Naturally, when Sofia Richie, 20, started dating her much older man, Scott Disick, 35, her dad wasn’t exactly happy about it. The 15-year age difference would have any father shaking in his boots, and protective Lionel Richie was no different. But – now, it appears tides have turned! A source close to the legendary singer revealed to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Lionel has finally been inching towards a friendship with Scott, and is ready to give the stamp of approval. “It’s no secret that Lionel has never been a fan of Scott’s and that he wished his daughter had fallen in love with a man more age appropriate—but, as time’s gone on it’s grown apparent that Scott isn’t going anywhere, so Lionel has had to bite the bullet and learn to tolerate Scott, and the funny thing is that he’s actually starting to grow on Lionel,” the source said.
Scott’s larger than life personality might have made Lionel weary at first, but the “All Night Long” singer has learned to appreciate Scott’s quirks. “Scott is genuinely really charming, funny and super smart, and when he’s not playing the part of ‘Lord Disick,’ he’s a pretty humble and nice guy,” the friend shared. “It helps a lot that Scott clearly loves Sofia, and Lionel has come to realize that, in addition to realizing that Scott hasn’t got any ulterior motive for dating his daughter, and really does genuinely care for her. Lionel loves to still bust out with the protective dad act, and bust Scott’s balls from time to time, but they’ve developed this schtick between them now, and they’re even developing somewhat of a friendship, It’s kind of cute actually, and it makes Sofia really happy to see the two men she loves most in the world getting on together finally.” HollywoodLife has reached out to reps of the stars for comment.