How Kathy Hilton Really Feels About Daughter Paris' Painful Past

Kathy Hilton is defending her decision to send her then-teenage daughter Paris Hilton to boarding school in Utah after Paris opened up about past abuse she alleges occurred there. The "Simple Life" star first shared her difficult past in 2020 after years of hiding her true story from the public, finally baring all in her YouTube documentary "This Is Paris".

"It was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture," Paris alleged to People magazine, upon the release of her scathing documentary. "I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us." Paris has since used her celebrity status to speak up against "therapeutic boarding schools, military-style boot camps, juvenile justice facilities, behavior modification programs, and other facilities" promising to help "troubled teens" with "tough love," as she detailed in an op-ed The Washington Post. She said of the industry, "There is little oversight. State inspections are typically minimal, and there is no federal or other organized data tracking placements, reporting critical incidents or monitoring quality of care."

Although the heiress has found the silver lining in her horrific deal, which is her activism, some are wondering why her parents sent her to the Utah center in the first place, prompting Kathy Hilton to defend her decision.

In an October interview with Sirius XM's "Lunch with Bruce," Kathy Hilton detailed just why she felt she had no choice but to send her daughter, Paris Hilton, to boarding school as a teen. "She was sneaking out and she'd go missing and I wouldn't be able to find her," Kathy said. "It got very out of control and I was scared for her." The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star continued, "I mean, there's a lot of stuff people don't know. And I did get some flack. Well, trust me. I did what I had to do."

The star also broke down in tears during a November 3 appearance on "The Real," recounting how the situation put her in a dark place. "Rick and I wanted to save our child," Kathy said, before sharing how she felt when watching Paris advocate for teens decades later on Capitol Hill. "Knowing that she is bawling and crying underneath and I could see her lip just quivering as well as me listening to it and standing there too, just sick to my stomach. But yet, I was so proud," said Kathy. The Hilton burst into tears revealing, "The whole thing again put me into a depression."

Paris previously told People she wasn't able to speak with her family while in the center. "When I tried to tell them once, I got in so much trouble I was scared to say it again," the celeb said. "My parents had no idea what was going on."