Paris Hilton is breaking her silence on reports that Ghislaine Maxwell attempted to recruit her to date Jeffrey Epstein.
“I don’t even remember ever meeting her,” Hilton, 44, told The Times in a recent interview. “I’m such a good clickbait name.”
The reports began swirling when music composer Christopher Mason alleged that Maxwell, a longtime associate of the sex offender, wanted to recruit Hilton for Epstein at a party.
It is unclear when or where this alleged incident occurred. Hilton, however, was photographed with Maxwell and now-President Donald Trump at the Anand Jon Fashion Show on September 18, 2000, in New York City.
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In 2020, Mason claimed in the Surviving Jeffrey Epstein docuseries that his friend was with Maxwell at a party and was “scouring” for “younger girls to go on dates with Jeffrey.”
“Ghislaine said, ‘Oh my God, who’s that?’ and was looking at this pretty, young, sort of teenage girl,” Mason said, per Rolling Stone. “And she said, ‘Do you know her?’ My friend said, ‘Yes, she’s called Paris Hilton.’ And Ghislaine said, ‘God, she’d be perfect for Jeffrey. Could you introduce us?’ At the time, it seemed a bit naughty.”
Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of child prostitution and soliciting a prostitute in 2008, serving 13 months in jail as part of a plea deal. More than one decade later, Epstein was taken into custody on federal charges of sex trafficking minors on July 6, 2019.
He was found dead in his jail cell of a suspected suicide on August 10, 2019, while at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. Epstein was 66.
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While Epstein’s case was dismissed less than three weeks after his death, the investigation has continued to make headlines through the years as questions have swirled regarding what was found.
Maxwell, meanwhile, was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
“Today’s sentence holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children,” U.S. attorney Damian Williams said in a Department of Justice statement at the time. “This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice. We again express our gratitude to Epstein and Maxwell’s victims for their courage in coming forward, in testifying at trial, and in sharing their stories as part of today’s sentencing.”
Days before Hilton’s profile, Megyn Kelly sparked controversy over her remarks that Epstein “was into the barely legal type,” which seemingly insinuated that he was not a pedophile.
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“He liked 15-year-old girls. And I realize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving you facts, that he wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds,” she said on the November 12 episode of SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show. “But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”
The former Fox News personality noted that “there’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old.”
It is currently unknown how many children and young women were sexually abused and sex trafficked by Epstein, but reports estimate there were more than 1,000. One lawsuit filed in the Virgin Islands alleged that some of his victims were as young as 11 years old.
Kelly’s comments led to the social media trend “#iWasFifteen,” where celebrities, including Valerie Bertinelli, shared photos of themselves at that age while speaking out against her.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
