Paris Hilton has publicly denied claims that Ghislaine Maxwell attempted to recruit her for Jeffrey Epstein, clearing up longstanding rumors that circulated during her rise to fame.
Hilton, 42, told The Sunday Times in an interview published Nov. 15 that she has no memory of meeting Maxwell.
“I don’t even remember ever meeting her,” Hilton told the outlet.
The former reality star attributed her high-profile status to why she has once again become a headline.
Paris Hilton with Ghislaine Maxwell 👀. pic.twitter.com/1gdr5jbMJN
— Seeker of Truth (@TheHumanLead1) August 22, 2025
“I’m such a good clickbait name,” she remarked. “I was just like any other young girl — growing up, going out — but I had the whole world watching. The media, especially the tabloids, they love to sensationalize everything.”
The original claims about Maxwell attempting to involve Hilton in Epstein’s circle were made by Maxwell’s former friend Christopher Mason in 2020.
Mason, a British journalist who has known Maxwell since the 1980s, recounted that Maxwell was reportedly taken aback upon seeing a young Hilton at a party.
The heat is on today here, Woah!!! Made it to Lunchtime. Weekend's around the corner. Here's PARIS HILTON pic.twitter.com/OY4sNhuQho
— FAMOUS WOMEN (@Kevin10919728) July 25, 2025
She allegedly said Hilton would be “perfect for Jeffrey” and asked for an introduction.
Mason did not provide a specific date, but it appears the event would have taken place around 2000, when Hilton was 19-years-old.
Hilton’s statement comes amid broader scrutiny of media figures and celebrities who had connections to Epstein.
Journalist Katie Couric has faced criticism for attending a private dinner at Epstein’s New York townhouse in 2010, after Epstein served a 13-month jail sentence for solicitation of prostitution if a minor and registered as a sex offender.
Couric, who was a CBS News anchor at the time, described the environment as eerie, recalling “Eyes Wide Shut with a twist—creepy chandeliers and body-part art.”
Notably, comedian Chelsea Handler and disgraced filmmaker Woody Allen were also reportedly present.
In her memoir, Couric wrote that she could not imagine what Epstein and Prince Andrew were involved in beyond cultivating influential friends in the media.
“Which, in retrospect, they must have figured they’d need when the pedophilia charges started rolling in,” she added.
During a 2023 interview on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Couric recounted being invited to the dinner in honor of Prince Andrew, shortly before the royal wedding of William and Kate.
Jeffrey Epstein held a dinner party w/ guests Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, Chelsea Handler, Charlie Rose & Woody Allen in honor of Prince Andrew.
Couric said “I didn’t know anything about him at the time”.
This was 18 Months after he was released from prison in 2010 pic.twitter.com/7rEhQPaoe4
— Clyp Keeper (@DGrayTexas45) November 14, 2025
“I didn’t know anything about Jeffrey Epstein at the time. And it was super weird, I have to say,” she told Cohen.
She also noted that George Stephanopoulos was expected to attend, and she attended in part to network with Prince Andrew.
Couric admitted she later realized the significance of the young women she observed serving at the dinner.
“The person I was with said, ‘Did you notice how young the girls were who were taking the coats?’ And I said I really didn’t, but of course later we found out everything about him,” she said.
Couric reflected that while she had been invited, she should have conducted more research, noting that much about Epstein had not been publicly revealed at the time.
Megyn Kelly criticized Couric on her podcast for attending the dinner despite Epstein’s conviction.
Megyn Kelly exposes mainstream media hosts Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos went and had dinner with Jeffrey Epstein at Epstein’s home after he pleaded guilty for solicitation of sex with a minor
“Those two journalists, NBC and ABC respectively, went and sat with Jeffrey… pic.twitter.com/iOQvQIqHux
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) November 18, 2025
“Why was Katie Couric at Epstein’s home in 2010, chumming it up, having dinner with him, after he pleaded guilty to solicitation of sex with a minor?” she said during the Monday episode of her eponymous podcast.
“Katie Couric knows full well that you cannot solicit a minor prostitute. That’s rape.”
Kelly also mentioned Stephanopoulos as another media figure who attended the event.
“Those two journalists, NBC and ABC respectively, went and sat with Jeffrey Epstein at his home where these alleged crimes occurred, for dinner, knowing all of that,” Kelly noted.
On the legislative front, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie pushed for former Prince Andrew to testify in the U.S. regarding his ties to Epstein.
Khanna said that British actions, including the removal of Mountbatten-Windsor’s titles and the firing of the UK ambassador to Washington, should inspire urgency in the United States.
“I do think that Prince Andrew does need to come and testify at our oversight committee, and that can be bipartisan,” Khanna commented.
Massie also weighed in, suggesting there should be accountability for buildings and scholarships named after individuals connected to Epstein.
“There’s becoming a reckoning in Britain that needs to happen in the United States: a prince lost his title, the ambassador to the United States lost his job. We need to see those same kind of consequences here,” the Republican lawmaker added.
The House of Representatives passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with a vote of 427 to 1, which could result in the release of tens of thousands of documents from Epstein’s estate. The Senate later approved the bill unanimously.
According to a White House official, President Donald Trump has no plans to veto the legislation.
“The bill will be signed whenever it gets to the White House,” the official said.