What you need to know
Paris Hilton and Britney Spears have not only been best friends for decades, but they are also connected through a common experience.
On Thursday, January 29, Hilton appeared on I’ve Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario and opened up about the “common trauma” she and other celebrity women experienced in the early 2000s.
“We just celebrated Britney’s birthday in Mexico a few weeks ago and we were just talking about how cruel and mean people were back then,” Hilton, 44, said. “And she’s someone who can relate to that. Very few people can do that. That’s what made us both so strong.”
Later in the conversation, Hilton widened the topic after being asked what advice she would give her younger self.
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“Back then, putting women down was entertainment. It was very lonely. If I were to go back and talk to my younger self, I would say, ‘Paris, you’re going to go through a lot in life and sometimes it’s going to be very difficult and scary and exhausting, but one day it’s going to be worth it,'” she said.
She added, “You’re going to be an inspiration to millions of people, so you’re going to create a blueprint, turn your pain into purpose, and help save the lives of children, women, and survivors around the world.”
Hilton and Spears’ relationship dates back to their early 20s, and they have discussed their friendship many times over the years.
In November 2024, Hilton celebrated the 18th anniversary of the day she and the 44-year-old “Circus” singer “invented the selfie.”
Meanwhile, Spears reflected on her friendship with Hilton in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, writing, “It wasn’t as wild as the press made it out to be,” and thanked Spears for their longtime friendship.
That same year, Hilton told PEOPLE that she was “so proud” of Spears for “telling her story” in her memoir.
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“I know how difficult it is to write a memoir because you have to dig into so many moments in your life that you don’t want to think about,” she explained. “But it was a really healing experience, and writing my book (‘Paris: A Memoir’) changed my life in so many ways.”
He added: “I’m so proud of what a strong woman she is.”
Hilton appeared in “I’ve Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario” to promote her new documentary, “Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir,” which will be released on Friday, January 30th. In December, Hilton told PEOPLE that it was meant to “inspire others to be authentic, own their stories, and make a difference in the world.”
