Nicole Richie Literally Set Herself on Fire Blowing Out Birthday Candles

In Nicole Richie’s own words, “Well… so far 40 is 🔥.” 

Yes, Nicole Richie—fashion mogul, reality-TV legend, one of the funniest people alive—turned 40 on September 21. (Where is the time going? I hate it.) And in celebration, she did what most people do: blow out candles on a birthday cake. Sounds harmless, right?

Well, not when a bit of your hair accidentally touches a candle, and you set yourself on fire. That’s quite literally what happened to Richie, and there’s video proof. 

Watch it for yourself, below. 

The caption proves Richie has a sense of humor about the whole thing, but this is honestly my worst fear come to life. I hate fire. I barely use my stove because of this (and also, I can’t cook). So in my eyes, Richie is a hero for enduring this with a smile. 

I mean, Richie does have a lot to be smiling about these days. She’s been married to rocker Joel Madden since 2010, and they have two kids: Harlow and Sparrow. Richie’s also a judge on the Amazon Prime Video reality show Making the Cut, not to mention founder of the lifestyle brand House of Harlow. She’s killing it. 

On the topic of motherhood, Richie told People, “I had two friends that were moms before me—I had kids very young. It was really so refreshing to see two women that have such different taste and parenting styles maintain a friendship and not judge each other for the way that they bring up their kids. That’s something that’s always stuck with me because there’s not one way to raise children. There’s no one right way to be a mother. It depends on your house and lifestyle. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is not to judge!” That’s some very good advice.