Lionel Richie is over the moon the number of grandchildren he has is going to be growing, but he doesn’t want to be called grandpa.
Music star Lionel, who already enjoys the company of his grandchildren through daughter Nicole Richie, is overjoyed his daughter Sofia is expecting. Sofia and her husband Elliot Grainge are set to welcome a daughter into the world, and released an adorable gender reveal video on social media to mark the occasion. The American Idol judge is a big family man but has worked out the nickname he wants to be called by his grandchildren – because celebrity superstar Lionel Richie is no ‘grandpa’.
Lionel Richie’s ecstatic to find out his grandchildren will have a new cousin
The American Idol judge celebrated the premiere of his new Netflix documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop, where he spoke about the family news.
Lionel said: “My baby is having a baby and I’m so thrilled for Elliot and Sofia. They are just over the moon.”
It came a day after the 25-year-old shared their private gender reveal they did in their backyard.
The cute TikTok clip sees Sofia standing in their yard as Grainge hangs tight onto a confetti can. Of course, their adorable pup was waiting patiently as well. The model counted down from three, when Elliot pulls the trigger. To their delight, pink confetti filled the air as Sofia covered her face with her hands.
But Lionel says the couple can’t keep a secret.
He joked: “You know, there is no secret with those two! I keep saying, ‘Keep it a secret, OK?’ But yes, that’s what’s happening. I’m so happy.”
‘Grandpa’ is off the table though
Despite being incredibly happy over Sofia expecting a baby girl, the singer doesn’t want to be called grandpa.
He told ET: “I’m pop-pop. We don’t get the ‘grandpa’, yeah, that’s a little deep.
“Pop-pop is where we’re going”.
Lionel has already loved being Pop-pop to Nicole’s children, who she shares with Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden. The two have a daughter, Harlow, born in 2008 as well as son Sparrow the following year.
His grandchildren never knew he was famous
When they were growing up, Lionel Richie explained his grandchildren have no idea he’s famous.
The TV star explained, when they were toddlers, they hadn’t seen him on stage until he joined Joel on The Voice Australia finals in June 2012.
“While we were singing, I could see [daughter] Nicole with Harlow and Sparrow out of the corner of my eye, and it dawned on me they have never seen me on stage before.
“You just know they were thinking, ‘What’s Pop-pops doing with Dada?'”
The pair sang Easy, one of the celebrity’s biggest hits, but Richie thinks Madden may have been nervous – well that’s what he would have felt!
He said: “Singing with your father-in-law is enough to make you nervous. Singing with your father-in-law in front of your family and a couple of million people at the finale of a show… I would have passed out.
“It could go all wrong. But it was great.”
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