Paris Hilton has publicly addressed claims that Ghislaine Maxwell attempted to recruit her for Jeffrey Epstein. The socialite recently denied the rumors, stating she does not recall ever meeting Maxwell.
“I don’t even remember meeting her,” Hilton, 44, told The Times in a recent interview. “I’m a perfect clickbait name.”
Rumors about Maxwell’s alleged recruitment efforts first surfaced through music composer Christopher Mason. He claimed Maxwell, a former associate of the convicted sex offender, sought to recruit Hilton at a party.
The exact timing and location of this alleged incident remain unclear. However, Hilton was photographed with Maxwell and then-businessman Donald Trump at an Anand Jon fashion show on September 18, 2000, in New York City.
Mason reiterated his claims in the 2020 docuseries “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.” He stated that a friend was with Maxwell at a party where she was “looking for” younger girls for Epstein.
“Ghislaine said, ‘My God! Who is that?’ and she was looking at a beautiful, young, almost teenage girl,” Mason recounted, as reported by Rolling Stone. “She asked, ‘Do you know her?’ My friend responded, ‘Yeah, her name is Paris Hilton.’ And Ghislaine said, ‘God, she would be perfect for Jeffrey. Could you introduce us?’ At the time, it seemed a bit pushy to me.”
Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to child prostitution charges and soliciting a prostitute. He served 13 months in jail as part of a plea deal.
More than a decade later, on July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. He was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019, at age 66, in what was presumed a suicide.
Although Epstein’s case was dismissed following his death, the investigation has continued to generate headlines due to ongoing questions about its discoveries.
Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison. She was convicted for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
“Today’s sentencing holds Ghislaine Maxwell accountable for perpetrating heinous crimes against children,” stated U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a Department of Justice release. “This sentence sends a strong message: no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice to be served. We reiterate our gratitude to the victims of Epstein and Maxwell for their courage in coming forward, testifying at trial, and sharing their stories as part of today’s sentencing.”
Hilton’s denial comes shortly after Megyn Kelly stirred controversy with her remarks about Epstein’s victims. Kelly suggested Epstein “was interested in girls barely legal,” implying he was not a pedophile.
“He liked 15-year-old girls. And I know this is disgusting. I’m not trying to justify it at all. I’m just giving you the facts: he was not interested in 8-year-old girls,” Kelly said on the November 12 episode of SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Show. “But he liked very young teenagers, who could pass for even younger than they were, but seem legal to someone passing by.”
The former Fox News host emphasized a distinction between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old.
The total number of children and young adults sexually abused and trafficked by Epstein remains unknown. Reports estimate over 1,000 victims, with some as young as 11, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Kelly’s comments sparked the social media trend “#iWasFifteen.” Celebrities, including Valerie Bertinelli, shared photos of themselves at that age to protest her statements.