Paris Hilton is revisiting one of the most painful chapters of her public life in a new documentary, Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, revealing that the unauthorized release of an intimate recording from her teens is something she says will stay with her forever.
The documentary follows Hilton as she prepares for her first full-length concert at the Hollywood Palladium, tied to her 2024 album Infinite Icon. Along the way, the 44-year-old reflects on how music became a lifeline after a private tape of her and a former boyfriend, filmed when she was 19, surfaced without her consent in the early 2000s.
“I had been through a lot in my life, but then to be publicly humiliated in such a way with someone who I loved and trusted…I had no idea that anyone would ever even see this,” Hilton says in the film, per Fox News.
She describes the aftermath as isolating and overwhelming, recalling a period when she struggled to leave her house. “I felt the whole world was looking at it, laughing and villainizing me,” she explains.
Hilton adds that the experience left a permanent mark. “It’s something that will affect me for the rest of my life,” she says. “I don’t know if I’ll ever fully be healed from that. It’s something that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
At the time of the 2003 leak, Hilton was overseas promoting The Simple Life alongside Nicole Richie when she learned that a late-night show had obtained footage. She initially believed it wasn’t real—until she saw it herself. Shortly after, the full recording was released, turning her into a constant target of jokes and tabloid scrutiny.
In the documentary, Hilton alleges she was pressured into making the tape after being told it was normal and that her partner had done the same in past relationships. “I remember him saying, ‘OK, fine. If you don’t do it, I’ll just call someone else,’” she recalls.
Rather than publicly addressing the scandal at the time, Hilton says her family encouraged her not to give it attention. She instead leaned into music, eventually recording her debut album. “So I didn’t,” she says. “I smiled and kept going.”
Hilton has previously written about the ordeal in her 2023 memoir and has consistently denied claims that the tape was released for publicity. Today, she says, sharing her story is about warning others. “I hope by telling my story, it could make other girls not get into that same position,” she says.