How Paris Hilton went from sex tape star to Simple Life before transforming into a doting mom

Paris Hilton shocked her fans and followers on Tuesday night when she revealed that she had welcomed her first child via surrogate.

The latest twist in the 41-year-old heiress life came after she reinvented herself multiple times.

After being born into the Hilton Hotels fortune and bubbling up as a headline-stealing socialite, Paris rocketed into the public consciousness with the leak of her sex tape 1 Night In Paris in late 2003.

The sex tape’s leak happened just as she was introduced to audience across the country via her reality series The Simple Life, and Paris would go on to refine her image by focusing on her business ventures in subsequent years, while more recently refashioning herself as an activist.

What an evolution! To mark Paris Hilton’s announcement on Tuesday that she had welcomed her first child, DailyMail.com takes a look back at her rise to fame, from her early sex tape leak and stardom on The Simple Life to her reinvention as a successful businesswoman and activist; seen with Nicole Richie in 2003

Sweet: She made the announcement via Instagram, which included a photo of the new mom clutching onto her infant’s hand

Paris, who was born in New York City on February 17, 1981, spent much of her early life shuffling with her parents and four siblings between the coasts.

The family spent time in Beverly Hills, along with East Coast spots in the Hamptons on Long Island and Manhattan, though she spent most of her time on the West Coast.

But in 1996, when she was around 15, the family headed back east, which coincided with her more rebellious teen years. 

At their wits’ end, her parents Kathy and Richard eventually sent her to the Provo Canyon School in Utah, which catered to troubled children.

But in her 2020 documentary This Is Paris, the socialite claimed that she was physically and mentally abused at the school, and several other people who were enrolled at the school have said they were abused there.

Paris alleged that she was restrained when she was sent to the school, and she claimed that she was drugged while there.

The future reality star also said she was the subject of strip searches and was at one point forced to stay in an isolation room for 24 hours. 

Bicoastal heiress: Paris, who was born in 1981, split her time between New York and Los Angeles initially; seen in 2001

Bad days: After problem behavior when her family moved back to NYC in 1996, she was sent to a boarding school in Utah, where she claimed she was abused; seen in 2003 in NYC

Paris was forced to stay at the school for 11 months, until she turned 18 in 1999.

After returning home, she started to establish herself as a model, even as she made a reputation with her hard-partying ways.

In 2001, she was featured in a sex tape filmed by her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, which was leaked on the internet in 2003.

The tape, which was privately made, came out just as she was ramping up for the release of her reality series The Simple Life, which paired her with her friend Nicole Richie after her sister Nicky Hilton passed on it.

The show had the two privileged stars living with rural families and being exposed to blue-collar jobs that were far from the tony coastal enclaves that Hilton and Richie were used to.

Paris also proved herself to be a natural performer, and she became a pop culture icon thanks to her deadpan deliver and knowing humor.

Controversy: A 2001 sex tape with her ex-boyfriend leaked online in 2003, before being officially released in 2004

Change of scenery: The controversy coincided with the December 2003 premiere of her hit reality series The Simple Life, in which she and Nicole Richie went to rural communities and worked blue-collar jobs; seen in 2004

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In 2004, Salomon distributed the sex tape himself, increasing its profile as he tried to make money off it.

Salomon went on to sue his ex after she claimed that she had been unable to fully consent and didn’t approve the release, as he argued she had defamed him by suggesting he was exploiting her.

She also sued him for invasion of privacy, and the eventually settled with Salomon paying her $400,000 and a portion of the profits. 

Meanwhile, The Simple Life ran for three seasons on Fox before issues with her relationship with Richie led to its cancellation and subsequent revival for two more seasons on E!, though the two later revived their friendship.

But Paris’ reputation was temporarily tarnished due to a string of run-ins with the law over her dangerous public behavior.

She received a DUI in 2006, and multiple subsequent driving violations led to her being sentenced to 45 days behind bars in 2007. 

Troubled: Starting in 2006, Paris reputation was tarnished by her hard partying, a DUI and multiple legal run-ins over her dangerous driving, which eventually earned her a 45-day jail sentence; seen in 2007

Reinvention: But she revived herself and her career later in the 2000s by focusing on modeling, her fragrance lines and small acting parts

But following her wild years, Paris reinvigorated her image by focusing on her businesses and taking small acting parts.

She also returned to reality TV with Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, which ran for two seasons and launched UK and Dubai–based spin offs. 

The reality star changed her image by focusing on her fragrance lines while also showing off her musical chops as a DJ following a brief attempt at pop stardom years earlier.

She changed her relation to fashion as well, opting for more elegant and refined ensembles compared to the outfits she showcased during her hard-partying years.

In 2020, she gave her fans the most in-depth look into her life yet with her documentary This Is Paris, which detailed her abuse at the Utah boarding school, while also giving fans a glimpse of her real voice, as she had previously used a higher, ditzy-sounding tone on her reality shows and many public interviews. 

Throughout her career, Paris had a varied dating life that saw her in a relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio, Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, reality stars and business magnates.

In 2005, she and Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis got engaged, before calling it off later that year.

The actor Chrisy Zylka proposed to her in early 2018, only for them to call off the engagement in November of that year.

Finally: But her most lasting romance was with the entrepreneur Carter Reum, whom she began dating in 2019; seen in 2021

Loved-up: The two got engaged in February 13, 2021, and they tied the knot in a lavish multi-day ceremony in November 2021; seen in 2022

But her most lasting romance was with the entrepreneur Carter Reum, whom she began dating in 2019. 

The two got engaged in February 13, 2021, and they tied the knot in a lavish multi-day ceremony in November 2021.

On Tuesday, Paris revealed that she and Carter had welcomed their first child together.

She confirmed to People that she had welcomed a baby boy via a surrogate.

‘It’s always been my dream to be a mother and I’m so happy that Carter and I found each other,’ she told the publication. ‘We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy.’ 

First-time mother: On Tuesday, Paris revealed that she and Carter had welcomed their first child together. She confirmed to People that she had welcomed a baby boy via a surrogate