Paris Hilton is known for her looks, her brand, her reality television career, and even for acting and music. Unfortunately, she is also known for a leaked sex tape.
In a new documentary, the businesswoman is opening up about that intensely public violation of her personal sex life.
She says that the feeling was akin to a sexual assault.
For the past few months, Paris Hilton’s fans have been noticing that her account has been tweeting some very on-point, recent memes.
It’s no coincidence that she appears in the documentary, American Meme.
That documentary has now premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.
And in it, she addresses the 2004 leaked sex tape of her with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon. And Paris is not mincing words.
“It was like being raped.”
Leaked sex tapes, like leaked nudes and revenge porn, are a tremendous violation of someone’s privacy and sex life.
“It felt like I’d lost part of my soul and been talked about in such cruel and mean ways.”
She was heartbroken.
“I literally wanted to die at some points. I was like, ‘I just don’t want to live,’ because I thought everything was taken away from me.”
Despite her sexy image, Paris is really not prone to promiscuity, and she worried that the entire world misunderstood her.
“I didn’t want to be known as that.”
At a post-screening Q&A session, Paris talks about how she rose to fame.
“I felt like the world was introduced to me through The Simple Life.“
Technically, she first garnered attention thanks to a photoshoot with her sister, but people “got to know” her on reality television.
Which, she reminds us all, was still fairly uncommon at the time.
“There was no reality television back then, so it was very new.”
Reality television really took off during the 2007-2008 writer’s strike that saw many shows canceled before their time, and saw networks eager to fill time slots with programming that did not require writers.
“There was no social media, so I basically created this character that was basically what I thought the audience wanted.”
Paris is both intelligent and talented, but she built her brand on a very different image.
“Like, ‘Oh, she’s rich, so she needs to be a spoiled airhead’ — basically what the producers told me to do.”
Still speaking at the Q&A, Paris says of the director:
“When Bert told me about this film, he basically said, ‘Paris, you’re the O.G. of all this."”
She really is. Remember, Kim Kardashian was once basically just her sidekick.
“I really trusted him and was very vulnerable about things I had never spoken about before.”
Not everyone gets to see the real Paris.
“And basically just wanted to show the real me, because I don’t think I ever have before.”
It’s good that she was able to put herself out there.
During the documentary, Paris reveals the struggles that she has encountered after having risen to fame whens he was so young.
“It’s like I’ve been 21 for the last two decades.”
That might not sound like a curse, but it doesn’t really help people to know or respect her.
Paris also shares little details about herself and her thoughts.
She mentions that she is afraid that there’s no afterlife, which she says would be bad because: “that’d be so boring.”
True.
Paris refers to her engagement to actor Chris Zylka and her enthusiasm for where her life is heading.
“I’m very excited for the next phase of my life and to start a family and find true happiness.”
Given how pampered Paris’ dogs are, she has a nurturing soul and will make a wonderful mother.
“Because yes, this is so much fun — I love what I’m doing, it’s great being in Ibiza every summer DJing until eight in the morning.”
“But sometimes it gets a little tiring.”
Paris is 37. We get it.
“I’m still going to continue being the girl boss I am, but I’m also going to be a mom, and I can’t wait for that day.”
Paris and Chris Zylka have both appeared on The CW as actors.
Zylka was one of the stars of The Secret Circle, a massively underrated series.
Paris herself was a guest star on Veronica Mars back when it was called The WB, and she later guest starred as an old world god who had shapeshifted into the Paris Hilton on Supernatural, back before the series jumped the shark.
Chris Zylka has also appeared in films, from indie hits like Kaboom to blockbusters like The Amazing Spider-Man.
Paris Hilton has appeared in cameos in films like Zoolander and taken on larger, more involved roles, such as in Repo: The Genetic Opera.
This is a talented couple, and they each deserve happiness.