Paris Hilton was once the toast of the town and one of Hollywood's most famous socialites,
so what ever happened to the former star of The Simple Life?
It turns out partying can actually be one heck of a business model.
Here's the real reason we don't hear about Paris Hilton anymore.
"Have you ever clocked in anywhere before?"
"No."
"Have you ever had a real job?"
"No."
"Okay…"
The internet is forever
In a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan, Paris Hilton revealed she’s never been able to
escape her 2004 sex tape, 1 Night in Paris.
"People assume, ‘Oh, she’s a slut,” just because of one thing that happened to
me.
And it’s hard because I’ll never, I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my
life."
Hilton blames her ex-boyfriend, poker player Rick Salomon, for the debacle, telling the
The Telegraph in a 2015 interview:
"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."
According to New York Magazine, Hilton was 19 years old when the tape was filmed.
Taxicab Confessions
In a 2012 recording obtained by Radar Online, Paris Hilton can be heard going on an apparent
homophobic rant.
In the tape, reportedly recorded by a cab driver, Hilton calls gay men “disgusting,”
and says:
"Most [gay men] probably have AIDS…
I would be so scared if I was a gay guy.”
When the scandal went public, Hilton's camp released a statement deflecting the criticism.
A rep for the starlet insisted that Hilton’s comments were taken out of context, saying:
"Paris Hilton's comments were to express that it is dangerous for anyone to have unprotected
sex that could lead to a life threatening disease.
Paris Hilton is a huge supporter of the gay community and would never purposefully make
any negative statements about anyone's sexual orientation."
Though that controversial conversation wasn't a career-ender, Hilton's remarks certainly
could have dinged her celebrity status.
Racism isn’t hot
In a 1999 interview with journalist Neil Strauss, Hilton reportedly expressed disgust at the
idea of dating a black man.
In an excerpt from the interview, which was published in Strauss' book, Everyone Loves
You When You're Dead, Hilton says she went on a date with a celebrity who starred in
Saving Private Ryan, but that she “made up an excuse” to leave once the pair moved
to a place with better lighting and she realized her date was black.
Hilton told Strauss:
"I can't stand black guys.
I would never touch one.
It's gross."
So, who was the actor?
According to Slate, multiple sources speculated Hilton was talking about Saving Private Ryan’s
multiracial star Vin Diesel.
During the same interview, Strauss reportedly asked the heiress "how black" a guy has to
be for her to consider him off-limits.
Hilton responded:
"One percent is enough for me.”
And the Razzie goes to...
Like many people who are famous for doing next-to-nothing, Hilton has attempted to legitimize
her fame by appearing in a number of extremely questionable movies.
Her first real starring turn was in 2005's House of Wax, which got a rough 25 percent
on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned Hilton the annual Golden Raspberry Award for worst supporting
actress.
"Yas."
A year later, Hilton appeared as a brunette in the direct-to-DVD Bottoms Up, co-starring
Jason Mewes, which only scored 22 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
However, her most serious offense was the 2008 so-called comedy The Hottie and the Nottie,
which came in at an amazing 4 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Hottie and the Nottie earned Hilton another two Razzies, and spent some time on IMDb as
the worst film of all time.
Having fun is hard work
Paris Hilton is more than just a would-be movie star.
She’s busy running her own accessories line, which includes handbags, wallets, beauty cases,
and jewelry, as well as promoting her own fragrances.
In September 2016, Hilton told People magazine:
"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."
"It's just all part of an image and a brand and being a product."
In a 2014 interview with Women’s Wear Daily, the mogul estimated she'd spent 300 of the
last 365 days on the move, insisting that her glitzy appearances might seem to be all
fun and games, but they're actually part of a greater business strategy.
Hilton told the publication:
"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.
It is a part of my brand that I'm having fun and living an exciting life and being the
life of the party, but it's a lot of work."
"Honey, I’m running an empire."
Pop flop
While she’s never claimed to be the best singer, dancer, or even entertainer, Paris
Hilton deserves a fist bump for at least attempting to break into the music scene.
Her self-titled freshman album was released at the height of her popularity, but it didn't
quite top the charts the way some expected, only hitting number 6 on the top 200.
But if you still have Paris Hilton's 2006 hit "Stars are Blind" in your iTunes playlist,
you should know that you’re not alone.
In 2013, Hilton sat down with Billboard to reminisce on her early days as a pop princess,
obviously still very proud of her first single:
"I love that 'Stars Are Blind' is still an iconic song, it’s timeless, and people still
love it.
So, that makes me really happy."
Hilton's sophomore effort has been in a perpetual state of limbo for years.
At the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, the star teased her second album, revealing it would
be quite a departure from her first.
"Well, it’s a little bit pop, but it’s mostly house music, dance, that’s what I’m
really into.
I love it."
Hilton’s album never dropped, but the reality show pioneer told Time magazine in a November
2017 interview that she was back in the studio recording her second album, describing it
as a mix of “deep house, techno-pop, and electro-pop.”
