Nicole Richie and Daughter Kate Make Rare Red Carpet Debut

Nicole Richie brought her best plus-one to Hollywood on Monday night. The House of Harlow founder stepped out with her 18-year-old daughter Kate Madden for the world premiere of her new film Stop! That! Train! at the Harmony Gold Theater in Los Angeles — and the two were practically impossible to tell apart.

It’s been more than two years since the pair last graced a red carpet together. Their previous outing was the April 2024 premiere of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, where they were joined by Nicole’s husband Joel Madden and the couple’s 16-year-old son Sparrow. This time, it was just the girls — and they showed up.

The Looks

Nicole, 44, went full boho-chic in a navy and white polka-dot floor-length dress paired with a matching headscarf, draping a white fur-trimmed coat around her arms like a cape. Kate went in the opposite direction — all edge — in a strapless leather minidress, knee-high black boots, and long, pin-straight extensions that gave her a seriously dramatic finish.

That hair moment was no accident. The sleek, extra-long straight-extension look has been having a serious moment since the 2026 Met Gala earlier this month, where Nicole Kidman and daughter Sunday Rose helped kick off the trend, followed by Amanda Seyfried, Katy Perry, Rosé, and Lisa. Kate leaned all the way into it, with inky, foot-long extensions that WWD noted may be K-tips — keratin-bonded strands installed with a low-heat clamp that typically last three to six months. Nicole herself went for a subtler version, keeping her bleach-blonde ends neatly tucked under that polka-dot scarf.

Between the matching dark hair and the unmistakable bone structure, the resemblance between mother and daughter genuinely stopped people mid-scroll.

About Kate’s Name

If you’re still getting used to “Kate Madden,” you’re not alone — but apparently the name has been in play for a long time. Kate was born Harlow Kate, and Nicole confirmed to PEOPLE in January that “she goes by her middle name,” adding, “she has her whole life.” Fans first noticed the shift when Nicole tagged her daughter’s Instagram @katemaddennn in an 18th birthday post.

Joel Madden, the Good Charlotte frontman and Kate’s dad, got a little more specific on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast back in March. “She’s been going by her middle name since she was in like, first grade,” he said. “She chose it. She went to school, one day she came home — or we went to the open house night or whatever — and the teacher’s like, ‘Kate’s doing great. She’s so nice.’”

She stepped out at Coachella with friends last month, too, suggesting she’s very much stepping into her own public moment on her own terms.

What’s the Movie?

Stop! That! Train! is exactly the kind of film you’d expect from a cast that includes RuPaul, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes, and Marcia Marcia Marcia. The camp comedy follows best friends Tess and DeeDee — train stewardesses who ditch their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express — only to find themselves facing a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatening to crash the high-speed train into Los Angeles. RuPaul plays President Gagwell. Nicole appears in the film as “Workaholic.”

The film was directed by Adam Shankman, who joined Nicole on the red carpet Monday night. It opens in theaters on June 12.

Nicole has been open about how much she loves this stage of parenting. During a 2024 appearance on Today, she said being a mom to teens is her “favorite stage” — that she can still vividly remember being 16 herself. “When my daughter’s telling me drama with her friends, I go, ‘I remember. Laila Heckmath did that to me,’” she laughed. “I remember first and last names. So it’s fun. It’s wild. And just the best.”

Based on Monday night, Kate seems to feel the same way about her mom.