't already know, Nicole Richie is quite the prankster. And when it comes to her practical jokes, no one is safe. Not even her dad._ by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Jul 31, 2015 11:11 AM UTC by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Jul 31, 2015 11:11 AM UTC Nicole Richie recounted her meanest April Fool’s joke on _Jimmy Kimmel Live!_ Thursday night, where she had a friend tell her dad, Lionel Richie, that she had been arrested. “I had a guy friend of mine wake him from a dead sleep at around 3:30 or 4 in the morning and say they are from Nevada police and that I had been arrested,” said Richie. The uncensored version of the story was revealed a few years back to Andy Cohen. According to the former _The Simple Life_ star, it happened right after she left rehab, involved a security guard and the reason for her (fake) arrest was cocaine possession. This shouldn’t have come as that big of surprise to those who know Richie well, as she is no stranger to pranks. Perennial targets have included both Kim and Khloe Kardashian, who’ve had their Twitter accounts hacked by Richie two years in a row. ## Transcript So in case you don't already know Nicole Richie is quite the prankster. Anybody remember the epic prank phone calls that she and pal Paris Hilton used to make on The Simple Life? It says no smoking, but I love my cigs. Yeah, anyways she told Jimmy Kimmel that when it comes to her infamous practical jokes no one is safe. Not even her dad, Lionel Richie. I had a guy friend of mine wake him from a dead sleep at around 3: 30 or 4 in the morning and say that they were the Nevada police, and that I'd been arrested. [ LAUGH ] Woah, not cool Nicole. And that's not even the worst part of that April Fool's joke. Nicole told Andy Cohen the whole story a few years back. Right after I got out of rehab, I had a security guard call my dad at 3 o'clock in the morning and wake him up and tell him That I got arrested for cocaine possesssion . >> Yeesh whatever happened to putting salt in the sugar bowl or planting a whoopi cushion on the couch. That is serious stuff. Thankfully not all of Nicole's April fools pranks are cruel and unusual. The actress hacked Kim and Chloe Kardashian's Twitter accounts not one but two years in a row. We won't post them here but let's just say there was a lot of, toilet humor involved. The lesson here: don't ever give Nicole Richie your phone number or your Twitter password. Like ever. You can catch more of her shenanigans on her VH1 show, Candidly Nicole. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/"},"headline":"Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She Ever Played to Jimmy Kimmel","datePublished":"2015-07-31T11:11:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:29:30.264Z","description":"Her dad Lionel Richie was the target!","url":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","jimmy kimmel live"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23849872223b1f8d/69885d4f35ba6f3729c0e711/nicole-richie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara John","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-john/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23849872223b1f8d/69885d4f35ba6f3729c0e711/nicole-richie.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Nicole Richie On \"Extra\"","caption":"Nicole Richie On \"Extra\"","creditText":"Noel Vasquez—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/","name":"Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She Ever Played to Jimmy Kimmel"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Late-Night Highlight: Nicole Richie Reveals The Meanest Prank She's Ever Pulled","description":"In case you don't already know, Nicole Richie is quite the prankster. And when it comes to her practical jokes, no one is safe. Not even her dad.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/JfkfSKDv/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-31T07:14:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/JfkfSKDv.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/","duration":"PT1M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3979929/nicole-richie-jmmy-kimmel-live/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```