Paris Hilton Says Mom Kathy ‘Changes the Subject’ When She Brings Up Alleged Boarding School Abuse

Paris Hilton is continuing to open up about her violent experience at a Utah boarding school — and how it’s affected her family.

via People:

During Thursday’s episode of her Peacock series Paris in Love, the entrepreneur and DJ took a break from wedding planning to catch up with younger brother Barron Jr. 

During their conversation, Barron, 32, brought up Paris’ YouTube Originals documentary, This Is Paris, in which she spoke for the first time about the alleged abuse she suffered as a teenager at the Provo Canyon School. Since the documentary’s release in September 2020, the star has been working to reform institutions that administer cruel psychiatric treatment to minors.

“I just want to say how proud I am of you, for the documentary, for you being able to share something so personal, something that I didn’t even know about,” Barron said. 

“When I was 16, we moved to New York. I started sneaking out at night, ditching school. My parents got really scared, so they sent me to a boarding school,” Paris then recalled to the cameras. “They didn’t realize it was pure torture camp. I was verbally, physically, emotionally, psychologically abused on a daily basis.”

In a statement to PEOPLE last year, the school noted that it changed ownership in August 2000, after Paris was a student. “We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to that time,” the statement read. “We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric needs.”

In her conversation with Barron, Paris said their mom Kathy Hilton was hesitant to talk to her about the alleged abuse, but added that she understands why her parents were worried about her behavior as a teenager. 

“Do you feel like you got closure from Mom and Dad?” Barron later asked. 

“I just feel like they just don’t want to think about it, just like I didn’t want to think about it and didn’t talk about it for 20 years,” Paris replied. “It’s painful to think about, to like, open that up.”

“Every time I bring up Provo, my mom changes the subject,” she added to the cameras. “I don’t want to hurt her feelings, I don’t want to upset her.”

Barron suggested Paris sit down with Kathy, 62, and their dad Richard. “Just let them know how you feel,” he advised.

“They don’t like talking about things — you know, Mom is just so fun and chill, she doesn’t really like to get serious,” Paris said. “I’ve never really had a serious, deep conversation about things like that. She doesn’t like to think about that. She just likes to be happy. I don’t want to kill her vibe.”

“That could be worth exploring,” Barron commented.

Paris then revealed that her parents had yet to watch her documentary. 

“I know that my parents feel bad and regret sending me to Provo, but I don’t think that they really understand what I went through because they never watched the documentary,” she told the cameras. “So they don’t really know all the details.” 

“I wish we could just one day sit down and have a real conversation. For so long, since I was a teenager, I’ve really been just holding all this in,” she continued. “And I’m about to get married and I really just wish we could just talk about it so I can just let it go. Because I feel like I don’t know if I’ll fully ever release this unless we speak about it.”

It sounds like they may need to all sit down for one big therapy session and get it over with.