Singer Lionel Richie was honored this weekend with an Icon trophy at the TV Land Awards. Nicole, who starred in The Simple Life with friend Paris Hilton, was evidently not an easy child to raise.

While accepting his award, Lionel joked with the crowd:

Forget about surviving 40 years in the music business. Just surviving 27 years of Nicole Richie has been a struggle-and-a-half, I want to tell you. I stand here as a survivor, I want you to know, for all the parents out there.”

Nicole has had her share of troubles with substance and alcohol abuse and who can forget the 82-minutes that she spent in jail last summer? Lionel is now a grandpa to baby Harlow, born in January. He says that she has changed everything.

She went from, ‘Dad, I don’t care. Whatever you say.’ to ‘Wash your hands, dad.’ and ‘Be quiet, dad’. It’s a whole new sound of the house.”

Is anyone really feeling bad for Lionel? Check out some photos of Nicole and baby Harlow below.

More photos of Lionel with Joel, Nicole and Harlow from their Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot.

Filed under: Nicole Richie