Paris Hilton has spoken out about her leaked sex tape ahead of the passing of a new bill in the United States, which will look to support victims of AI-generated sexual content.
Hilton began making headlines in the early 2000s for her role in the New York socialite scene, but was catapulted into celebrity status by the leaking of a sex tape with Rick Salomon.
It was released without her consent by Salomon ahead of her upcoming first TV show. Hilton has said she and Salomon had been broken up for a while when he published it.
She spoke at the time of its release about how she was ‘out of it’ during the filming, leading Salomon to unsuccessfully sue her for defamation. He was then forced to pay her in a counter-suit over the release of the sex tape.
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Hilton donated the full $400,000 she won from Salomon to charity.
Appearing at Capitol Hill on Thursday (22 January), the seat of the US government, ahead of the passing of the new bill and standing alongside prominent Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hilton spoke about her experience after the sex tape leaked.
The 44-year-old said: “When I was 19 years old, a private, intimate video of me was shared with the world without my consent.”
“People called it a scandal,” she continued, before adding: “It was abuse.”
The socialite and reality TV star was appearing to support the DEFIANCE Act, an upcoming legislation which would allow victims of AI-generated sexually explicit content to take legal action against anyone who creates or distributes it.
Speaking about her own experience, Hilton noted there were ‘no laws at the time to protect’ her.
She said: “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.”
Regarding her treatment after this, Hilton added: “They called me names. They laughed and made me the punchline.
“They sold my pain for clicks, and then they told me to be quiet, to move on, to even be grateful for the attention.
“These people didn't see me as a young woman who had been exploited. They didn't see the panic that I felt, the humiliation, or the shame. No one asked me what I lost.”
Regarding the upcoming legislation, which Ocasio-Cortez said she was having ‘positive and encouraging conversations’ with Speaker Mike Johnson about getting to a vote in house quickly, Hilton explained why it was so important.
She said: “I had the platform to reclaim my story, but so many others don't.
“What I've learned is that when your image is violated, it doesn't disappear; it lives inside you, but so does your power.
“Telling the truth has helped me heal, and I am so proud that today I stand here without shame.
“I am Paris Hilton — a woman, a wife, a mum, a survivor — and what was done to me was wrong. And I will keep telling the truth to protect every woman, every girl, every survivor, now and for the future.”
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, US News
Michael Slavin