Driving through the panoramic hills of L.A. to Paris Hilton’s home, it strikes me that interviewing her for a series titled Just Like Us feels like a bit of a stretch. This area is home to some of the most extravagant properties in the most unrelatable city in the world. After a 15-minute security check to access her estate, it’s clear my instincts are right.
I find myself in a home unlike any I’ve ever experienced before. The scale is so immense, you barely notice the 50 or so staff buzzing around, going about their jobs. The mansion, a 30,500-square-foot structure emblazoned with a “P” for Paris on its roof, features a five-hole golf course, a pink tennis court, an ice skating rink, an 8,000-square-foot spa and longevity center and an on-site office where her 30-person team builds her empire. I knew Hilton had done well, but I didn’t realize her success supported such a scale of opulence.
The idea of Paris Hilton still conjures an image of someone impossibly unrelatable. She was the original influencer, the socialite queen of nightlife with a famous last name. But after a very public betrayal involving a leaked sex tape, she did something unexpected: she leveraged her notoriety to create a groundbreaking reality show and an entertainment empire valued at approximately $1 billion. Today, the 44-year-old mom of two (she and her entrepreneur husband of four years, Carter Reum, also 44, are parents to son Phoenix, 3, and daughter London, 2; both were born via surrogate) — is a multihyphenate entrepreneur with ventures in music, fashion, skincare and more.
So how could she be Just Like Us? Stay with me… In recent years, Hilton has evolved and opened up about what was truly happening behind the glitter and glamour. Through this journey, she’s made valuable contributions to the world. In her 2020 documentary, This Is Paris, she shared her harrowing experience at Utah’s Provo Canyon School and became an advocate for survivors of the “troubled teen” industry, leading to legislative reform. She also uses her platform to engage in philanthropic work, including advocating for the neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ communities.
In her new documentary, Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir (in theaters January 30), she takes this vulnerability even further, sharing how music saved her life during her darkest times. Through its powerful psychological and neurological effects, music improved her mental and emotional health and acted as a therapeutic tool for her anxiety and ADHD. She’s a completely different person from the young woman I covered and knew in the 2000s: She’s self-aware and eloquent, using and owning her own voice — with only a few slips into her baby one of old. With no questions off-limits, we sit in her craft room (designed to accommodate her ADHD) and catch up on old times, fame, money, music and how she’s raising her kids in a world that hasn’t always been kind to her.
What do you hope people take away from your new documentary?
This is, like, a third part of a trilogy — I showed people who I [am] in my first documentary, This Is Paris, and then [I went] even deeper in my memoir. Infinite Icon is, like, my whole life through the lens of music. Within these past five years, I’ve been on a journey of self-discovery and just learning and healing so much.
You look very happy when you’re performing on stage.
It’s the most incredible, magical feeling in the world seeing everyone in the audience so happy and screaming and crying and singing along. The energy and love in the room is another level. When I’m up there, I feel like this was what I was born to do.
A big theme of Infinite Icon is how music saved you.
[I had] so many traumatic experiences as a teenager. When I got out of those boarding schools, I’d go out [to clubs] at night [and it was] the one thing that [would help me] forget about all the pain. I just felt so accepted. It was all about having an incredible time. I love music, I love to dance, I love the lights, I love the people.
You returned to music in 2024, releasing your second album in 18 years. Do you feel early fame hampered your ability to become a full-on pop star?
I do. Anyone who does reality, and then if they go into music, you’re not going to be taken seriously, especially during the early 2000s, when the media was extremely cruel to young women in the industry. So it was always really hurtful to me. Since I was literally three years old, I’ve always wanted to be a pop star, but I felt my music didn’t get the chance it deserved because the media controlled everything back then. Now, with social media, I’m actually able to hear what the fans and people really think.
You’ve been through a lot in your life. What was the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with?
All of it. These are things that will definitely affect me for the rest of my life, but especially being in these schools. My parents were told [they were] emotional growth boarding schools, and they were sold a lie. It was terrifying to be around these adults who were literally abusing us in so many ways. It took many years to even talk about it. The things that happened [in] those places should never happen to anyone, and especially not a child. [I was] terrified every single day of what was going to happen next.
Were there moments when you didn’t want to live?
Everyone felt that way. It was like it would be better not to live than to be in these types of places. But it did make me really strong. It almost prepared me for Hollywood.
Was there shame attached to it?
Definitely. That’s how they get away with it — they shame the kids so much, we were too embarrassed to talk about it. You come out more traumatized than when you went in.
Did it make you wary of therapy?
Yeah. I’ve never had therapy [since].
Even though your parents were in the dark, did you find it difficult to forgive them for sending you there?
I knew they had no idea. My mom has been so sad to hear what happened. She’s been coming with me to Washington, D.C., to speak with the other parents. The parents are just as much the victims in this.
