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Piers Morgan Live

Interview with Paris and Kathy Hilton

Aired May 31, 2011 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Tonight, before there was Kim or Lindsay, there was Paris. And you might say we've got -- well, a little bit of history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARIS HILTON: Hi, Piers. It's me, Paris.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: You probably think you knew everything about Paris Hilton. But this is the other Paris, the one that you don't know.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

P. HILTON: I haven't seen you since we got married in Vegas. Good times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Ms. Hilton's made her share of headlines, and she's never told the real story -- until tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

P. HILTON: Piers, a girl's got to have some secrets, but I'll tell you everything. After all, we were married, sort of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Paris Hilton and her fabulous life, her loves, those scandals, and what her mother thinks of the whole shebang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY HILTON: Paris, did you really marry, Piers?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Paris and Kathy Hilton tell it all.

This is PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

(MUSIC)

MORGAN: Kathy, Paris, welcome. K. HILTON: Thank you.

MORGAN: How are you both?

K. HILTON: Very good.

P. HILTON: Really good.

MORGAN: Do you feel like you've been to the lion's den a bit tonight?

P. HILTON: A little bit.

MORGAN: Why?

P. HILTON: I always get nervous in interviews, especially being on CNN.

MORGAN: Why? Why CNN?

P. HILTON: Because it's just, you know, a very serious place and you make me nervous.

MORGAN: Do you think people take you seriously.

P. HILTON: When people know me they do.

MORGAN: Would you like to be taken more seriously?

P. HILTON: I would. Definitely.

MORGAN: Why would it be important to you, given your brand, I'm sure you'd admit this, has built around being a ditzy blonde? Why would you care about being taken seriously?

P. HILTON: Because I feel like I've really grown in the past couple of years, I just turned 30, I'm an adult, and I feel that I deserve it.

MORGAN: I want to play your mother a clip that she may know the scene before to illustrate her role in this little triangle. You know where I'm going here.

Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now pronounce you husband and wife. Piers, you may kiss your wife.

MORGAN: Thanks.

(MUSIC)

P. HILTON: Remember Piers, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but I'm keeping the ring. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: So, Kathy, we were actually married. I don't know whether you knew that.

K. HILTON: I did hear about this --

MORGAN: And we also -- we also committed the worst kiss in television history. It was like two bullfrogs colliding.

But just to put your mind to rest, we're not legally married, it was an exercise for a documentary I was making about Vegas, about all those chapel weddings and stuff. But it was quite fun, because you've never been in a wedding dress, have you? That was it.

P. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: The one and only time. How did it make you feel?

P. HILTON: It was exciting. It was fun. You know, I think everyone has to get married in Vegas at least once.

MORGAN: What -- what I remember most about that day I spent with you is that you had these two voices and a bit like your friend, Michael Jackson -- you knew him very well. Very high-pitched sort of quite silly voice, for part of it, which was the brand if you like, and then the moment I talked about business, boom, your voice dropped a few octaves and then I somehow a completely different Paris Hilton. And Michael Jackson was the same, wasn't he? He had these two voices.

K. HILTON: It's more about being shy, believe it or not.

MORGAN: Oh. But they both did that.

K. HILTON: They go -- they go to that place.

MORGAN: Are you saying Paris is shy?

K. HILTON: She can be.

MORGAN: Really? You can be shy?

P. HILTON: Yes, I am.

MORGAN: I find that almost impossible to believe.

P. HILTON: It's hard to believe but it's true.

MORGAN: Why are you here?

P. HILTON: Here with you?

MORGAN: What place do you need to be?

P. HILTON: Because I missed you.

(LAUGHTER)

MORGAN: That is perfectly understandable. But, actually, you're here to promote something because you wouldn't do it otherwise, would you? Part of your brand that you control pretty ruthlessly and I -- nothing wrong with that -- is you -- you come on to promote stuff. What are you promoting?

P. HILTON: I'm here for "The World According To Paris," which is my new TV show.

MORGAN: I love that title. "The World According To Paris." How interested are you in the world?

