Paris Hilton Reveals Deep Trauma From Leaked Sex Tape in Emotional Documentary
Socialite and businesswoman Paris Hilton has broken down in tears while revealing the profound torment she experienced following the release of an infamous sex tape that was leaked without her consent in the early 2000s.
The '1 Night in Paris' Leak That Shattered Her World
In a raw and emotional new documentary titled Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, which premiered in cinemas on January 30, Hilton describes how the explicit footage featuring her and former boyfriend Rick Salomon left her feeling terrified and convinced her life was over. The tape, distributed as the pornographic film "1 Night in Paris," captured Hilton when she was just 19 years old and Salomon, a professional poker player.
"It was one of the most painful experiences I have been through," Hilton confessed through tears. "I was terrified. Is this going to ruin everything I worked so hard for?"
Public Humiliation and Personal Shame
The heiress revealed that strangers would cruelly label her a "slut" or "whore" when she entered rooms, despite her family advising her not to "give it oxygen" by publicly addressing the situation. Hilton described carrying immense shame that she felt didn't belong to her, stating the world had already made up its mind about her character.
"I had always looked up to Princess Diana and Grace Kelly and all these elegant women," Hilton explained. "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."
Legal Action and Financial Settlement
In 2005, Hilton took legal action against Salomon and was awarded a settlement reported to be as high as $400,000 (approximately £300,000). She had previously claimed she received not a single penny from the tape's distribution and expressed intentions to donate a portion of the settlement to charitable causes.
Reframing the Narrative as Abuse
Earlier this month, the 44-year-old spoke at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., where she reframed what many called a "scandal" as clear abuse and exploitation.
"It wasn't a scandal. It was abuse," Hilton asserted. "There were no laws at the time to protect me. There weren't even words for what had been done to me. The internet was still new, and so was the cruelty that came with it."
She described how people "sold my pain for clicks" while telling her to be quiet and move on, adding: "These people didn't see me as a young woman who had been exploited. They didn't see the panic I felt, the humiliation or the shame. No one asked me what I lost — I lost control over my body, over my reputation."
"My sense of safety and self-worth was stolen from me," Hilton concluded, revealing the lasting psychological impact of the violation that continues to affect her decades later.
