Tragic Details About Paris Hilton's Life

The following article contains references of drug use and allegations of child abuse and physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.

Certain stars stand out in every generation. In many ways, they can even set the cultural zeitgeist. In the early 2000s, Paris Hilton was one of them. And she did it all. She was a socialite, reality TV star, musician, actress, businesswoman, and all-around it girl. She was constantly on the front page of the tabloids, becoming a household name after the release of her popular reality TV show "The Simple Life" in which she starred alongside her childhood best friend, Nicole Richie.

Some of her questionable actions aside, people would assume that this heiress had it all at first glance. However, years later, she made a major comeback with a tell-all memoir to show that her life wasn't all that it was cut out to be. "I buried my truth for so long," the "House of Wax" star explained. By releasing the book, Hilton spoke her truth. "I set out to create the truest possible representation of the life I've lived and the motivating factors that steered my course," Hilton detailed in "Paris: The Memoir."

Growing up, Paris Hilton's parents, Richard and Kathy Hilton, ran a tight ship. "I wasn't allowed to go out or go on dates or school dances because my parents were so strict," "The Simple Life" star shared in her 2020 documentary "This is Paris." Eventually, Paris rebelled. As she told People, "It was so easy to sneak out and go to clubs and parties. ... [My parents would punish me] by taking away my cell phone, taking away my credit card, but it didn't work. I would still go out on my own."

Kathy had been worried about raising teen girls in New York City, and her fears were realized. She would spend most nights worried about her daughter. "I was actually worried about Paris for a good while. She was sneaking out and she'd go missing and I wouldn't be able to find her," Kathy revealed on "Lunch with Bruce." "It got very out of control and I was scared for her."

In middle school, Paris Hilton slowly was voted "finest girl," and though that was probably a move by her peers to add in that caption, a middle school teacher at her school had the same thoughts — and he acted on them.

As detailed in "Paris: The Memoir," the teacher was known as "Mr. Abercrombie" for his apparent good looks (via People). Hilton went on to reveal that the teacher confessed his feelings for her and kept in touch with her every night. "He made me feel noticed in an important, grown-up way." One day, while her parents were away, that same middle school teacher had Hilton sneak out of the house to meet him in his car. When they met, he pulled her in and kissed her. "I never allowed myself to talk or even think about what it really was or why I climbed out the window to kiss that stupid pedophile. It took decades for me to actually speak the word pedophile," Hilton continued.

Although she had never uttered a word about the incident to her classmates, she felt like everyone knew what had occurred. As Hilton recalled in her book, "Things felt different. He was still Mr. Abercrombie, but I was no longer the Finest Girl," she wrote.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Paris Hilton's attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) went undiagnosed until she reached adulthood. This made it difficult for her to navigate her experiences growing up, especially since there was a lack of awareness of the disorder back then. "I had no language for my challenges and quirks," the "This is Paris" podcast host wrote in her autobiography, "Paris: The Memoir." It was a condition that she didn't know or understand, and it affected how she was perceived by people around her as well. "People told me I was dumb, bratty, careless, ungrateful for not applying myself," she wrote.

Her ADHD, along with a New York City lifestyle that later involved clubbing, contributed to her poor performance in school. This resulted in the "Simple Life" star getting kicked out of school twice. As the heiress recalled in an interview, "I was getting bad grades and constantly being punished by the teachers."

In a last-ditch effort, Paris Hilton's parents resorted to a series of boarding schools hoping to address their daughter's rebellious behavior. "My parents had no idea what to do. They were trying to protect her," her sister Nicky Hilton shared in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. Little did they know that these so-called "emotional growth schools," which were supposed to rehabilitate Hilton, would be where she would experience the complete opposite. This included physical, verbal, and even sexual abuse.

Hilton went through a total of three schools. She snuck out from the first two until her final transfer to Provo Canyon School where she would stay for 11 months. "The staff would say terrible things. ... I think it was their goal to break us down," Hilton explained in a 2020 interview with People. "They were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we'd be too scared to disobey them."

The "Stars are Blind" singer experiences lasting effects of her experiences at Provo Canyon School well into her adulthood. In an interview with Romper in 2023, in which Hilton discussed her decision to opt for a surrogate for her child Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum, Paris Hilton shared, "I just have so much PTSD from what I went through as a teenager." Her trauma didn't only affect her decision to opt for surrogacy, but it also affected her relationship with the doctor's office. "If I'm in a doctor's office, I get a shot, anything, I will literally have a panic attack and I can't breathe," she explained.

Joy has even been robbed from some of the most important moments in her life. Hilton still experiences intrusive thoughts from her boarding school experience. In her reality TV show, "Paris in Love," she explained, "Just when I'm holding Phoenix, then all of a sudden some traumatic experience will come back in my memory."

For years, the public was led to believe that Paris Hilton's baby voice, along with her ditzy blonde heiress personality, was the real deal. It came as a shocker to almost everyone when she resurfaced years later speaking in a lower register while explaining to everyone that it's her actual speaking voice. "That was just a character that I was playing," Hilton explained in an interview with "This Morning." "I'm not a dumb blonde," she addd. "I'm just very good at pretending to be one."

