Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie Recall 'Toxic' and 'Traumatizing' Media Attention at Height of Fame

At 43 years old, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have grown well out of their party days and are both mothers and wives. But in a new Glamour interview, the businesswomen and socialites reflected on the "toxic" and "traumatizing" media attention that followed them in their early 20s.

Hilton and Richie are starring in a new Peacock three-part special Paris & Nicole: The Encore, a spinoff of their early 2000s show The Simple Life. At the time, gossip tabloids ran rampant about their dating lives, Hilton's sex tape, and alleged substance abuse.

"There would be a lot of nights I’d cry and I’d call my mom. I’d be like, 'This is not even true,'" Hilton told Glamour when asked about "vile stuff" the women read about themselves.

"But it also made me so strong where after a while I just realized these are people who don’t even know me, they’re just making stories up," she continued. "The people who love and know me know the truth. And you just have to try to ignore it. So that’s why I feel the girls today are so lucky that that doesn’t happen anymore. It’s very, very traumatizing to have to live through."

Richie said that the rumors took a "heavier toll" on her than she had thought at the time.

"But looking back, I can see how big of an effect it played on my daily life and my daily choices," she continued. "But it’s also been such a strong motivation for me to own my own voice and my own narrative. And it makes me really proud of women that we’ve come such a long way to say, 'That’s actually not OK.'"

Hilton has two 1-year-olds London and Phoenix, and Richie shares daughter Harlow, 16, and son Sparrow, 15, with Good Charlotte's Benji Madden. Richie called the experience of being the mother to two teens "wild and fun."

"I just so clearly remember what it’s like to be a teenager. It feels like it happened yesterday for me. And they know everything I did," the fashion designer said.

"I knew before I had them that I was going to have to be transparent with them about who I was. And I’ve actually found freedom in that. I didn’t want my kids having some big discovery about me. And I’ve always been very open and honest with my kids and hope that they are open and honest with me."

Although Hilton and Richie have been inseparable since childhood, rumors of the women feuding reportedly began around 2005, two years before The Simple Life ended with a fifth season. The two have since been on good terms, and Richie even attended Hilton's 2021 wedding to Carter Reum.

Paris & Nicole premieres Dec. 12 on Peacock.