Over the years, Paris Hilton has been linked in various ways to many powerful men, from Jeffrey Epstein to Michael Jackson and Donald Trump. And in a new interview with The Times published Saturday (Nov. 15), the businesswoman addressed claims regarding all three.
Starting with Epstein, it has for years been rumored that his former girlfriend — the now-incarcerated Ghislaine Maxwell — once tried to “recruit” Hilton to date the late billionaire and convicted sex offender. It all started with the 2020 documentary Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, in which Maxwell’s former associate Christopher Mason alleged, “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 … My friend said, ‘Yes, she’s called Paris Hilton.’ And Ghislaine said, ‘God, she’d be perfect for Jeffrey. Could you introduce us?’”
“The rumors were Ghislaine was scouring New York finding younger girls to go on dates with Jeffrey,” Mason added in the doc, according to Rolling Stone. “At the time it seemed a bit naughty.’”
But what does Hilton, now 44, have to say about it? “I don’t even remember ever meeting her,” she told the publication of Maxwell, with whom she was photographed at the Anand Jon Fashion Show in 2000. “I’m such a good clickbait name.”
Epstein died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial in 2019, after being arrested on charges of running a sex-trafficking operation involving minors, to which he pleaded not guilty. He had previously spent 13 months in prison for the crime of soliciting prostitution from a minor under the age of 18. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The disgraced businessman’s name has continued to be a hot-button issue in the years since his death, especially in 2025. At press time, the House of Representatives is gearing up to vote on a bill that would compel the DOJ to release all of its case files related to Epstein and his alleged list of high-profile clients.
But while Hilton says she never knew Maxwell or Epstein, she was definitely close with the late King of Pop — who she says was “like an uncle to me” — growing up. For years, Jackson’s legacy has been clouded by accusations that he molested young boys, for which he was never convicted. His estate has continued to deny all such claims following his death.
“I never saw him date anyone,” Hilton told The Times of Jackson. “I never saw him be like that with anyone. I didn’t see him as that type of person. So I’ve never paid attention to any of that because I just — I’ve always loved him like family.”
“I just know the man that I knew my whole life, and I could never see him hurting a fly,” she added.
As for Trump — who was also photographed at the fashion show with Hilton and Maxwell in 2000 — the heiress says that she didn’t vote for the sitting POTUS in either 2016 or 2024, despite previously claiming to have voted for him the first time he ran, but recanting that statement in her 2023 memoir. During last year’s election, Hilton says she “didn’t have time” to vote for any candidate.
“My schedule is so insane,” she told the publication. “I was traveling — I think I was in London during all that … and I was, like, moving houses.”