She admitted in her memoir that this persona became her "steel-plated armor." By playing a fictional version of herself, she didn't have to come to terms with who she really was. "I made sure I never had a quiet moment to figure out who I was without her. I was afraid of that moment because I didn't know what I'd find," she wrote. Unsurprisingly, having to keep up an act for a majority of her life had its setbacks. In an episode of Megan Markle's one-season podcast, "Archetypes," Hilton explained, "At some points, it was like the lines got blurred ... it's like I forgot who I was."

Back in the year 2000, Paris Hilton dated professional poker player Rick Salomon. Though they dated for less than a year, it would be one of Hilton's most talked-about relationships — and not for the right reasons. Three years after their split, their sex tape was leaked to the public. "I felt like my life was over, and in many ways it was," Hilton wrote in "Paris: The Memoir." Understandably, Hilton felt like it was the end of the road for her professionally. "Certainly, the career I had envisioned was no longer possible," she shared.

Following the release, Salomon and Hilton took things to court. Out of spite, Salomon took things further by releasing a lengthier and in-color version of the tape, which he titled "1 Night in Paris," on his own website. Following its release, Hilton was under heavy scrutiny from the public. She was shamed and became the target of sexist jokes. Sadly, public opinion took a turn for the worse — especially since this all happened before the #MeToo movement. "I was vilified when it came out. I was made to look like I was the bad one and no one was looking and seeing this grown man [Salomon]," Hilton told Glamour.

On September 26, 2007, Paris Hilton was on her way to In-N-Out when she was stopped by the police for driving under the influence. This would be the first of many driving-related incidents that would have her at odds with law enforcement. In the months that followed, she violated the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license, driving without headlights, and failing to attend her required alcohol education classes. By the end of it, in May 2008 she was sentenced to 45 days in jail.

The reality star's sentence was ultimately reduced due to good behavior. Additionally, she was able to serve a part of her sentence on house arrest due to the impacts of imprisonment on her mental health. According to a report by CNN, "She couldn't sleep. She couldn't eat. She suffered from anxiety and panic attacks." Despite that, some believe that she was given preferential treatment. 

"The Simple Life" star was in the limelight right at the point that the media was its most vicious, especially to women (anyone around during the early-aughts knows exactly what we're talking about). In an interview with "This Morning," Paris Hilton expressed that she felt as though her public perception was shaped by the media. It became one of the big reasons she decided to release a documentary and a memoir. By doing so, she was able to tell her own story. The heiress explained, saying, "I feel like the media has really controlled my narrative for over two decades and now it was time to tell the truth."

Hilton was no stranger to being at the mercy of comedians and late night talk show hosts. At the MTV Awards show in 2007, Sarah Silverman took a jab at Hilton for her impending arrest as well as her sex tape. Hilton was forced to keep her composure as cameras cut to her while knowing she was about to be arrested in a couple of hours. In another instance, Hilton's team was hounded by the David Letterman team in an effort to get her to appear on the show. She agreed, provided that her prison sentence was not discussed, but Letterman didn't honor the agreement and pushed until Hilton was visibly uncomfortable. Both Silverman and Letterman have since apologized to Hilton.

Paris Hilton was in attendance at the FIFA World Cup 2010 with her sister Nicky Hilton when she was arrested for alleged possession of marijuana. The charges were later dropped as the marijuana belonged to someone else. "I can confirm that the incident was a complete misunderstanding and it was actually another person in the group who did it," Dawn Miller, Hilton's publicist, shared in a statement (via CBS News). "The case has been dropped against Paris and no charges will be made."

In September of the same year, the "House of Wax" star pled guilty to possession of cocaine as well as obstruction of a police officer since she initially lied about it. Hilton was in Las Vegas when a bag of cocaine slipped out of her purse in front of a police officer. She claimed she believed it was gum. Hilton was able to get a plea deal, and instead of serving jail time, she was fined $2,000 and required to serve 200 hours of community service. However, she was also no longer allowed at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore where she was caught (via ABC News).

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

There are some things Paris Hilton can't escape. Sadly, aside from the intrusive thoughts about her stay at Provo Canyon School in her waking life, she also can't get away from those memories in her sleep. In her documentary "This is Paris," Hilton shared her problems with insomnia and a recurring nightmare that makes her avoid sleeping altogether. "I'm in bed, and these two people come into my room and say, 'Do you want this to happen the easy way or the hard way?' And I'm trying to just run," she explained.

The recurring nightmare stems from something that happened to her in real life. Hilton was forcibly taken from her home to attend Provo Canyon School. Except in real life, her parents watched as it happened, given that they had arranged for her stay there. On her reality show "Paris In Love," Hilton shared her thoughts as she was dragged out of her room. "I thought I was going to be raped or killed." She admitted that it was one of the most traumatic moments of her life.