The Real Reason We Don't Hear About Paris Hilton Anymore

The following article includes references to racist and homophobic language, as well as allegations of child abuse.

Paris Hilton was once the toast of the town and perhaps one of Hollywood's most famous socialites. In fact, she invented the concept of being famous for being famous long before on-and-off pal Kim Kardashian ever dreamed of such a career. Whether you loved her or hated her, you'd see Hilton's face everywhere, from TV to movies to commercials to red carpet events. Hilton waged epic feuds with fellow socialites Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, and also enjoyed a five-season run with her breakout reality TV show "The Simple Life." Even her sex tape, which was leaked without her consent near the start of her career, seemed to kick off a plethora of other intimate videos from celebs.

However, when Hilton opened up about that latter traumatic experience in the 2018 doc "The American Meme," she said in part (via USA Today), "It felt like I'd lost part of my soul and been talked about in such cruel and mean ways. ... I thought everything was taken away from me. I didn't want to be known as that." She also shed light on breaking new ground in television in the mid-2000s, saying of "The Simple Life" during a screening Q&A session, "There was no reality television back then, so it was very new. ... I basically created this character that was basically what I thought the audience wanted."

Considering she's also a best-selling author, actor, model, brand ambassador, DJ, and a veritable household name, how is it that we don't hear from Paris Hilton as much anymore? Here's why she may be skirting the spotlight. 

In a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan (via Fox News), Paris Hilton said that she still grapples with the fallout from her previously mentioned 2004 sex tape "1 Night in Paris." "When people look at me they think that I'm something I'm not just because of one incident one night with someone who I was in love with," she explained. "People assume, 'Oh, she's a slut,' because of one thing that happened to me, and it's hard because I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life and explain it to my children. It's something that's changed my life forever and I'll never be able to erase it."

Ultimately, Hilton blames her ex-boyfriend, poker player Rick Salomon, for the debacle. "It was devastating because that was someone I was with for a few years," the reality star later told The Telegraph in 2015. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fully trust any man again after that. It was just the most hurtful and awful thing that anyone could do to a little girl. I was very young, it wasn't my fault." Hilton was just 19 years old when the tape was filmed, according to New York Magazine.

Though Paris Hilton's public image has been more muted in recent years, that will certainly change if she decides to run for office. After the U.S. presidential election in November 2016, an Australian talk show asked the longtime Trump friend and supporter if she'd consider campaigning on her own ticket? "That sounds good, I like the ring to that," she said, smiling. "'President Paris,' I like that."

Hilton certainly had an in, at least during Donald Trump's one-term presidency. She's known The Donald since childhood, and he even once weighed in on her infamous sex tape, telling Howard Stern (via Us Weekly), "I think it's probably unfortunate and it made Paris hotter in terms of the world because the world is so screwed up." Trump also revealed that he watched "1 Night in Paris" with his wife, Melania.

While the 2020 election went on without a serious presidential bid from Hilton, she did have fun with the #ParisForPresident hashtag on social media that summer. "Should I make the Oval Office into a Heart Shape Office?" she captioned a snapshot of herself photoshopped and lying across the president's desk on Instagram. Over on Twitter, she wrote in a "Paris for President" thread, "I pledge to support the American workforce by wearing only American designers: @TheBlondsNY between Memorial Day and Labor Day, @aliceandolivia the rest of the year. Unless I wake up and the day is screaming for me to put on a bikini for my fellow Americans. Country first!"

In a recording obtained by Radar, Paris Hilton was accused of going on a homophobic diatribe in 2012. The audio, reportedly recorded by a cab driver, revealed the "Stars are Blind" singer claiming in part, "Gay guys are the horniest people in the world. They're disgusting. I would be so scared if I was a gay guy. [You'd], like, die of AIDS." Major yikes, to say the least.

When the scandal went public, Hilton's camp released a statement deflecting the criticism. A rep for the starlet claimed (via Radar) that while a "conversation [between Hilton and a gay friend] became heated," she made the remarks "to express that it is dangerous for anyone to have unprotected sex that could lead to a life-threatening disease. ... The cab driver who recorded this, only provided a portion of the conversation. It was not her intent to make any derogatory comments about all gays." The rep went on to call Hilton someone who apparently supports the LGBTQ+ community.