P. HILTON: Very.

MORGAN: Are you? Are you interested in world affairs?

P. HILTON: Yes, I am.

MORGAN: Genuinely?

P. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: When you see what's going on in the Middle East and stuff like that, do you have a -- do you have a healthy interest or does that kind of stuff not really touch your life?

P. HILTON: Well, I have so much going on in my life. But yes, I do pay attention to what's going on in the world. But I also focus a lot on my business.

MORGAN: Kathy, you're in this TV show quite a lot.

K. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: What's it like being Paris Hilton's mom?

K. HILTON: It's been quite an experience. It's been quite a ride I must say.

MORGAN: I mean, she's a phenomenon of modern times, you know there's kind of -- there aren't many others like you. I mean, in Britain, we have Katie Price, I guess, someone like that. Here you have the Kardashians and others, people who have become famous for being famous. I hope you don't find that an offensive term and no reason why you should, but built these incredible business empires around being a brand.

K. HILTON: I think with Paris, to me, she's just my daughter, until we're out somewhere in public, and I see all of the craziness. One day, we were in Las Vegas, and we were supposed to meet at this store in the mall and I had stopped at another store first and I saw all of these policemen with bats and the clubs and like this craziness like a prize fighter was coming out, and all the people -- that's Paris Hilton. And, it was weird because I couldn't even get to my own -- they were running by, I couldn't even get to my own daughter. MORGAN: Because the media --

K. HILTON: Then you stop and look at that and go wow, that's intense.

MORGAN: I've seen the same thing. I went to one of your fragrance launches and it was just madness, I mean mayhem down there. But, it seems to be because the media likes to ridicule you, also loves to feed off you. I see that as a former newspaper editor, you know, you used to sell papers and yet, at the same time nothing we used to like more than mocking Paris Hilton.

Do you find that easy to deal with? Are you happy with that relationship with the media?

P. HILTON: You know, it used to really bother me when I first came out in the media when I was 15 years old. It was really hurtful and, you know, I cried to my mom about it. But it's been happening for so long now that I just don't pay attention. I have so many positive amazing things in my life that I don't really like to focus on negative things.

MORGAN: Do you Google yourself?

P. HILTON: Not really. My publicist will send me articles.

MORGAN: If you -- if you came on "America's Got Talent," what would your -- what would your talent be?

P. HILTON: Singing.

MORGAN: Can you -- yes, you can sing. You've made an album.

P. HILTON: I'm recording my new album right now, too.

MORGAN: Are you getting you're a serious singer or are you a brand singer, as an extension of your brand?

P. HILTON: It's just part of my brand. I see myself as a businesswoman and a brand. And singing is just something that adds to my brand.

MORGAN: Well, that's funny. I wanted to interview the Kardashians. We got a bit of flack on the show for doing that, because people said, why are you interviewing them for CNN? But I find this -- this phenomenon really fascinating, the fact that you can build this empire, this brand out of being you, whether people like you or not, or take you seriously or not is almost immaterial.

The fact is that millions and millions of people around the world live their lives vicariously through you and are fascinated. Otherwise, you wouldn't have this business.

I mean, Kathy, what do you think of modern fame in that sense, that you can actually see your daughter, Paris, not going through a conventional talent like acting or any of those kind of things, but just being Paris Hilton and making all this money?

K. HILTON: Well, it's -- it's been, as you said, a long time in the making and she does work so hard. It's a lot of work and traveling and so -- and she's very dedicated.

MORGAN: Do you worry about her?

K. HILTON: I used to but I really don't as much anymore. I'm a lot calmer now.

MORGAN: Because she's behaving better?

K. HILTON: She's behaving better and she's grown up and she's been through a lot.

MORGAN: Amazing to me that you said you feel like you're an adult now, but that's because you turned 30. But you're aware you become an adult at 18?

P. HILTON: Yes.

K. HILTON: But she's still like a little girl. And that, I think, is one of the very attractive sweet qualities that she has.

MORGAN: Why -- why do people --

K. HILTON: I can scold her and yell at her and she'll be like -- OK, mom.

MORGAN: Why are people so fascinated by Paris, do you think?

