Lionel Richie Says Daughter Sofia Dating Scott Disick Is 'Just a Phase'
Lionel Richie doesn't seem too concerned about his teenage daughter dating an older man.
When the American Idol host was recently asked about 19-year-old Sofia Richie's relationship with Scott Disick, 34, he chalked it up to being "just a phase."
"She’s 19," Lionel, 68, told The Daily Telegraph. "When you’re 19 you know everything. Is it going to be for life? I don’t know. But for right now it’s just a phase and I’m going to stand real still in the corner, get me a good drink and not make too much noise."
Lionel echoed that sentiment back in November when speaking with ET's Nischelle Turner, saying that he prefers not to get involved.
"All you have to do is understand phases," he told ET at the time. "Don't get involved. Make your comment. Keep a straight face. Don't get involved. And sure enough it's always the person you want to be with your daughter or your son. They don't pick those people. It's always the person they fall in love with and you go be calm. Just be calm."
The GRAMMY winner also added that seeing Sofia so smitten over Disick is bringing back the memories.
"Now I know what my parents meant when I came through the door with my Afro and my girlfriend and said 'Dad, I’m in love' and [he] looked at me and said 'Okay, we’re going to leave you alone for a minute and you’ll figure it out,'" Lionel joked to The Daily Telegraph. "My daughter is getting me back for my Afro days!"
When asked about Disick, who has been dating Sofia for several months after splitting with Kourtney Kardashian in 2015, Lionel described him as "very nice."
"From what I met of him he’s a very nice guy," he said, adding that he isn't sure what to think about the Kardashians. "When you hang around the reality world, who knows what you are really doing? This is a well-oiled machine, the Kardashian machine. I don’t really know what to think. I told Sofia I will have no opinion. I’ll continue to be my cheerful self and move on."
ET spoke to Lionel last November, when he made made similar comments about Sofia's relationship with Scott.
"All you have to do is understand phases," he said. "Don't get involved. Make your comment. Keep a straight face. Don't get involved. ... Just be calm."
On the other hand, the Kardashian-Jenners haven't been quite as accepting of Sofia and Disick, who shares three children with his ex Kourtney. While Kendall Jenner has shaded the reality star on more than one occasion, Kourtney's mom Kris Jenner recently questioned the relationship and 15-year age gap between the two.
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