Thank you for using your voice to help others.
[It’s] the most meaningful work of my life. When I was a little girl, I would have never [thought] that one day I’d be testifying in Congress, and would have [helped] passed 15 state laws and two federal bills to protect children. It makes it all worth it.
The documentary covers the 2004 release of your sex tape with an ex. What was it like dealing with that?
[To] trust somebody and have them violate me like that was just the most horrible thing. That will haunt me the rest of my life.
Have you spoken to your ex since?
No.
Would you?
No.
Have you thought about talking to your kids about it eventually?
I haven’t thought about what I’m going to say [yet]. Now, [as] a mom, thinking about it makes me even sadder — that I had to go through that so publicly and have people vilify me for it when I was just a 19-year-old kid.
The doc also shows some awful headlines about you from those days, like: “Famous for Nothing” and “No Brains, All Fame.” How did that feel when it was happening?
It was really hurtful. I was just a young girl living my life, but I had the whole world watching and judging and picking everything apart.
What would you say to the people who wrote them?
“Look at me now, honey.” I’ve always loved proving people wrong. I’ve been underestimated and misunderstood. I’ve had so many reporters and people on the street apologize to me.
How do you manage to stay positive?
No matter what life throws at me, it makes me stronger. It made me resilient. I can make it through anything.
Ever wish you weren’t famous?
Even though it’s been so difficult, I try to think about all the beautiful things that come with it. And I see fame as a superpower to make people happy.
Is there one misconception you’re still trying to correct?
I feel like I’ve cleared up so many. [People] thought I was a dumb blonde because of The Simple Life, but I’ve proved that I’m not — I’m just very good at pretending to be one.
When you’re recording in the doc, someone says, “You can use your real voice.” You used to have this baby voice, saying [things like], “That’s hot.” Where did that come from?
I can’t even control it. It’s such a part of me now. It was a trauma response to what I went through, where I wanted to build this perfect Disney Barbie character. The Simple Life producers told me they wanted me to play a spoiled airhead. I’m a shy person, so I feel like being the character made it easier to say ridiculous things.
You’ve been open about your ADHD diagnosis. How are you doing?
It’s gotten much better. I know so much about my ADHD now, but growing up, no one was talking about it, especially with young girls. [In] school, I was constantly getting in trouble, not able to focus, failing tests and losing my homework. People with ADHD were called bad kids. Now I know the negative self-talk isn’t true. Anytime that happens, I say, “That’s not you. That’s your ADHD.”
You’ve said it’s your superpower.
I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without it; I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur I am. I want to inspire others [to know] it can be a superpower.
What do you say to people who feel you’ve had it easy because you come from money?
I’m very privileged [to have come] from a family where I’ve been able to learn so much from such incredible businessmen and women. But I’ve seen a lot of people who come from prestigious families, and… they’ve never worked a day in their life, and I’ve seen how unhappy they are. They have no fulfillment in life because they’re just handed everything.
Does money equal happiness to you?
It does because I’ve worked so hard, and success has always been a driving force for me. [After] going to those schools, I made a promise that I was going to become so successful that no one could ever tell me what to do again. So I really see it as freedom.
How much help have you had from your parents?
I haven’t gotten anything since I was 18. I’ve been working since I was 16. I did everything on my own.
Have you figured out how much support you’ll give your kids?
If you spoil your children, you will destroy them. That’s something that my husband and I talk about. We want to give them the most beautiful life and make them happy, but we also want to instill a work ethic.
How happy are you being a mom?
[My kids] are my everything. I’ve always wanted to be a mom and now [I have] these two little angels who are [so] fun, and sweet and smart.
What’s Carter like as a dad?
He’s so sweet and fun and gentle and an amazing dad. They love him so much. We’re the best parents.
You guys have a pink tennis court. How does Carter really feel about your interior design?
He loves it. He loves anything that will make me happy.
How did you know he was The One?
I can look in someone’s eyes and see whether they’re a good person or not. When he looked at me and smiled, I could tell there was something special about him. He has incredible family values, and he’s kind, patient, loyal, funny and loving and lifts me up in a way that no one ever has before.
You revealed you have 20 boy embryos on ice. Do you want more kids?
I love having two, but you never know. Maybe there will be another brother one day. Or if someone in the family needs one, we have lots of boys.
What’s Grandma Kathy [Hilton] like?
Don’t call her Grandma. [Laughs]. She’s Kiki, and she’s the cutest. The kids love when she’s over.
What’s next for you?
I’m going to continue everything with [my company] 11:11 Media, all my advocacy work, building IP and getting involved more in real estate, [like] my own hotels. I’m also very excited for [my] Parívie skincare line, and I’ve been finishing up my third album, which will be released [this] year. We have a big tour planned. I can’t wait to perform all around the world — it’s what I love to do more than anything.
For more on Hilton, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
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