K. HILTON: I think that, you know, she has a famous last name. She's very attractive. She is daring. She is willing to go out there and then if she stumbles, she picks herself right back up and dusts herself off. And she's very ambitious.

And a lot of people look at her and say, well, why does she have to go and do anything?

MORGAN: She didn't have to.

K. HILTON: She's a strong character.

Well, that's what I say when I defend you to people. Because I'm a bit of a fan of yours because I like the work ethic, like I do with the Kardashians and others. I think people work hard --

P. HILTON: That's right.

MORGAN: And they work on creating and developing a brand. They make lots of money. I see you in no different light to a business person at all and to some tycoon running a retail business, whatever.

It's the same principle. You're still involved in developing and marketing and promoting and making money from a brand, so I get that. But it seems to me -- you said that in "The Simple Life," it wasn't really you. Is this show that we're now going to see more of the real Paris do you think?

P. HILTON: This show is all real, everything that happens and it was like I was finally ready to show who I really was and I'm really honest in the show. And there's a lot of things in the show I can't even believe I'm going to let air. But I want it to be as real as possible and people to get to know me.

So, I feel like there's so many misconceptions out there.

MORGAN: What are the misconceptions about you?

P. HILTON: Oh, I think there's definitely a lot, just having the last name Hilton, people assume that everything was handed to me and I've never had to work a day in my life. But, in reality, I've worked so hard, I've done this all on my own and I don't take anything from my family, I do everything by myself.

MORGAN: Now, that is laudable. There's no question.

K. HILTON: And also, she's not as -- she's kind of thrifty in her own way. I think the public has this perception that she has no regard for money and she's spoiled rotten, and I remember she used -- she and Nicky wanted cell phones when we moved to New York and I was like there's no way, you're 15 and 13, you're not getting cell phones. Well, everybody else has one and she tried to explain that it's for safety reasons.

So, finally, after about six months, I gave in and, you know, and then she'd lose the cell phone, they're like, that's over. But, I think that the public or the media has run with that so much and it's so not true.

MORGAN: Well, lots of girls in your position, you know, come from the Hilton family, would have probably just not bothered working at all. You didn't need to. And that's what I mean about saying it's laudable what you've actually done with your life because, again, whether people like you or not doesn't really matter. It's the fact that you work -- you do work hard, you know?

And I can admire the ethic there that comes from somebody who has every reason, if you wanted to, just to do nothing at all. How much of that goes down to your parents?

P. HILTON: Just growing up my parents never spoiled us. They always made us want to do something on our own. I think I have a name where I have a lot to live up to and I didn't want to just be known as the Hilton granddaughter. I wanted to build my own empire and do something on my own. And I think it's just something that runs in my blood, wanting to be creative and do big things.

K. HILTON: I want to interrupt to say that my husband is self- made, and I met him when I was 15, he was 19, and we got married four years later, and we had Paris a year later and lived in a tiny little apartment. And if you saw a picture of it you would not believe it.

And, we have done everything on our own. And, yes, you have a name, but the door can be shut right in your face, too.

MORGAN: Do you get frustrated -- it sounds to me like you do, about this kind of sense that you've just been born into all this, that you're all just a bunch of rich socialites.

K. HILTON: Yes. It is. It is to me, frustrating. But, the people that know us know the truth.

MORGAN: How would you categorize the Hiltons?

K. HILTON: Family?

MORGAN: Family. Yes, in terms of values.

K. HILTON: They have incredible values, my father-in-law, my mother-in-law is now gone. All of my brother and sister-in-laws, I have seven brother and sister-in-laws, everybody is very honorable. They wouldn't lie to you. They're -- they don't brag. They are an incredible -- I mean, I really respect them.

MORGAN: We're going to take a short break. And when we come back, I want to talk to you, Paris, about the moment that catapulted you into the celebrity stratosphere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Back with my special guests, Paris and Kathy Hilton.

Now, let's cut to the quick here. Your career was toddling along quite nicely and then came this infamous sex tape, and you were suddenly catapulted into this completely different league of modern celebrity.

