Nicole Richie is the latest celebrity to engage in the art of camera smashing. The petite 26 year-old mother was leaving a party at a NY club on Friday night when she jumped over a rope and threw a young tourist’s camera to the ground, shouting the phrase popularized by 1980 film The Elephant Man, “I am not an animal!”

Nicole Richie kicked off the diva fits at an after-party for Charlotte Ronson by grabbing a fan’s camera and smashing it to the ground. While Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson were celebrating at Country Club on West 14th Street with host Alan Philips of Sky Group, Richie left early at 11 p.m.

As she walked out, “a young, Swedish tourist was trying to take her photo,” said one witness. Richie shouted, “I’m not an animal” then “jumped over the velvet rope, ripped the camera out of the girl’s hand, and smashed it to the ground.” Reps for Richie didn’t reply to Page Six.

[From The NY Post]

Like Kanye West’s camera-smashing paparazzi encounter on Thursday, we don’t know what prompted Richie’s behavior and if that particular tourist - it’s not specified if it was a man or a woman - said something obnoxious or was otherwise following her all night. (Although in Kanye’s case the longer it takes that loudmouth to blog about what happened, the more at fault he seems. If his lawyer is advising him not to reveal details that may incriminate himself or his road manager, he should mention that.)

This is Nicole Richie we’re talking about, though, and she’s not exactly known for being the most gracious and friendly celebrity. Her sour moods and sense of entitlement are pretty much legendary, but her sweet daughter seems to have softened her a bit. Maybe she was pissed off at something else and just taking it out on that person’s camera. Being stalked like that has got to get to you after a while. I bet some of these celebrities would gladly give up their gadgets in exchange for a society in which famous people’s personal lives weren’t so publicly scrutinized and followed. If it’s getting to them so much they always have the option to move to the country.
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