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Kim Kardashian Is Right — Paris Hilton Really Is “Forever the OG” Reality TV Queen
Before the Kardashians took over the world of reality TV more than a decade ago, there was one star who had already invented the art of “being famous for being famous.” Of course, we’re talking about Paris Hilton — who singlehandedly paved the way for the Kardashian-Jenner clan and their insane success in showbiz. Kim Kardashian seemingly showed her appreciation for Paris and all her hard work by choosing her as one of the new faces for husband Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 6 clothing line.
The Selfish author, 37, posted a string of photos of her former boss — yes, Kim once worked as Paris’ assistant and closet organizer and OMG we can’t stop LOL’ing — wearing several outfits from the collection on Instagram on Tuesday, Jan. 30. “#YeezySeason6 #ParisHilton #ForeverTheOG,” she captioned the post.
And Kim’s not wrong. Paris is the OG of turning a personality into a multimillion dollar brand. In case you forgot how Paris became one of the most beloved It Girls in pop culture history, Life & Style is here to refresh your memory. Years before Keeping Up With the Kardashians premiered on E!, Paris, now 36, gained notoriety in 2003 thanks to her first reality series, The Simple Life, and a non-consenting starring role in the sex tape 1 Night in Paris.
One year before The Simple Life — which co-starred Paris’ then-bestie, Nicole Richie —
wrapped its five-season run in 2007, the hotel heiress slowed down on her reality TV endeavors and started focusing her efforts on music. In 2006, she dropped her self-titled debut album, a true pop opus laden with auditory blessings — including her first single, “Stars Are Blind,” which peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Paris and Kim in 2007. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
After making a splash as a recording artist, Paris went on to appear in two other successful reality series. She starred on MTV’s Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, which ran for two seasons in the U.S. in 2008 and 2009, and launched international editions of the show in the U.K. and Dubai in 2009. Her eight-part Oxygen docuseries, The World According to Paris, premiered in 2011.
Though reality TV definitely helped Paris build her empire, she is hoping to officially shed the “spoiled, materialistic, bratty” persona she created specifically for the cameras. “I have really grown past that,” the entrepreneur and perfume mogul — who has released more than 20 fragrances throughout her career — told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016. “Now I mostly focus on my empire and my brand, rather than everything else that comes with the reality star kind of life…I spend my time working rather than just enjoying myself and being on vacation.”
In response to speculation that she is upset with Kim for stealing her thunder, Paris has insisted that those rumors couldn’t be further from the truth. “That’s never been true. We’ve been friends since we were little girls, and we’ll always be friends,” she told In Touch in 2015. “I’m happy for her and her beautiful family — and very proud. She’s killin’ it.”