Take me back to, I don't want to labor the point on this, but take me -- but the moment you knew this was all going to go public. How did you actually feel?

P. HILTON: I was in shock. I had no idea and we were in Australia when we heard the news that someone had been sent a clip, one of the entertainment shows, and I didn't believe it at first. And then when I landed back in LA is when I saw what happened, and I was -- it was the most embarrassing, humiliating thing that has ever happened to me in my life.

MORGAN: Did you call your mum?

P. HILTON: Yes, I did. I was so embarrassed to even call her and tell her about it.

MORGAN: How do you begin to tell your mother about that? I can't imagine.

P. HILTON: I just called her crying.

MORGAN: Do you remember, Kathy?

K. HILTON: You know, I don't. It's all like a fog right now, and it was a very difficult time.

MORGAN: I mean, awful. I mean, although --

K. HILTON: To keep her home for like three months straight, you know it had to have been very embarrassing.

MORGAN: Which is what you had to do as a family to try and protect Paris.

K. HILTON: Well, she would not leave the house. I mean, she was -- so it was very -- and we lived in New York too. So, wherever you are going, there are those boxes with the newspapers with "The New York Post," "The Daily News" and it was constantly, you know, I'd have to take my sons to school and walk them in and it would be sitting on the front, you know, at the reception desk.

MORGAN: I mean, nothing worse for a mother, I wouldn't have thought -- to see her daughter exposed in that way and however much people laughed at you, Paris, over it all, I know from talking to you before about it, this is, you know, it's an incredibly invasive thing for any woman to have to go through. You're not in the adult entertainment industry. So, it's not for public consumption. And, obviously, I'm sure you regret ever putting anything on tape like that but that still doesn't merit what happened.

P. HILTON: No.

MORGAN: How did you get her back on track?

K. HILTON: We had therapy and I think that that really helped.

MORGAN: What do you say to someone who was in Paris's position? What can you say?

K. HILTON: I didn't know what to say. So, that's why I reached out for professional help. And also to be able so, you know, to help so I could explain to my sons and, Nicky -- you know, the whole family was affected, my husband.

MORGAN: What did you think of the people that put it out there? Honestly.

K. HILTON: Well, let's just, you know, I don't like -- not good.

P. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: What do you feel about them now?

P. HILTON: I just -- just felt so betrayed. This was not some random guy. This was someone I was with for a few years.

MORGAN: That you loved?

P. HILTON: I thought I did and I can't believe that he would do something like that to me. It's something that changed my life forever. You know, and I was a little girl, I looked up to people like Princess Diana and these women, and I feel like he took that away from me.

This is not what I planned. I didn't want to be known as that, and now, when people look at me they think that I'm something I'm not just because of one incident one night with someone who I was in love with. People assume -- oh, she's a slut just because of one thing that happened to me and it's hard because I'll never -- I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life and explain it to my children.

And it's -- it's something that's changed my life forever and I'll never be able to erase it.

MORGAN: I mean, the -- the worst thing about it, it seemed to me and I can tell how -- how upsetting this is for you, Kathy, I totally understand that -- is the worst thing for both of you the fact that the Internet, which in many ways --

K. HILTON: Do you have a tissue?

MORGAN: Yes. Do you want to take a little break?

K. HILTON: No, it's OK, just --

MORGAN: We'll get you -- we'll get you a tissue. We'll get you a tissue, don't worry. You OK, Kathy? There you go. Leave -- leave the box here so we've got -- yes.

Is the worst thing about this the fact that the internet, which, in many ways has helped you become this huge star, not -- nothing to do with this tape, just generally you use -- you know, you use the media and the Internet is a very useful tool for you with your Web site and everything else. The worse thing for both of you, is it this is always going to be there, one click away.

K. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: You know, I could type in, you know, Paris Hilton sex tape on Google and up it comes.

P. HILTON: Right.

MORGAN: You know, just page after page of links to this tape. You can never extinguish it. It's there -- it's there forever. And like you said, you know, you're going to have children one day, your grandchildren, they're going to -- they're going to be able to find this and they will find it and they will see it. I mean, I can't imagine how awful that must be.