For her part, Hilton also offered up a more personal apology in a statement to GLAAD, and though this controversial conversation wasn't a career-ender, the star's language certainly could have dinged her celebrity status. Criticism surrounding the incident and others like it followed Hilton around years later, with Indy100 opining in 2020, "In order to reckon with a person who has been at the forefront of our reality TV, influencer-culture, her problematic history cannot be glossed over, re-written, or simply forgotten."

Paris Hilton's apparent history of making these types of offensive comments was also documented in journalist Neil Strauss' 2011 book "Everyone Loves You When You're Dead," which included an excerpt from a 1999 interview she did with Strauss, in which an 18-year-old Hilton reportedly expressed disgust at the mere idea of dating a Black man (via LA Weekly). Hilton was quoted as saying that she went on a date with a celebrity who starred in "Saving Private Ryan," but after making out with him, they went somewhere with better lighting, and she "made an excuse and left" after realizing he was Black.

"I can't stand Black guys," Hilton said in the excerpt. "I would never touch one. It's gross." Once again, major yikes, to say the least. So, who was this actor of color? According to Slate, multiple sites speculated that Hilton was talking about multiracial star Vin Diesel, noting that during the same interview, Strauss reportedly asked the heiress "how Black" a guy has to be for her to consider him off-limits. "One percent is enough for me," she replied.

Racism, Hilton? That's definitely not hot. As CafeMom, who further detailed Hilton's controversial remarks surrounding race and sexuality, argued nearly two decades later, "No one who's seen ... Paris Hilton spew racist, homophobic slurs is surprised by her Trump support."

Between 2004 and 2016, Paris Hilton released 20 different perfumes that attracted an estimated $2 billion dollars in profit. Referencing a scent aptly named "Gold Rush," Hilton told WWD magazine, "I love how this one makes you feel. You feel really confident when you wear it. I like something that really brings attention to you, and something that people remember." Noting that "my fragrances in the beginning were more girly, almost Disney fantasy-like with characters in fairy dust and me dressed as a fairy," she added that her later perfumes were "more mature and very sophisticated," calling Gold Rush a "completely different scent."

Having later admitted to Alure that she pretty much learned how to conquer the perfumery market by route at a time when it was still a fairly new and open playing field for celebs, Hilton added to WWD, "I've been in this business so long, I'm a pro at it. I know what the consumer wants, and I know what I want. I've smelled so many scents, and I basically have everything memorized. I always want to do something different from the last one."

Like many people who are famous for being famous, Paris Hilton seemingly attempted to legitimize her fame by appearing in a number of arguably questionable movies. Her first real starring turn was in 2005's "House of Wax," which got a rough 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned Hilton the annual Golden Raspberry Award for worst supporting actress. Oof. A year later, she followed up the effort with the direct-to-DVD "Bottoms Up," co-starring Kevin Smith-favorite Jason Mewes, which only scored a 22% rating with Rotten Tomatoes' audience. 

"Actors are really great if they've lived the life of a lot of things happen to them," Hilton, who later opened up about hiring an acting coach, explained in 2008 (via People). "I've had a lot happen to me in my life. Now I've learned to use those experiences in my acting." Unfortunately, critics and audiences alike might have argued with that statement, as Hilton's most serious big screen offense was probably the 2008 comedy "The Hottie and the Nottie," which came in at a painful 6% critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned Hilton another two Razzies and spent some time on IMDb as the worst film of all time. As of this writing, it's still on the list, alongside another Hilton gem, 2006's "Pledge This!"

Perhaps Hilton should stick to her other endeavors?

Paris Hilton's business acumen extends beyond fragrances. She also runs her own accessory line that includes handbags, wallets, beauty cases, and jewelry. According to the Los Angeles Times, 50 stores globally were selling her products by 2016, with many more expansion opportunities on the horizon. "I'm a completely different person," she told People that same year. "I've grown so much as a person and a woman. ... I've been through a lot, but I've worked really hard, and I've built my empire. I run my company with 17 different product lines. I'm going nonstop, constantly traveling."

