Paris Hilton, shocked the world when she revealed she was allegedly abused at boarding school in Provo, Utah as a teen. But Paris herself was surprised to learn that “little sister” and family friend Paris Jackson, made similar claims as she marched beside her in October 2020 to raise awareness. “I’m just grateful for her to being so brave for coming out and telling it,” the older Paris told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY on Feb. 10 while promoting her This Is Paris podcast with iHeartRadio, which launches on Feb. 22. “[It’s] amazing to have her support and also surprising because I didn’t know that and I’ve known her since she was born, so to hear that from her, her story, was very emotional. She told me to call her whenever and she’ll be there, so I’m going to be planning something soon, definitely.”
The successful entrepreneur shared her personal story about the alleged abuse she endured while attending Provo Canyon School when she released her This Is Paris documentary in the fall of 2020. Since then, she has been holding several protests and meeting with legislators to get bills passed to prevent this from happening. “I felt like a lot of the people who worked there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked,” Paris Hilton said of the alleged abuse in her documentary, also claiming the school forced to take pills. “I still have nightmares about it.”
Provo Canyon School has denied Paris Hilton’s allegations. “Provo Canyon School DOES NOT use “solitary confinement” as a form of intervention,” the school said in a press release. “We are concerned that the current media coverage may increase the stigma around seeking help for behavioral health concerns. This would be a disservice if it leads people away from seeking necessary care and increases the stigma around mental health that providers, organizations, advocates and members of the public have worked so hard – and made much progress over the years – to break.”
While Paris Jackson didn’t reveal where her alleged abuse took place, she was proud to stand with Paris Hilton while revealing her own mental health diagnosis. “I stand with @ParisHilton & all the survivors. #BreakingCodeSilence,” she said in her Instagram story on Oct. 2. “The other girls I’m still friends with to this day that went to the boarding school with me all have the same symptoms of PTSD and nightmares and trust issues. This is child abuse. #breakingcodesilence. Let’s start with provo and keep going from there.”
The older Paris knows this is not an easy subject to open up about and she is proud of the younger Paris for using her voice. “It is something that is difficult to talk about because when it happens to you, it’s just something that you want to forget and act like it never happened,” Paris Hilton added. “But I really commend the people that are so brave and resilient and come out and raise awareness because it’s such an important subject and it’s amazing when people tell their truth, what can happen.”
Paris Hilton just got back from Utah where she successfully got laws passed. While she continues to hold rallies and meet with legislature, she won’t stop until she can rest her head at night knowing this won’t happen again. “When we went in September for a rally where hundreds of survivors all gathered and we were doing a silent protest outside of Provo Canyon, I was so nervous when we landed,” Paris told us. “It was such a weird feeling to be back there. But when I was out there with all of the other survivors, sitting there in solidarity, it felt empowering to be out there and showing, ‘You guys did this to us but we’re out here standing for what is right’,” she reflected.
For Paris, the ability to create change for others has been “amazing.” “I saw some of the kids looking through the window at us and I saw some of them smiling because they were happy to see us out there with signs and showing them that we’re fighting for them. Now when I go back there, it feels amazing because I know that I’m doing the right thing and something that’s making a huge difference,” she also said. “It really is. I just feel so proud because I now feel like I have this mission in life and a purpose that is really just going to make a difference in so many lives so I’m going to keep on doing it no matter how long it takes. I will not stop until change happens.”
