Paris Hilton said she was left devastated and permanently sidelined from the kind of public grace she once dreamed of after her s– tape was leaked – a claim RadarOnline.com can reveal has reignited fierce backlash from Princess Diana loyalists who accuse her of cheapening the late royal’s legacy.
The media personality, DJ and entrepreneur, 44, makes the admission in her new documentary Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, which examines the fallout from the 2004 leak of an explicit tape involving Hilton and her then boyfriend, poker player Rick Salomon, now 57.
‘I Was Terrified’
Hilton revisits the trauma of her 2004 leaked s– tape in a new documentary.
At the time, Hilton was in her early 20s and at the height of her tabloid fame.
The documentary, released in U.S. cinemas this week, revisits that period and the impact it had on her ambitions, public image, and mental health.
Breaking down on camera, Hilton says, “It was one of the most painful experiences I have been through. I was terrified. Is this going to ruin everything I worked so hard for? I had always looked up to Princess Diana and Grace Kelly and all these elegant women, and I felt like I could never be like these women as no one would see me like that because of what he did to me. I thought life was over and I didn’t want to show my face again.”
Hilton Receives Backlash Over Comments
Princess Diana loyalists criticized the star for linking her scandal to the late royal’s legacy.
A source close to Hilton said the reaction to those comments has been brutal.
They told us: “Paris is already being slated by Diana fans who feel she crossed a line by even making the comparison. But from Paris’ perspective, she wasn’t claiming to be Diana. She was saying the tape killed any chance of being seen as a serious, elegant public figure. She feels she was written off overnight, and she is frustrated that people still refuse to hear that part of the story.”
Despite the controversy, Hilton went on to build a lucrative career as one of the world’s highest-paid DJs.
In her documentary, she explains how she kept working through the public shaming.
“My family told me not to give it oxygen, so I didn’t,” she explains. “I smiled, and I kept going. I’d walk into a room and hear whispers or, worse, straight-up strangers calling me a sl– or a w—-, like they knew anything. The shame didn’t even belong to me, but I carried it anyway.”
Hilton has built a successful career as a high-paid DJ despite years of public shaming.
Another source said the renewed criticism will reopen old wounds.
They added, “Paris feels that no matter how much she achieves, that moment is still used to discredit her. She’s sick of being told she should just be grateful. When she talks about Diana, it’s about losing innocence and control of her own story, not about status.”
Hilton also reflects on how the experience nearly stopped her from performing.
She says, “I didn’t want to go on tour, I didn’t want to face the noise, because no matter where I went, it felt like the world had already made up its mind. It almost crushed me… almost.”
“I refused to let anyone else take away my power, my dreams. So what did I do? I kept dancing,” she added.
The film also explores Hilton’s long-running use of a manufactured persona.
“Just because of my last name, people would be judgmental. So I’ve been playing a character all my life,” she says in the film.
Family Life and Finding Stability with Carter Reum
Hilton credited her husband, Carter Reum, for providing the stability she lacked in her youth.
Hilton, who married venture capitalist Carter Reum, 44, in 2021, now has two children – son Phoenix Barron, 2, and daughter London Marilyn, 1.
She gushes, “I am just so grateful that I found Carter. He has made my life amazing. I feel like I can soar now as I have nothing to worry about and I have someone who is lifting me up higher than I have ever been lifted in my life.”