In a 2014 interview with WWD, the mogul estimated she'd spent 300 of the previous 365 days on the move. Insisting that her glitzy appearances, though they seem to be all fun and games, are actually part of a greater business strategy, Hilton explained, "People got to know me from being a New York socialite and a teenager at every party at every club since I was a kid. But I've actually turned that into a huge business." 

The star actually went a step further in the fall of 2021 with the launch of her new company, 11:11 Media. "I built a global business and brand over the last two decades," Hilton told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "I wanted to take it to the next level and bring all my companies under one media entity."

Paris Hilton's top-dollar DJ jobs keep her occupied on the regular. Back in 2016, Refinery29 reported that she was paid $300,000 for a gig in Serbia. It's all about the Benjamins, baby!

The star told People that same year that she transitioned into the DJ scene while booking club appearances around the world. "I was always in the DJ booth, telling the DJs what to play, so the club owners were like, 'Why don't you try it?'" Hilton said, adding, "I was nervous to try [it] at first because it's very technical, but I trained with the best in the business for about six hours a day for six months." Hilton said her first performance was after a Jennifer Lopez concert — a gig that brought in 30,000 people, no big deal. "I felt that energy and really fell in love with being a DJ and got really into it," she told the publication. "Now I'm starting to produce my own beats."

Ever the savvy businesswoman, Hilton is also known to mix in her best-known solo tune "Stars are Blind," telling Allure in 2017, "I always close my sets with it, everyone knows the words. I'm just happy to have made a song like that."

If she wanted to be popular in the United States again, it would probably help if Paris Hilton actually spent the majority of her time in the USA. Back in 2013, she was hired as the resident DJ at Amnesia, a nightclub in Ibiza. The notorious Spanish party island became her second home for years, though Hilton did return to the States frequently to visit family and to DJ in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

In 2018, after Hilton got engaged to Chris Zylka (more on this below), rumors swirled that the socialite was ready to hang up her headphones and pack away her DJ playlist for good. The Daily Mail reported that Hilton was considering calling it quits on her DJ residency, but she hadn't officially announced that she was bidding the gig adieu entirely. With Ibiza giving her the kind of attention she seemed to be lacking in America, we found it hard to believe she would walk away from the a high-profile gig that gave her a ton of relevancy — but she eventually did. 

"I want to thank my fans for their loyalty. We have lived five wonderful years in Ibiza, a very special place for me, but that is now over," Hilton told The Olive Press that same year (via Ministry of Sound). "Ibiza is a magical island. I've been coming here since I was a teenager. I feel like if I were an island, I would be Ibiza. It's fun – the energy, the music, the people."

When we were first introduced to Kim Kardashian, she was Paris Hilton's loyal sidekick. They hit up parties and A-list events all around Tinseltown. Hilton was the leader, and Kardashian seemed happy enough to just tag along ... or so we thought.

The balance in this relationship shifted when Kardashian suddenly became the big name about town. After seemingly taking a page from Hilton's playbook and creating an intimate tape of her own that was eventually leaked, Kardashian and her entire family launched "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," a reality show that ultimately made "The Simple Life" look tame. As the Kardashian empire continued to expand and grow, it seemed Hilton was well aware that she helped her on-and-off pal become a somebody. In 2016, she reportedly "liked" a shady Instagram post that gave Hilton credit for Kardashian's notoriety. According to Us Weekly, a clever online troll took a still shot from Kanye West's "Famous" music video, superimposed Hilton's face over the effigy of Taylor Swift lying in bed next to West and Kardashian, and modified a notorious line from West's song to caption the photo: "I made his b***h famous.'"

Luckily, these ladies eventually seemed to realize there's more than enough room for both in Hollywood, and we were all for it when these former BFFs reunited and hit the club in Hilton's "Best Friend's A**" like it was 2006. After Kardashian credited Hilton for her career in a 2019 episode of "KUWTK," the latter told ET, "I love her and I'm so proud of her and her whole family."