K. HILTON: It's just stupid and we didn't have cameras like that when I was a teenager or we weren't -- you know, you just can't take pictures and do stupid things, even with somebody that you're with because you just never know. And, Paris, that's the one thing that really drives me crazy about her is she's so trusting and daring and I think she's learned, too.

And, also, when you asked me how we reacted with her. She knew -- she was as hurt as we were and seeing us in pain and seeing her in pain it was just like we all came together and were just supporting each other.

MORGAN: I mean, extraordinarily, I see people now --

K. HILTON: And it doesn't go away, I mean, that is something that will always --

MORGAN: I see people now, you know, pretty low-ranking celebrities who I suspect are almost deliberately creating sex tapes and putting them out there.

K. HILTON: Like it's some recipe.

MORGAN: Yes -- like it's almost part of becoming a celebrity.

K. HILTON: Well, I can say this -- Paris already had, you know, 14 or 12 or 14 pages in "Vanity Fair." I think that we have to give Donald Trump and also Graydon Carter from "Vanity Fair" some credit because they both -- you know, Donald actually was handling her modeling career and talked us into even allowing her, because we were friends with him. So, he really started her out and then Graydon spotted her, you know, in New York and -- and did this whole story on her.

So, that really was when people started to see, you know --

MORGAN: Yes, I mean, certainly the tape wasn't the first that we'd heard of you. You were -- you were building a very nice career for yourself. "Vanity Fair" was a key part of it, I know that. Having Donald Trump supporting you as a model -- very, very important given all his relationship with all the pageantry, the beauty contests, and so on, and he's a powerful ally to have.

When this whole tape thing blew up, what did Donald Trump say to you?

P. HILTON: He was furious.

K. HILTON: Oh, he was angry.

P. HILTON: He was really angry.

MORGAN: Did he give any advice on how to deal with it?

K. HILTON: Dad and I talked with him mostly.

P. HILTON: Yes, mostly, they talked.

K. HILTON: He would just see, you know, when he'd see Paris, hug her and go I love you and, you know --

P. HILTON: He was so supportive.

K. HILTON: Really supportive.

MORGAN: When you see your mother this upset by it, it must -- it must really upset you, doesn't it? It upsets me, and I'm not one of the family. You know, it's hurtful to see any mother be this upset by something like that.

P. HILTON: It is. It's something that we don't talk about.

K. HILTON: We don't ever talk about it.

P. HILTON: I try not to think about it. And, yes, it's something that we just don't talk about.

MORGAN: We're going to take a break and give a little bit of time to have a breather here. When we come back, I want to talk to you about fame, about celebrity, about what we can clearly see can occasionally be a pretty bad downside to the upside that comes with being famous.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Back now with Kathy and Paris Hilton -- obviously, a very emotional part of the interview just now.

It made me think, hard really, about modern fame, whether it's really worth it and, obviously, it's very lucrative to you, Paris, and the family, I guess, benefits from some of the fun stuff because of being very famous. But, when I see your mom in that state, I see a downside, which is clearly there.

What do you think of the whole fame game now that you've had enough time to be in it for a while?

P. HILTON: Well, I've been doing this for 15 years now, so half of my life and there's it's up and downs. It's hard sometimes. There are so many amazing things that go with it, but just like anything, there's the bad and the hard that goes with it, too.

MORGAN: What are those things that you wish you didn't have to put up with, other than what we've just discussed?

P. HILTON: One of the things is in the media, there's all these people who I've never met before, or maybe people from my past who want to sell stories and make money, so they'll make up these crazy stories and people believe them.

MORGAN: I'll play devil's advocate. I'll represent the media, which -- and I used to run two of the big newspapers in Britain and I would listen to you say that and say, come on Paris, I mean, you know, you play this game smartly. You play it aggressively. You use the media to make money.

You know how that argument comes the other way. Are you really -- this is a tough question, but it's an important one. Are you really entitled to any privacy given the amount of your private life that you put out there for commercial gain?

