The crazy thing is ... she's been even more popular in recent years post-sex tape + Keeping Up With the Kardashians show, etc.
And she was Paris Hilton's "BFF" for quite some time years ago before all of this ... and still wasn't that famous/recognizable. The media asked Casey Johnson (the "fiancee" of Tila Tequila) what she regretted most some time ago before she died ... and she said it was NOT taking Paris Hilton up on her offer to do the series, THE SIMPLE LIFE (the one that Paris Hilton did with Nicole Richie ... which started shortly after the news broke about the sextape scandal with Paris Hilton/ex-boyfriend Rick Solomon). That skyrocketed the "career" of NICOLE RICHIE would then went on to be seen everywhere and have her own troubles, etc. Finally she (Richie) has slowed down and has 2 kids with the dude Joel Madden from Good Charlotte. I'm sure Kim Kardashian would have wanted a piece of that SIMPLE LIFE pie as well ... had it been offered to her too