We're not ashamed to admit we still have Paris Hilton's 2006 song "Stars are Blind" in our iTunes playlist. It's a certifiable bop — she even performed it alongside Olivia Rodrigo at a 2022 Grammys after party. And hey, Hilton never claimed to be the best singer, dancer, or entertainer, so we totally give her a fist bump for even attempting to break into the competitive pop music scene. 

Hilton's self-titled freshman album was released at the height of her popularity, but it unfortunately didn't top the charts the way some expected. The album hit the Top 200 at No. 6, selling 77,000 units its first week, reported Billboard. Meanwhile, Hilton's sophomore effort has been in a perpetual state of limbo. According to a 2017 interview with Time, she was recording a new album — the first in more than 10 years — with a "whole new sound" described as "deep house, techno-pop and electro-pop." 

We're all for it, but considering album No. 2 still hasn't seen the light of day (despite a few singles being dropped here and there), at this point, we'll believe it when we hear it.

Paris Hilton doesn't seem to keep in touch with a lot of her former BFFs. Regarding Nicole Richie, her co-star on "The Simple Life," Hilton once simply issued a statement (via People) that said, "Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it." And for a long time, it was.

As for Kim Kardashian, you may remember Hilton's infamous radio interview (via Gawker) during which she uttered the words, "I would not want [Kim's butt] — it's gross! ... It reminds me of cottage cheese inside a big trash bag." And when it came to Lindsay Lohan, we'll never forget the infamous 2006 video of Hilton giggling as Hollywood bad boy Brandon Davis called Lohan "firecrotch." 

For what it's worth, it does seem like Hilton has made an effort to mend some fences. In addition to patching things up with Kardashian, she wished Richie a happy birthday in a touching Instagram post in 2017. While some may have suspected that Hilton had some more apologizing to do if she wanted to reclaim her throne, we do feel all warm and fuzzy knowing our favorite "it girls" are being cordial again. As Richie herself explained of the status of their friendship on "Watch What Happens Live" in 2018, "The short answer is that I haven't spoken to her in a while, but we are very good friends and I love her ... and have a lot of respect for her."

Paris Hilton doesn't talk, she coos ... or so she wanted us to hear. It was that soft and child-like voice that hypnotized us during her heyday, but when she revealed that wasn't even her real voice, some fans felt duped. 

During a 2015 interview with Vice, Hilton effortlessly, albeit accidentally, switched between her better-known baby voice and her authentic, much deeper voice. The star even admitted she started using the former at a young age to get her way. Her younger sister, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, confirmed as much, saying, "Her voice octave went very high and sweet when she wanted something." TMZ also interviewed Hilton at an airport around this time, and the heiress was a great sport about switching between her "normal" pizza-ordering voice and her I'm-so-shy, vocal fry voice, much to the delight of the gossip rag's cameraman. 

If Hilton's voice wasn't even real, what else had she been fooling us about? We, the people, needed answers — and we got them in her 2020 YouTube documentary "This is Paris." While publicly speaking in her natural voice, she further explained while promoting the doc on Australia's "Sunrise" talk show, "This entire time, I have been playing a character so the world has never really truly known who I am. The real me is actually someone who is brilliant, and I'm not a dumb blonde, I'm just really good at pretending to be one."

When word gets around that a celeb is a pain in the you-know-what, they risk being blackballed from the industry. Paris Hilton may have tarnished her reputation when she appeared to get a bit snippy during a 2011 interview with ABC's Dan Harris on "Good Morning America" (via Fox News).

Harris asked Hilton about her pop culture relevance in relation to other reality stars at the time, such as the Kardashian sisters, which is when Hilton glanced around the room with a bit of agitation on her face, stood up from her chair, and walked out. After a reportedly intense discussion with her publicist, she returned to the interview and said, "I've been in this business for 15 years now so it's been a very long time and just like any other business person or someone in the industry it's always important to reinvent yourself and come up with new projects." 

That's the response of a pro, but storming off the set was arguably a rookie move all the way, and she definitely faced some heat over it. As Entertainment Weekly asked at the time, "Paris certainly isn't the first celebrity to sabotage an interview (see: Marc Anthony, Russell Crowe, Julian Assange). Can a star's credibility recover after an onscreen blow-up?"

