Paris Hilton has boldly addressed a highly contentious rumor, taking a stand against the allegation that Ghislaine Maxwell, the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend serving a 20-year prison sentence for federal sex trafficking, had once attempted to "recruit" her at a party. "I don't even remember ever meeting her," Hilton told The Sunday Times Magazine in an interview published on November 15, adding with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm such a good clickbait name."
Back in 2000, when Hilton was just 19 years old, a photo of her and Maxwell, accompanied by then-President Donald Trump—who was friends with the hotel heiress's famous family for years and founded the T Management modeling agency that Maxwell was signed to at the time—surfaced from the Anand Jon Fashion Show in New York City. This photo was featured in the 2020 Lifetime docuseries Surviving Jeffrey Epstein. In the program, Christopher Mason, a former acquaintance of Maxwell, alleged that the British socialite had once suggested that Hilton would be "perfect" for Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking dozens of underage girls from at least 2002 to 2005.
Mason recalled in the docuseries, as reported by multiple sources, "A friend of mine was at a party and Ghislaine said, 'Oh my God, who's that?' and was looking at this pretty, young, sort of teenage girl. 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?'"
Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The British socialite was convicted of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and perjury. Despite her appeal to overturn her conviction, the Supreme Court declined to hear her bid in October.
