'RHOBH' Kathy Hilton Slams the Media's 'Abusive' Treatment of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears

credit: @kathyhilton/Instagram

RHOBH star Kathy Hilton is not holding back when it comes to how the media treated her daughter Paris Hilton.

In a new interview, Kathy addressed the horrendous way the media attacked Paris and her then-friends Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan during the early 2000s. Speaking with Variety, she said,

“Yes, everyone is saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ now [but] it was totally irresponsible, totally ugly and abusive.”

She added,

“Don’t kid yourself: People carry that scar with them forever.”

Kathy seemed to think that the press was particularly out-of-control because they moved to New York, where Paris stood out more than she had in L.A. She said,

“We moved to New York, and who would’ve thought? I never wanted my daughter modeling or any of that. I made that very clear. I think because you had two girls — attractive with a very famous last name — for some reason it just blew up. Had we stayed in Los Angeles…”

Kathy isn’t the only Hilton speaking out. Kathy’s daughter Paris also recently opened up about the treatment of her by the media and called out a specific interview with David Letterman in which he grilled her about her short stint in jail. She told E! in March 2021,

“I was just getting so uncomfortable and I was so upset. Just being up there, it was like he was purposefully trying to humiliate me. And during commercial breaks, I’d look at him, like please stop doing this.”

She added,

“It was just very cruel and very mean. And after it ended I looked at him and I said I’m never coming on the show again. You’ve crossed the line.”

On top of that, Britney has also spoken out about the way the press and paparazzi have covered her. In an Instagram post, she wrote,

“The paps know where I am and it’s really not fun!!!! It’s pretty hard going anywhere cause these silly faces keep popping up to take my picture… but not only do they take my picture… they distort my body and mess with the image and it’s embarrassing!!!!! I know my body is not perfect but I definitely do NOT look like how they portray me. It’s rude and it’s mean so paps kindly FUCK YOU AND FUCK OFF”

Like Kathy Hilton said, media outlets are now tripping over themselves to apologize, particularly to Britney Spears.

Perez Hilton, who notoriously built his blog by viciously attacking young Hollywood starlets, is one such blogger who is trying to right his wrongs. In a statement of apology, he said,

“I know I did not express myself as well as I could have. I didn’t lead with empathy and compassion, which thankfully seems like most people now are understanding the severity of Britney’s situation. I absolutely apologize and carry deep shame and regret.”

But many are saying that statements like Perez’s are too little too late.

As for Paris and Britney, both are trying to move on in their own way.

After revealing her abusive past in her 2020 documentary This is Paris, Paris Hilton has become an advocate for ending troubled-teen centers. She’s also set to marry her boyfriend, Carter Reum. The couple has been together for about a year and a half.

As for Britney, she recently spoke her truth at a hearing regarding her conservatorship. Although the judge denied her request to remove her abusive father Jamie Spears as a conservator, it looks like other changes are in the works. Her professional co-conservator Bessemer Trust recently quit. Additionally, one of Britney’s temporary conservators, Jodi Montgomery, is attempting to formulate a plan to finally end the conservatorship completely.

The #FreeBritney movement is hoping this is only the beginning for the singer. This was the first time Britney went public with the truth about her abusive conservatorship so we can only hope that this will lead to more significant changes to her situation.

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Lena Finkel
Lena Finkel is the Editor and Founder of Femestella and The Feminist Health Source. Prior to starting Femestella, she worked at People, InStyle, Tiger Beat, and Sesame Workshop (aka Sesame Street). She loves all things Real Housewives and The Challenge. When she's not busy binge-watching TV, you can find her taking an absurd amount of photos of her tuxedo cat Tom.