During her heyday, fashion designers were clamoring to have Paris Hilton model their garments on the runway. And we'll never forget how she effortlessly slayed the Heatherette catwalk season after season. Despite flying under the radar and living life away from the limelight in more recent years, Hilton still does some runway modeling from time to time, including in 2018 when she appeared in the Namilia spring 2019 show. 

Paper reported that Hilton kicked off the event and wore three different looks, including one that was just "enormous red puffy angel wings and slouchy cargo pants." Trés chic. She even found the time to model some designer duds in a few additional runway shows that same season, including Plain Sport and Dosso Dossi, according to a separate Paper report. In 2021, the Hilton sisters found their way back to New York Fashion Week, with Paris helping to close out the high-profile event by donning outfits on the runway for The Blonds, per Grazia.

So the next time you're sitting around and wondering what happened to Paris Hilton, try snagging some seats in the FROW of any major runway show, and you just might just see her sashaying down the catwalk! 

In 2018, Paris Hilton told The Hollywood Reporter that she's obsessed with video games, describing herself as a "huge tech geek." And in order to connect with her fans on another level, as well as combining her love for gaming, she was in the process of developing an interactive and realistic game. "We're about to launch a Paris Hilton virtual reality world, which is basically going to be the next social media universe where people from all around the world can come meet, can come hang out," she said, adding, "I'm taking it to the next level. I've always been ahead of my time and now that I think about it, I've always loved being a pioneer."

According to Variety (via Yahoo!), the star's VR experience — aptly called "Paris World" — finally saw the light of day three years later on Roblox. Expressing her excitement of debuting the game, which was called "a virtual oasis of fun, possibility and, of course, #sliving," and about teaming up with the gaming platform, Hilton stated in part, "I can't wait for my fans, new users and the gaming community to experience my metaverse."

So, there you have it: The real reason you don't hear from Hilton as much anymore is because, well, you're not even in her universe.

After years of searching for her soulmate, Paris Hilton kicked off 2018 with a big announcement: actor and model Chris Zylka popped the question with a 20-carat stunner, and she said yes! "I have never felt so happy, safe and loved. He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairy tales really do exist!" Hilton told People. "Ever since our first date I knew there was something special about him. I have never in my life met a man so loyal, dedicated, and loving. I knew right from the start that I wanted to be with him forever."

She may party for a living, but Hilton's life with Zylka was a total 180: He didn't have social media accounts, and she appeared to be unplugging more, as well. Hilton explained to Galore, "For work, I have to be out and be social all the time. So in my private time, I would much rather be at home in bed watching TV with [Zylka] and puppies than out at a club."

With a wedding in the works, we didn't mind that Hilton was missing from the spotlight and just knew the party girl-turned-fiancée would have an uber-expensive, glam wedding ... or so we believed. Hilton later told People that she and Zylka had pushed back their November 2018 wedding date due to their busy work schedules. If she was too swamped to even plan her own special day, no wonder she's seemed too busy to make as many public appearances as she had in the past!

Paris Hilton eventually broke off her engagement to actor Chris Zylka in 2018. The socialite addressed her decision on "The Talk," saying (via E! News), "I thought it was going to be my happy ending, and I just realized after time it wasn't the right decision." It seems that, despite her obsession with love stories and fairytales, she couldn't see Zylka as her happily-ever-after.

She appeared to handle the split well, though, dishing, "I'm just really having my 'me time.'" Paris added, "For right now I'm just focused on myself and my work." While a source revealed to Us Weekly that the former couple was having problems, their breakup still came as a surprise to many, even Paris' own mother. Kathy Hilton told the same outlet just weeks before their split, "I guess they spend a lot of time together and they get along really well." However, their wedding did get pushed back pre-pandemic, as previously mentioned, with Paris admitting, "I don't want to rush something like this."

Paris and Zylka may not have ended on the best terms either, since Page Six reported that she allegedly had him banned from attending a Miami club where she was DJing in 2019. With that said, it perhaps makes sense that Paris has no regrets about leaving him. She explained to Cosmopolitan UK in 2020, "It was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I just don't think [he] was the right person." Paris continued, "I've worked way too hard to just give my life to someone."

