Rise to Fame
The Simple Life premiered in December 2003, the same month a sex tape of her with then-boyfriend Rick Salomon began circulating online. The show's first episode pulled 13 million viewers. She didn't consent to the tape, sued the distributor, and settled out of court. Fox got a hit. She got a career. The formula she invented (be everywhere, stay controversial, monetize the attention) is what the entire influencer economy runs on now.
In the Spotlight
Her fragrance business has reportedly generated close to $3 billion in revenue since 2004. Under 11:11 Media, she now runs TV, podcast, digital, licensing, and consumer product verticals. The more interesting story is in politics: she testified before Congress about abuse she suffered at Provo Canyon School as a teenager, and helped push the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act to passage in 2024. The dumb blonde was always a character. The CEO and the lobbyist are real.
Side Notes
The 'dumb blonde' persona she played on The Simple Life was a character with a specific job: keep the cameras rolling. Off-screen, she was building a nine-figure business empire. Kim Kardashian has said Hilton gave her a career. In her 2020 documentary This Is Paris, she disclosed years of abuse at Provo Canyon School, a Utah troubled teen facility, and acknowledged she'd been performing a version of herself the public would accept. The real one was harder to sell.