Joel Madden dating Nicole Richie

A friend of Madden's claims he is excited about the romance. The insider said to In Touch Weekly, "Everything is still very new, but he likes her!" Richie, whose last public relationship was with her childhood friend, Brody Jenner, met up with Madden at Hollywood hangout, Teddy's on December 2, says Us Weekly. A witness to their get together said, "Nicole couldn't stop smiling. I've never seen her happier."

The next night the pair visited the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Joel was very affectionate. An onlooker told Us, "They seemed very comfortable together - it didn't look like a first date. He had his arms around her all night and was kissing her on her head, her cheek, even her forehead."

Despite the obvious chemistry, Joel is taking it slow because he is a good friend of Nicole's ex-fiancé, Adam Goldstein. The pals allegedly had a discussion about fledgling relationship. A source close to Joel told In Touch that the rocker "doesn't want it to be awkward. Adam said it was cool, but he doesn't want to see [Joel and Nicole] together or anything."