A year after calling off her engagement to Chris Zylka, Paris Hilton found love again with entrepreneur Carter Reum. Us Weekly reports that the two first confirmed their relationship by openly kissing at a January 2020 Golden Globes party. From there, they were seemingly inseparable, with Hilton gushing on her Instagram that December, "Never ever in my wildest dreams could I have ever dreamed up a love so perfect and special!"

The couple later got engaged in February 2021 during Hilton's 40th birthday celebrations. The DJ shared photos of the proposal on Instagram, writing, "There's no one I'd rather spend forever with." The lovebirds credited the time they had alone together during the pandemic for moving things along in their relationship. Hilton explained to People, "As someone who traveled constantly, I had a chance to stay home and reevaluate what was important to me." Reum added, "I have gotten the unique opportunity to get to know the real Paris on a daily basis just the two of us."

The wedding planning was not as private though, having been chronicled in the docuseries, "Paris in Love." The show covered everything from Hilton and Reum's life at home to Hilton's aversion to wedding planning, and even moments where the socialite got cold feet. It also featured Paris' mother, Kathy Hilton, butting heads with Reum over his involvement in the wedding, with her calling him "groomzilla." As Kathy joked on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in early 2022, "He's got his mitts into everything."

Paris Hilton not only found true love but finally got to have her dream wedding when she tied the knot with Carter Reum in November 2021. Hilton gushed on her blog, "I finally got to kiss my Prince and begin the happily ever after I've been dreaming of since I was a little girl. It was a true fairytale wedding." With that said, you'd think it had gone off without a hitch, but the docuseries "Paris in Love" actually captured the moment Hilton lost her diamond ring before the event. After finding it on the floor, Reum joked (via E! News), "This is why I tell people it takes a village to throw Paris Hilton's wedding."

While the honeymoon was just as glamorous, it appeared Hilton was most excited about coming home as a wife. She explained to People, "We had the most amazing honeymoon for seven weeks traveling the world but I'm so glad to be able to be at home with my husband." The star continued, "It's the best feeling to get to build these new adventures in life with my person."

It appears those new adventures will involve babies. Hilton revealed on "The Bellas Podcast," "We've been talking about kids since the beginning. ... We'd love to have twins ... that would be amazing." Hilton has been open about her desire to become a mother and freezing her eggs at the advice of friend Kim Kardashian, with Hilton telling The Times, "I was so inspired by her to actually do it."

With her reputation as being one of the world's most sought-after DJs, it should come as no surprise that Paris Hilton loves attending music festivals. She explained to Billboard in 2020, "I remember when EDM first hit America, and I was immediately obsessed with that type of music. I loved the energy and vibe of happiness I would feel."

It's safe to say that one of Hilton's favorite music festivals is Coachella. According to E! News, the star has attended the desert event almost every year for over a decade and is known for her over-the-top festival outfits that have given her the reputation as "the Coachella queen." It seems 2022 was no different, with Hilton taking to her Instagram to show off her looks from "Neon Queen" and "Desert Goddess" to "Raver Barbie Cowgirl." She even gave fans a behind-the-scenes peek at how she spent her time, posting "My SLIVING Coachella Diary" to YouTube.

Yet, it was a moment when Hilton didn't realize she was being filmed that got the most attention, thanks to a fan's TikTok video that went viral. The caption pretty much sums up why it got over a million likes, reading, "The way Paris Hilton's bodyguard has to chase after her in the desert heat as she skips away." Fans apparently loved how Hilton expressed her love for life and how her bodyguard seemed like your average tired dad. Hilton even acknowledged the video on her own TikTok, joking, "It's a workout keeping up with the Queen Sliv."

Paris Hilton is keeping busy these days creating and investing in NFTs. For those unsure about what NFTs are, allow Hilton to explain. She told W magazine in 2021, "It stands for non-fungible token, which is a digital token that's redeemable for a digital piece of art, an experience, or even a physical object that's connected to the blockchain." If you're wondering what that has to do with Hilton, well, she was named one of the top 50 influential people in the NFT space by Forbes.