P. HILTON: Well, when you're in this business, this is what you sign up for. So there's going to be no privacy.

MORGAN: Is that a price worth paying, in the end? P. HILTON: Sometimes. Sometimes not.

K. HILTON: Unless you have really thick skin.

P. HILTON: I've really grown a thick skin over the years. And I've had so many things said about me. And it's hard, but I feel like what else could happen at this point? Everything bad that can happen to a person has happened to me.

K. HILTON: And if you try to correct it, then you're making it a bigger deal. But the new way with the media is they will call you and say we have a story and we have a deadline. And we're going with this. We got a source says blah, blah, blah. So do you want to comment or not?

And they know that it possibly isn't even true. But they will just go with it.

MORGAN: If I could offer you a deal where Paris didn't go through that door marked fame, as her mother now, would you take that deal and stop her doing that? Stop her becoming famous? She said she's got harder, which --

K. HILTON: If she didn't have to go through what we just talked about, yes, obviously. I mean, I did think she was going to be a veterinarian.

MORGAN: Did you?

K. HILTON: She was a tomboy. She didn't even care about clothing or any of that until we moved to New York.

MORGAN: You could have been a vet.

P. HILTON: That's what I wanted to be. I love animals. Since I was a little girl, it's always what I wanted to be.

MORGAN: Paris, you hang out with a lot of people like Lindsay Lohan and all those guys over the years, some of whom have really fallen badly.

P. HILTON: Yeah.

MORGAN: Why is that? Why do some manage to deal with the fame and fortune and celebrity and others just fall by the wayside? What do you think is behind that?

P. HILTON: I think it has a lot to do with your family. I am so fortunate that my parents have been together forever. They're so supportive. They're there for me. They love me for me.

And I think these other people, you know, their parents are living off of them and I don't know. They just don't have that home life. I don't know. If I didn't have my parents, I don't know where I'd be today. I feel very lucky to have my mom and dad. And I love you. K. HILTON: I love you.

MORGAN: I feel that. I think that is the truth, a lot of this. A lot of these people are damaged. You look at the parents, look at their upbringings. There's always something there. Often it's a lack of love. You'd be amazed the number of people I interview where they say they never got told by either parent or at least one of the parents that they love them, ever.

And it's almost like they go and crave it somewhere. And that craving leads to other cravings. And they become addictive personalities through this lack of basic human commodity, love.

P. HILTON: I have a lot of love. And my parents were very strict growing up. My mom, I think, was a little too strict. Made me rebel.

MORGAN: Do you think you were?

K. HILTON: Yes, I do.

MORGAN: Deliberately, do you think?

K. HILTON: Well, it was my first child, and I thought this is, you know, my little China cup. And I didn't want it to break. And I think I was probably too overbearing and strict. And that's why she would start to sneak out and --

MORGAN: The rest is history.

K. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: Kathy, when we come back, I want to talk to you about your very good friend, Michael Jackson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Back with the Hiltons. Kathy, this is fascinating. A lot of people claim to have known Michael Jackson. You actually went to high school with Michael Jackson. And you stayed close friends with him right until the end of his life.

And you've never really spoken about him much in public, not that I can see. Tell me about your relationship with him.

K. HILTON: We met when I was 13 and he was 14 and developed a friendship and a bond throughout the years. And we always kept in touch. And then when I moved to New York and he would come, and we'd always go to his concerts. And, you know, we started with -- we used to make prank phone calls together. And we were little kids.

We had a really great time. And then he came and visited when Paris was born. And then he ended up living at the --

MORGAN: He was there when Paris was first brought into this world. K. HILTON: She was just a few months old.

MORGAN: Really?

K. HILTON: He ended up moving into the Waldorf for six months when we were living there for eight years. And right before he died, he was at the Bel Air Hotel, where we were living while we were renovating our home. So he was there about three or four months.

So we got to spend, you know, great time.

MORGAN: We talk about misconceptions with Paris. What were the misconceptions about Michael, do you think?

