'Born into a hotel fortune' Paris Hilton faced backlash after claiming she was "self-made."
On the 15th (local time) in an interview with the Sunday Times of London, Paris Hilton (44) mentioned her media company and said, "I built myself. I did everything on my own," and strongly insisted, "I've never received anything from anyone in my life."
But the remarks drew heavy ridicule on social media and Reddit immediately after they were made, the Daily Mail reported on the 16th.
One netizen fired back, "Your perfume was called 'Heiress.' Please face reality," and another pointed out, "If you weren't part of the Hilton family, would you have become famous like this?"
Another user responded, "Even if you didn't receive subsidies or an inheritance, the 'risk' between someone from a wealthy family and someone who lives hand to mouth is fundamentally different," adding, "This is delusion."
Criticism continued. Comments criticizing Hilton's 'silver spoon behavior' followed, such as, "Like other nepo babies, she can't see reality," "typical narcissistic overinvestment," and "There are buildings across the country with your name on them, yet you call yourself self-made."
Paris Hilton's grandfather was billionaire Barron Hilton, who built a hotel empire. When he died in 2019 he donated 97% of his wealth to his foundation, but parents Kathy·Rick Hilton are still known to be owners of assets worth hundreds of billions.
In the interview Hilton recalled her relationship with her grandfather, saying, "Grandpa always praised me, saying, 'You work harder than any CEO I know.'"
However, online opinion was cold. Early fame was also due to the image of a wealthy family and the 'party girl' character, and since she expanded her business into perfumes, clothing and merchandise based on global popularity from shows like "The Simple Life," many felt the claim of being 'self-made' lacked credibility.
Amid a recent surge in debate about 'nepo babies' in Hollywood, Paris Hilton's remarks reignited the controversy. Netizens criticized his comments as "a forgetting of privilege," saying, "The starting points are different for a silver spoon who works and a poor person who works." Paris Hilton remains active as CEO of 11:11 Media, but the comment only reinforced an image of being "out of touch with reality."
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