Hilton first got involved with NFTs back in March 2020 before most people knew what they were. She recalled to W, "I got approached by Cryptograph because they wanted to do something where 100 percent of the proceeds would go to charity ... so I just got my iPad and drew my kitten Munchkin." When that became a major success, Hilton decided to launch her own collection, raking in an impressive $1.1 million for her piece "Iconic Crypto Queen," per CNBC.

Forbes reports that Hilton is now a key player in the Origin Protocol platform, which she joined after meeting with its creators. She revealed, "I just started looking into what they were doing and was like, 'Wow ... this is next level. I want to be involved, can I invest into this?'" Since then, Hilton has launched her second NFT collection "Paris: Past Lives, New Beginnings." According to her website, "These pieces represent Paris's symbolic closing of one chapter of her life and moving onto the next." 

Paris Hilton may not be exactly who the world thinks she is. In fact, as she herself told Us Weekly, "I'm actually a very shy person, I don't think a lot of people know that about me." The reality star reiterated to The Hollywood Reporter how she especially gets overwhelmed when in the spotlight, revealing, "I always get a little bit shy — especially actually being myself and not playing the character."

Referring to her TV persona, she further explained, "Playing that character is something that I just got used to because I just do it. ... So doing that made me feel not as shy because I'm like, 'This isn't really me.'" Yet Hilton admitted to Vanity Fair that even she sometimes can't separate the two, saying, "Having to be that character so much, I almost kind of lost myself in it."

Hilton apparently also uses this character as a defense mechanism. "It was also kind of a mask, or a protective shield, because I didn't trust anyone," she revealed to the New York Post. The DJ now credits her 2020 documentary "This is Paris" for helping her work through that. "I learned so much about myself and started talking about all of the traumatic experiences I've been through," she said, adding, "I finally know who I am." That also goes for who she's not, as Hilton stated, "I don't want to be known as a ditzy blond[e]. ... I'm the exact opposite of that."

Paris Hilton opened up about a traumatic experience from her past to heal herself and help others. In her 2020 documentary "This Is Paris," the business mogul claimed that she had been mentally and physically abused as a teenager while attending Provo Canyon School, a residential treatment center for troubled youth. While lobbying for legislation in Utah that would regulate those kinds of programs, BuzzFeed reports that Hilton shared things like how she was alleged violently taken from her bed in the middle of the night, forced to take medication, and often put in solitary confinement. She recalled, "That small room covered in scratch marks and smeared blood ... is one of the most vivid and traumatizing memories I've ever experienced."

It even still haunts Hilton to this day, as she confessed, "For the past 20 years, I've had a recurring nightmare where I'm kidnapped in the middle of the night by two strangers, strip-searched, and locked in a facility." Yet Hilton admitted that opening up about this has helped, telling Newsweek, "Sharing my story publicly was the most healing experience of my life."

Hilton has continued to shed light on the troubled teen industry, even producing the podcast "Trapped in Treatment" so others can share their stories. When fighting for change, Hilton told lawmakers (via USA Today), "I cannot go to sleep at night knowing that there are children that are experiencing the same abuse that I and so many others went through, and neither should you."

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 may have taken time away from the spotlight to revamp her image since she no longer wants to be known as a partying socialite. "There's a lot of young women and men who look up to me," she explained to The Hollywood Reporter, adding, "I want to be an inspiration and a businesswoman." Hilton apparently feels she has more to offer than what she's done in the past, as she also dished, "I was put here for a reason."

When it comes to her work, Hilton seems to know exactly what she's doing, considering she's created an empire worth billions of dollars that consists of multiple product lines and fragrances. That's not even including her successful investments in the tech world, as well as her lucrative DJing and reality TV careers. That's not bad for a woman who was once known for "being famous for being famous." You could say she was even a trailblazer for today's influencers, too. "I feel proud because I've always loved being an innovator — doing things first and setting trends," she told Vanity Fair. Yet Hilton isn't only inspiring as a media mogul, she's also pushing for legislation to protect children in treatment centers, as previously mentioned, explaining to Forbes, "I'm being the hero that I needed when I was a little girl." 

So, if you've been wondering what Paris Hilton's been up to, she's keeping plenty busy running an empire, enjoying married life, and finding her way back to her true self.