No offense, but we'll believe it when we hear it.
Famous falling outs
Paris Hilton has a hard time staying close with her pals throughout the years.
In 2005, after a rumored falling out with her Simple Life co-star, Nicole Richie, Hilton
issued a response to those wondering about her relationship with her former BFF, saying:
"Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."
"You're gonna be really sorry."
"Yeah."
Hilton’s relationship with Kim Kardashian also seemingly went down the drain after The
Simple Life ended.
Once seen as nothing more than Hilton’s sidekick, the balance in the friendship shifted
when Kardashian suddenly became the big name around town.
After taking a page from Hilton's playbook and creating an intimate tape of her own,
Kardashian and her entire family launched Keeping up With the Kardashians, a reality
show that made The Simple Life look tame.
Hilton seemed more than a little salty about her pal’s sudden success and popularity,
famously saying in a 2008 radio interview:
"I would not want [Kim's butt].
It's gross!…
It reminds me of cottage cheese inside a big trash bag."
"Oh, it’s on."
And don’t forget Hilton and Kardashian’s friend, Lindsay Lohan.
In a 2006 video, Hilton can be heard laughing as Hollywood bad boy Brandon Davis refers
to Lohan as a “fire crotch.”
For what it's worth, it does seem like Hilton has made an effort to mend some fences.
In September 2017, she even posted a touching birthday tribute on Instagram for Nicole Richie,
who went on to defend her friendship with the heiress in August 2018.
"The short answer is I haven’t spoken to her in a while, but we are very good friends."
Whatever Nicole supposedly did, it’s obviously water under the bridge now.
Finding her voice
Paris Hilton’s soft and child-like voice hypnotized fans during her heyday, but when
she revealed it wasn't actually her real voice, some people felt duped.
"This is actually my real voice.
The baby voice died."
In recent years, Hilton has leaned in to using her natural, much deeper voice, admitting
she started using the baby voice at a young age to get what she wanted.
Nicky Hilton backed up her older sister’s story, revealing:
"Her voice octave went very high and sweet when she wanted something."
"Mmmm, that sounds sexy."
Short fuse, much?
When word gets around that a celeb is a pain in the you-know-what, they risk being blacklisted
from the industry.
Nevertheless, Paris Hilton put her career on the line and tarnished her reputation when
she got a bit snippy during a 2011 interview with ABC's Good Morning America.
In the interview, ABC correspondent Dan Harris asked Hilton about her relevance in relation
to other reality stars at the time, such as the casts of Jersey Shore and Keeping up with
the Kardashians.
Hilton, clearly agitated by the question, glanced around the room, stood up from her
chair, and walked out.
After a reportedly heated conversation with her publicist, she returned to the interview
with an answer.
"I’ve been in this business for 15 years now, so it’s been a very long time…
It’s always important to reinvent yourself and come up with new projects."
While her response was that of a total pro, storming off the set was a rookie move all
the way.
Heartbreak Hotel
Paris Hilton kicked off 2018 in a major way when her boyfriend, The Amazing Spider-Man
actor Chris Zylka, popped the question with a 20-carat diamond stunner.
The hotel heiress told People magazine:
“I have never felt so happy, safe and loved.
[Chris] is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairy tales really do exist…
I knew right from the start that I wanted to be with him forever.”
Though rumors were swirling about a possible wedding date set for 2018, Hilton revealed
in August that the couple had decided to postpone the wedding until 2019 due to their hectic
schedules.
Now it seems that the wedding has been postponed for, well, forever.
On November 19th, 2018, a source revealed to People magazine:
“[Paris and Chris] broke up a few weeks ago.
The relationship moved very fast and she realized it wasn’t right for her…
She wishes him all the best and hopes they can remain friends.”
"I hate this."
"Oh, I hate this."
"I hate this."
The source added that Hilton is busy traveling the world for her skincare and perfume lines,
so calling off the engagement just makes sense.
It’s hard to plan a wedding from your private jet!
Out of this world
Perhaps the real reason you never hear about Paris Hilton anymore is because she’s living
in her own little world, literally.
In April 2018, the Netflix documentary American Meme treated fans to a behind-the-scenes look
at Hilton’s newest venture, virtual reality.
In the documentary, Hilton talks about how her desire to escape inspired her to create
her own virtual world in which she can party, interact with fans, and even DJ in Ibiza without
ever having to leave home.
While Hilton probably isn’t the first name to come to mind when you think of virtual
reality, the heiress insists that VR is right up her alley.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hilton revealed that she's “a huge tech
geek,” saying:
“I've always been ahead of my time and now that I think about it, I've always loved being
a pioneer."
However, creating her own virtual world isn’t just about escaping reality.
According to Hilton, it’s about staying relevant for years to come.
"I already do have a legacy, but once you start that, you just can’t stop…
You need to be sustainable forever."