Paris Hilton Details Pressure to Film Leaked Tape at 19: 'That Betrayal Will Affect Me Forever'
Paris Hilton became emotional as she recounted the emotional scars left by the release of a private sex tape recorded when she was just 19, describing the betrayal as something that will "affect [her] for the rest of [her] life."
Now 44, the heiress and media personality reflected on the 2003 leak during a conversation with British filmmaker Louis Theroux at Spotify Beach on Monday for the Cannes Lions 2025 festival. The tape was recorded two years earlier, and given to press, by her then boyfriend Rick Salomon.
Hilton recalled the heartbreak she experienced when her trust was shattered, saying it was the most painful moment she had ever endured. She explained how the video, meant to remain private, led to harsh public judgment over what was "one night with someone [she] trusted."
"To trust somebody and have them put something out in the world that no one was supposed to see... and then to have people judge me based on one night with someone I trusted... that's something that will affect me for the rest of my life," she said, per the Daily Mail.
Leaked Tape Overshadowed Career Breakthrough
The footage was released shortly after Hilton had been making a name for herself with the debut of her now-successful reality show, "The Simple Life." She recalled being blindsided by the scandal, especially after working so hard to be taken seriously. The media and the public were "so cruel" and the experience was devastating for her.
Hilton noted that the legal landscape has since changed. In California today, the nonconsensual distribution of intimate material is now considered a crime, something she said would have protected her if the incident had happened now. Back then, however, she was vilified, despite being "just a teenage girl."
In her 2023 memoir, "Paris: The Memoir," Hilton revealed that Salomon pressured her into making the video, telling her that if she didn't agree, he could "easily find someone who would."
She wrote that she felt "weird and uncomfortable" about it, but was afraid of being abandoned by an older man who made her feel like she had to act beyond her years. Salomon had assured her that "no one else would ever see it," and Hilton said she never imagined being involved in "an amateur teen porn video."
Owning the Narrative, If It Were Her Choice
Speaking to the audience, Hilton stressed that if filming the tape had been her decision, she would have handled things very differently. "I would have stood tall in my Louboutins," she said, capitalized on it, and "boogied on over to the bank without apologizing to anyone."
Despite the trauma, Hilton tries to find some purpose in her experience, suggesting that sometimes "things need to happen to certain people for it to change for others." She now uses her story to advocate for stronger protections for women and victims of similar abuse.
