Most reality TV stars don't have their criminal behavior aired until their show stars. However, Nicole Richie, co-star of the upcoming Fox series The Simple Life, has managed to be "outed" by The Smoking Gun before her show has even finished filming.

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Nicole, the 21-year-old daughter of former pop superstar Lionel Richie, was arrested in Malibu on February 27, shortly after being cast to star in the show along with socialite-actress Paris Hilton. She was charged with possession of heroin and driving with a suspended license. She then skipped her April 29 court date, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. However, timely intervention of a lawyer managed to keep her out of L.A. jails and in Altus, Arkansas (pop. 817), filming this reality-TV clone of Green Acres.

Nicole, who has a movie-star physique (incredibly short and incredibly thin) at 5'2" and 90 lb., is now scheduled to head to court on June 6. Perhaps her reality-TV experiences in America's heartland will teach her some of the values of rural America and keep her out of such blunders in the future. On the other hand, she's in Arkansas, home of the only American president to be impeached and disbarred -- so we aren't holding out much hope for moral uplift.

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