Joel Madden Clears Up Daughter Harlow’s Name Change: She’s Been ‘Kate’ Since First Grade

Joel Madden has addressed the recent buzz surrounding his and Nicole Richie’s 18-year-old daughter Harlow Winter Kate Madden, confirming that her preference for going by her middle name “Kate” is far from a new development.

During his March 16, 2026, appearance on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast, the Good Charlotte frontman explained that the narrative of a sudden name change exploded online after Nicole Richie referred to Harlow as “Kate” in a heartfelt Instagram birthday post in January 2026.

“That’s a narrative everybody ran away with because it gets clicks,” Madden said. “She’s been going by her middle name since she was in, like, first grade. She chose it.”

Madden shared a sweet family anecdote about discovering the switch during an open house at Harlow’s school years ago. “The teacher was like, ‘Kate’s doing great. She’s so nice,'” he recalled. “We’re like, ‘Who’s Kate?’ And they’re like, ‘Your daughter, Kate. That’s what she said her name was.'”

When they asked Harlow about it at home, she simply replied, “Yeah, I like it.” The couple responded supportively: “OK, great.” Madden emphasized that the decision has been consistent for over a decade. “Everyone who knows her calls her Kate,” he said. “If you’ve known her since she was 7, she’s been Kate.”

He described the shift as “no big deal” and “sweet,” with no major family discussion needed. Interestingly, the name has become a subtle way for Harlow to gauge familiarity. “If you know her, you know she’s Kate,” Madden noted.

“People that don’t know her would call her Harlow… It’s kind of smart, actually. She knows if someone called her Harlow, they don’t really know her.”

The revelation highlights the couple’s laid-back, supportive approach to parenting. Madden and Richie, married since 2010, also share 16-year-old son Sparrow James Midnight Madden.

Richie has long praised Madden’s family values and loyalty, once calling him someone with “the most incredible family values of anybody that I’ve ever met” in a 2013 interview.

As Harlow embraces adulthood under her preferred name, the story underscores a gentle, child-led transition that’s been quietly in place for years—proving that sometimes the biggest headlines come from the simplest, most longstanding family choices.