Here's What Paris Hilton Said About the Rumor She Was Nearly Trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell

Rich people hang out with each other. Sometimes, the only connective tissue a group has is whatever their bank account holds. The Trumps and the Hiltons have a lot in common. This is something that Ben Widdicombe suggested in a July 2020 piece for Vanity Fair in which he compared the two relatively new American dynasties.

Both of their families immigrated from Europe, and when they arrived in America, started out with small businesses. While the Hiltons struck it rich in the hospitality industry, the Trumps landed in real estate development and property management. It didn't take long for their families to cross paths, especially in New York City. It's not much of a stretch to imagine Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell doing the same. In fact, rumor has it that Paris Hilton was nearly targeted by Maxwell.

In August 2020, the Surviving Jeffrey Epstein docuseries dropped a huge bombshell during the final episode. Christopher Mason, a former friend of Maxwell's, said the Epstein co-conspirator once eyed Hilton for the convicted sex offender. A friend of Mason's was hanging out with Maxwell at a party when she spotted the then-19-year-old socialite.

"Oh my God, who’s that?" said Maxwell to Mason's friend. When asked if the friend knew her, they told Maxwell, "Yes, she’s called Paris Hilton." At this point, Maxwell said something seemingly benign at the time, but truly disturbing now.

In the documentary, we are shown a photo of Hilton with Donald Trump and Maxwell at the Anand Jon Fashion Show in New York on Sept. 18, 2000. "The rumors were Ghislaine was scouring New York, finding younger girls to go on dates with Jeffrey," said Mason in the docuseries. "At the time, it seemed a bit naughty."

In a November 2025 profile of Hilton for The Sunday Times Magazine, the heiress was asked about this Maxwell story. "I don’t even remember ever meeting her," she said. "I’m such a good clickbait name."

Hilton was also asked about Trump. In 2016, the mother of two said she voted for him but retracted that statement in her 2023 memoir. She revealed that it was a lie because he was an old family friend who was "intimidated the s--t" out of her on a phone call after Hilton switched modeling agencies.

Back in 2003, Trump appeared on The Howard Stern Show, where he talked about the first time he met Hilton, per NBC News. She was 12 years old at the time, and according to Trump, when Hilton walked into the room, he said, "Who the hell is that?" then added, "At 12, I wasn’t interested ... but she was beautiful."