Kathy Hilton Paris Hilton
LOS ANGELES – JUNE 12: Grand Marshall Paris Hilton (L) and her mother Kathy Hilton ride on the float at the 2005 West Hollywood Gay Pride Parade, June 12, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Getty Images)

In the ’90s, the Hilton family were at the height on high society in Manhattan and naturally a flood of media attention would follow. Kathy Hilton used this to her advantage and obtained intel from paparazzi and journalists of the New York Post to track down Paris Hilton on a night out.

Speaking on the SiriusXM Lunch with Bruce podcast, she recalled spending countless nights unable to sleep, wondering where her daughter was.

“I used to call the city desk at the New York Post,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star told the outlet. “I would call the city desk and say at 1 in the morning, ‘Excuse me, hi, it’s Kathy Hilton. Uh, do you by any chance know Paris, where she is right now?’”

“Usually, they’d be able to track exactly,” Hilton added. “‘She was seen at 11:47 [p.m.] or 12:43 [a.m.] at O Bar or this [spot].’”

Kathy Hilton Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton, Kathy Hilton and Nicky Hilton during amfAR’s 11th Annual Boathouse Rocks at Tavern on the Green at Tavern on the Green in Central Park in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)

The 62-year-old revealed how worried she’d become when Paris went M.I.A. “How about for two days not knowing where your daughter is, and once hearing blood-curdling screaming, and then the phone hangs up,” she recalled. “There’s a lot of stuff people don’t know. And I did get some flack. Well, trust me. I did what I had to do.”

The reality star seemingly refers to her decision to send Paris to Provo Canyon School in Utah where her daughter has since accused former staff of horrific physical abuse. In the recent documentary, This Is Paristhe 40-year-old alleges being subject to unnecessary medications, abuse and placed naked, in solitary confinement for a period of 20 hours.

“They just thought it was a normal boarding school,” Paris told Hollywood Life in a 2020 interview. “I think a lot of parents just have no idea what’s happening at these places, but there’s serious abuse that’s happening.”

In March 2021, Paris testified on a bill that was passed to “increase oversight” and reform residential care for troubled teenagers in the state of Utah.