Paris Hilton Shares Childhood Trauma in New Memoir
Paris Hilton has made headlines for over two decades as a party girl and an OG influencer. But behind the glitter and glamour, there has always been a darker side to her story. In her new memoir, Paris shares the scars of her childhood for the first time. She opens up about her experiences with abuse, sexual assault, and being sent to a residential treatment program. The book provides an intimate look at the life of one of the world’s most famous celebrities, and her journey towards healing.
Paris the Memoir was released on March 14th, and the stories from the book have been making headlines ever since. Paris was groomed by an eighth grade teacher, drugged and raped at 15, and was sent to a residential treatment program from 16 to 18 where she was sexually abused. Her ex sold a tape of them having sex without her consent, and she had an abortion that became headline news. Paris believed she was asexual for years because anything sexual terrified her, while she was simultaneously branded a “slut” in the media.
The book delves into the scarring years in abusive residential schools, which she first revealed in her 2020 documentary, This Is Paris, and has guided her advocacy work in the troubled-teen industry. The program she was sent to was called the now-shuttered CEDU program, where she claimed she was physically and emotionally abused, drugged, strip searched, put in restraints and solitary confinement, and regularly taken to the infirmary, in the middle of the night, where she was sexually abused under the guise that she was getting gynecological exams.
Despite the heavy subject matter, Paris hopes that sharing her story can help others who have been through similar experiences. “I think it’s important for other girls who’ve been in similar situations and felt alone and held on to shame. That shouldn’t be on them. It should be on the people that hurt them,” she says.
Paris has become an advocate for institutionalized youth, and the second season of her Trapped in Treatment podcast, looking at the networks of schools in the troubled-teen industry, premiered on March 6th. She hopes that her book and advocacy work will bring attention to the mistreatment of children in these programs and help bring about change.
The book has already generated interest from producers who are interested in optioning it for a film or TV series. Paris says she doesn’t yet know which actress she’d like to see potentially play her, but her story has been compared to the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio film, Catch Me If You Can, due to her harrowing stories of Houdini-like escapes from behavioral schools.
Despite the difficulty of revisiting her trauma and sharing it with the world, Paris says that she feels stronger and more resilient for having gone through it. She hopes that her story can serve as a beacon of hope for others who have suffered similar abuse and trauma.
