For some, Paris Hilton represents a very specific type of celebrity who rose to fame in the mid-’00s. Known first for being a socialite and a “party girl”, the now 40-year-old star has embarked on many commercial ventures over the years, wrote a few books, made her name as a DJ, appeared in dozens of films and on TV shows and immersed herself in his own past in the 2020 documentary This is Paris. But Hilton’s fame, even in those early days, made her the subject of much mockery. In a new podcast, Paris Hilton opened about a 2007 interview with David Letterman on your evening show that is very painful to watch. Find out what she has to say about the presenter’s behavior and, for another star that’s catching the attention of the press, check out Jonah Hill is serious about the body affront after the tabloid prints beach photos.
After a series of incidents involving drunk driving and driving with a suspended license, Hilton was sentenced to 45 days in prison in June 2007. She ended up serving 21 days in a women’s prison in Lynwood, California. At the end of September of that year, Hilton appeared in The last show with David Letterman to promote its various commercial ventures, including its new perfume, Can Can, and its 2008 film The tasty and the nottie.
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After talking a little bit about the city she prefers, New York or Los Angeles, Letterman changed to a very different topic, not a minute after the interview. “Uh, would you like to be in prison?” he asked, to laughter and applause from the audience.
Hilton continued to smile, but seemed uncomfortable with the subject, giving short answers while Letterman continued to question her. After she called being in prison for a “traumatic” experience, the host made her show exactly what foods she received at each meal, how she exercised, whether she made friends during the sentence and whether her old friends treated her differently after being in “prison”.
At one point, Hilton tried to be firm, saying, “But I got on with my life, so I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“This is where you and I are different,” said Letterman, “because that’s all I want to talk about.”
“I’m not going to answer any more questions about it,” Hilton dodged again. “I’m here for my clothing line and my movie and my perfume, I’m not here to talk about it.” Letterman persisted with the party, much to the public’s delight, ignoring Hilton’s request to ask her about something else.
To find out which Bravo-lebrity is Hilton’s aunt and other surprising links to stars, check out 13 celebrities you had no idea they were related to.
Several old interviews with young and female stars passed through the microscope recently after the Britney Spears documentary Framing Britney Spears. The doc examines how Spears was criticized and sexualized by adults in the media early in his career. Among the interviews that are being analyzed with new eyes is a chat with Jennifer Aniston where Letterman puts the actor’s hair in his mouth and a Oprah appearance in which Oprah Winfrey question Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen what size of clothes they wear.
During the last episode of your podcast, This is paris (per ET Online), Hilton reflected on Framing Britney Spears and how she felt that parts of it were similar to her own experience. “I was heartbroken. I was very moved. I cried a lot watching it,” said Hilton in the March 1 episode. “Also relating to her in many ways with this. It was very difficult to watch. It made me very sad.”
“There was a certain type of girl that they targeted, that they would never do that to a man,” continued Hilton. Along with her and Spears, she also mentioned Jessica Simpson, who was subjected to corporal shame and had her intelligence mocked.
Hilton also recently spoke about the alleged abuse she suffered when she attended boarding school as a teenager. Find out more with Paris Hilton who just shared “painful” photos after alleged school abuse.
Hilton spoke about the interview with Letterman specifically during the podcast, and it seems that she still remembers vividly. She claimed that her team told Letterman that their legal problems were “off limits” before the recording, and that the host agreed to the terms. Despite this, he bombarded her with questions about the arrest, something that made her increasingly “uncomfortable” and “upset”.
“It was like he was just trying to humiliate me on purpose. During commercial breaks, I would look at him and say, ‘Please stop doing this, you promised me you wouldn’t talk about it’,” she continued. “It was very cruel and cruel. After it was over, I just looked at him and said, ‘I will never go back to this program, you crossed the line.'”
Update: When Better life contacted Letterman’s representatives for a comment on Hilton’s podcast, his team pointed to Letterman’s personal apology on the show for Hilton when she returned four months after the initial interview in early 2008.
“I found out after I had offended him,” Letterman told Hilton at the time. “I felt terrible because I’m not here to make enemies, honestly. So I called you and you answered, which I thought was very kind of you, and now you’re back and thank God, I’m so sorry. “
In response, Hilton said, “And you better not try this again. I hope you have eliminated the whole ‘prison’ thing from your system.” After that, Letterman said, “I just thought we were having fun, you know? But I’ve never been in prison, I understand that it’s probably not fun. So, let’s not talk about it.”
And for another interviewer being questioned by previous questions, check out This interview by Diane Sawyer with Britney Spears left people indignant.