Despite coming from a hotel dynasty, Paris Hilton, who has insisted she "built everything herself," once again drew a line over the 'nepo baby' controversy.
Paris Hilton (44) recently told Us Weekly in an interview, "I haven't received any financial support from my family since I was 18," emphasizing, "I started working at 16, and my current career is entirely something I built on my own."
Hilton is widely known as an heiress of the Hilton hotel chain, but she insisted, "I didn't inherit wealth the way people think." In fact, the Hilton hotel group was already publicly listed long ago, and Paris Hilton's grandfather, Barron Hilton, made headlines when he donated 97% of his estate to charity when he died in 2019.
She said, "It's true that my parents, Rick Hilton and Kathy Hilton, are famous, but my business is the result of effort, not inheritance," adding, "My current businesses across fashion, beauty and entertainment are all things I personally grew."
Paris Hilton is also a mother of two children with her husband Carter Reum. She candidly shared her thoughts on raising her children, saying, "I want to give them a happy life, but at the same time I want to instill a strong work ethic."
Asked whether money brings happiness, she answered, "Yes." She recalled, "I've been through so much, and success means freedom to me," adding, "After my boarding school experience, I promised myself I would be successful enough that no one could control me."
However, she did not completely deny her privilege. She said, "It's certainly a privilege to have grown up in an environment where you can learn from great businesspeople," while adding, "I've seen many people from prominent families who have never worked. They seemed to lack a sense of accomplishment in life and looked unhappy."
Paris Hilton is currently a global celebrity with millions of social media followers, a DJ and an entrepreneur, serving as CEO and chairwoman of her media company 11:11 Media. She has said about how she was once portrayed through the reality show The Simple Life as a "ditzy blonde," "That image was an act," adding, "I was just good at pretending to be dumb."
Public reaction to her remarks has been mixed. On online communities, rebuttals have followed such as, "What is she talking about when her perfume was named 'Heiress'?" and "If her last name weren't Hilton, would she have reached her current position?"
Nevertheless, Paris Hilton reiterated, "I have proven myself," and emphasized again, "I want to be remembered not as someone's daughter but as a brand and a businesswoman."
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