Paris Hilton has revealed why she didn’t hesitate to defend her 10-month-old son, Phoenix, from comments about his appearance.
The 42-year-old actor spoke candidly about her tactics as a mother – days after announcing the surprise birth of her second baby, London, with husband Carter Reum – during a recent interview with People. Her comments come weeks after she first hit back at fan remarks and speculation about the size of Phoenix’s head.
During her interview with People, published on 28 November, Hilton said that her “mama bear instincts” came out when she first addressed commentary about her son. She continued to explain why she defended her son, before noting that she was surprised by the criticism surrounding his appearance.
“Usually, I wouldn’t even dignify anything like that with a response, but I was just heartbroken that there are such cruel people in the world,” Hilton explained. “I couldn’t believe that they could be mean and vicious about a little innocent baby.”
She then sent a message to critics, stating that she “feels sorry” for anyone who would bully a child online. "They’re that miserable in their lives that they would go and speak about a child in such a way,” she said.
The Paris In Love star also expressed her gratitude to people on social media who defended her son amid the commentary about his appearance.
"It makes me feel so grateful knowing that there’s so many people in the world that love and support me,” she said. “Sticking up for me meant the world to me, and to have people looking out for Phoenix in that way, it meant a lot.”
She continued to describe how moved she was by “messages from people saying how much they love Phoenix and how beautiful he is”. She also praised the fans who encouraged her to avoid listening “to trolls”.
“That just meant a lot to me, to see how much love there is for me and my son,” Hilton continued. “So anyone reading this, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate everyone looking out for us.”
In October, Hilton first hit back at the criticism on TikTok, after her Instagram photos of her son’s first trip to New York City went viral. In the comments of a TikTok video, which defended Hilton and her son, she wrote: “There are some sick people in this world. My angel is perfectly healthy.”
The mogul added: “And yes, of course he has been to a doctor, he just has a large brain.”
Last week, Hilton took to Instagram on Thanksgiving Day to announce the arrival of her second child with Reum: a baby girl. She revealed the news by posting a photo of a pink pyjama set with the name “London” inscribed on the Peter Pan collared top.
“Thankful for my baby girl,” the DJ captioned the post. She also placed a pair of hot pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a brown, knitted toy bunny alongside the pyjama set.
During an interview on Today, which aired on 27 November, Hilton spoke candidly about becoming a parent of two with her husband. “She is just a little angel and my life just feels so complete with my little baby boy and my baby girl,” Hilton said. “We’re just over the moon.”
When asked how her journey to motherhood compares to previous chapters of her life, the reality TV star candidly admitted: “I’m loving my mom era. I feel just so at peace, so happy, so grateful for my husband and this beautiful family and life that we’re building together.”
