Paris Hilton Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What Is Paris Hilton’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $300 million, Paris Hilton is an American heiress, model, entrepreneur, socialite, and actress. Being the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton Hotel chain, she has also built her own wealth through a highly successful product and endorsement empire, particularly flourishing in international markets. Her current licensing empire boasts retail outlets worldwide that offer Paris-branded merchandise including clothing, handbags, perfumes, and more. So far, she has endorsed 17 different fragrances, accumulating over $2 billion in gross revenue. The lion’s share of Paris’ wealth can be attributed to her fragrance royalties, from which she likely earns a 20-30% commission on profits.

Costing Her Family Billions

Reportedly, Paris Hilton’s grandfather Barron was so embarrassed by his granddaughter’s behavior that he revised his will in 2007, directing 97% of his $4.5 billion fortune to charitable causes rather than to family members. As a result, instead of approximately two dozen inheritors each receiving $190 million from the total estate, they ended up sharing only 3% of that amount, translating to a total inheritance of $135 million or roughly $5.6 million per individual.

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Early Life

Born on February 17, 1981, in New York City, Paris Whitney Hilton is the offspring of Kathy Hilton, a former actress and socialite, and Richard Hilton, a businessman. As the eldest of four children, she has a well-known socialite sister, Nicky Hilton. Her paternal great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton, was the founder of Hilton Hotels. The family frequently relocated, alternating between a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Beverly Hills. During her upbringing, Paris mingled with peers such as Ivanka Trump, Nicole Richie, and Kim Kardashian. The Hilton family maintained a close friendship with Michael Jackson, often attending his performances. She attended the Professional Children’s School at age 15 before spending a year at the Provo Canyon School for youth experiencing emotional difficulties, ultimately earning her GED.

Modeling

Paris Hilton ventured into modeling during her elementary school years and soon thereafter signed with T Management. She has participated in various advertising campaigns, working with top agencies like Ford Models and brands including Guess, Christian Dior, and Marciano. By 2001, she was actively modeling and gaining media attention for her vibrant lifestyle as well as high-profile relationships with actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, earning the title of New York’s Leading IT Girl. Paris has continued her modeling career into adulthood; in January 2018, she modeled for Kanye West’s Yeezy 6 Collection, and in February 2019, she took part in Phillip Plein’s Plein Sport campaign.

Sex Tape and The Simple Life

In November 2003, an unauthorized sex tape with Paris and her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon leaked online. Salomon marketed and distributed the video under the title “1 Night in Paris” in April 2004, profiting immensely while Paris proceeded with a lawsuit against him. The case was settled amicably out of court, with Hilton reportedly receiving $400,000 from the affair.

Only three weeks post the scandalous video’s release, Hilton debuted her first reality television show. Joining forces with childhood friend Nicole Richie, she launched “The Simple Life,” an amusing reality series spotlighting socialites attempting to acclimatize to the “real world” by undertaking blue-collar jobs and rudimentary tasks like milk extraction. Although there was trepidation that the sex tape scandal would cripple the show before it began, it ultimately soared in popularity. The duo’s newfound fame opened many doors: Paris was recruited by Guess to feature in three international ad campaigns and made a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” where Jimmy Fallon lightheartedly interviewed her regarding the Salomon tape scandal. “The Simple Life” enjoyed five successful seasons with solid ratings, being acknowledged for its humor and self-awareness. Paris became a pivotal figure in the initial rise of reality TV. Over time, she has made guest appearances in several shows and held minor film roles, such as in “The World According to Paris,” “Hollywood Love Story,” “This Is Paris,” along with more recent projects like “Cooking with Paris” and “Paris in Love.”

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Other Ventures

Hilton co-authored “Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Cheek Peek Behind the Pose” in 2004 with author Merle Ginsberg. While the book received unfavorable reviews from critics, it nevertheless reached the “New York Times” best-seller list. During this time, she also began developing her perfume line and a nightclub franchise. By late 2005, Hilton was focusing on designing her own jewelry line and subsequently released another book titled “Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All To Me.” Additionally, in 2006, she launched her own record label and published her debut self-titled album. In the early 2010s, she embraced a career in DJing, eventually being recognized as the highest-paid female DJ by “Time” magazine in 2014.

In 2022, Hilton unveiled a tracksuit collection, collaborated with Quay Australia for a sunglasses line, and became part of the YouTube animated web series “Rainbow High.” The following year, she published “Paris: The Memoir” and hosts the “I am Paris” podcast on iHeartRadio.

Persona and Media Presence

The media spotlight surrounding Hilton has largely focused on her image as a party-loving heiress and the stereotypes of being a “dumb blonde,” “valley girl,” and artificiality. She became known for catchy one-liners that resonated within pop culture, particularly her signature phrase, “That’s hot.” This carefully constructed persona was not without its complications; as she sought respect as a businesswoman, this branding sometimes hindered her career. The period from 2003 to 2009 is often characterized as her “heyday.” In 2007, “The Huffington Post” declared it the start of a transformative phase for her.