K. HILTON: Well, there was not a kinder, more generous, loving, sweet, smart, smart -- I can't -- the most wonderful father. At the Bel Air, he did not have any nanny at all. And when I'd go to pick up the kids to take them somewhere, he'd be brushing their hair and buttoning up the sweater and just so warm and wonderful.

And I just -- I love him. His whole family, they're a really wonderful, beautiful family.

MORGAN: Where were you when you heard he died?

K. HILTON: I had just come back to the hotel.

MORGAN: How did you hear the news?

P. HILTON: My assistant told me. And I literally fell on the floor. And my sister came and picked me up and we went directly to the house, because I thought the children would be there.

MORGAN: Did you go to the hospital when you --

K. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: What was the scene there?

K. HILTON: The children and Mrs. Jackson and all the brothers and sisters and just everybody was in this room. And just crying and hugging each other and just in a daze.

And this is a father that was so with his children. He's dedicated since they were born to raising and being with them. And then Latoya and Randy took me in to say good-bye.

I think if I hadn't, I would never quite in my head believe. Because even though he's a friend, he was such a powerful person.

MORGAN: Was he still alive when you --

K. HILTON: No.

MORGAN: Did you say anything?

K. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: What did you say?

K. HILTON: I rubbed his head and his arms and his legs and his feet and I just -- I told him I love him so much and, you know, whispered some funny things to him, and that was it.

MORGAN: Incredibly sad end to his life, wasn't it?

K. HILTON: And he was so fabulous at the hotel. Up early every morning, playing with the kids. Really shocking.

MORGAN: Paris, did you know Michael well?

P. HILTON: Yeah, I grew up -- just my mom -- I remember -- one of the first memories I have of him was when my mom took us to the music video set of "Thriller." And we have the pictures still. I just always loved him. I used to go to his concerts and he'd bring my sister and I on stage and we'd sing up there.

I just always loved him so much. He was such an amazing man.

MORGAN: He said to me, Kathy, I'd like to go see Paris. I said, well, she's out of town. Well, I'd like to see her recording studio. And I said, OK, all right. And I said just jump in the car. It was like 8:30 at night.

I said we don't have to get any security right now. Let's just go. Rick will drive. You jump in the back. And so the kids came and we all went up and we were up there at Paris'.

And he loves to look at everything. So he's looking at all the pictures on the walls. And he loves art. And in her closet and at all her collections of Pinocchio and Tinkerbell and all that.

And he said she reminds me -- she -- she's -- what did he say? Something like, she reminds me sometimes a little of the way certain things that I like. And he loved the gold and the frames and --

P. HILTON: You took him in the studio.

K. HILTON: I took him in the studio and he got to see everything.

MORGAN: And he was an extraordinary talent, wasn't he? And he took your name, of course, for one of his children. How did that make you feel?

P. HILTON: I was honored.

MORGAN: Was it a direct result?

K. HILTON: You know, Latoya will tell you the story. When we were younger, we all would say that whoever has the first girl is going to name her Paris. And I had the first girl. So I got to do it first. And then when he had his daughter -- MORGAN: Have you seen the children much since he died?

K. HILTON: I saw them a couple weeks ago. We went out and had dinner. And I can't believe how big they are. We went over there about three weeks ago.

MORGAN: And are they being well looked after?

K. HILTON: Oh, are you kidding? They're in a new house and Mrs. Jackson is there. They have an incredible, beautiful home, great security. And we had a big family dinner. They went up and did their homework and came down and showed grandma and had their bath and said good night, grandma, I love you. And it was great to see them.

MORGAN: There's a kind of feeling because I guess of the impending court actions involving the doctor and his death and everything else, that he'd become sort of a pathetic character in the end, addicted to all this medication and so on. Is that an inaccurate portrayal, do you think?

K. HILTON: Well, I can tell you that when he was at the Bel Air Hotel, there was none -- there was none of that. Because I had -- he was right underneath where I was. And we talked all the time. In fact, if we would be going somewhere in the daytime, he'd say 1:00 down at the fountain. And if I was five minutes late, he was very on top of it.

And he was with his kids. I believe in my heart that as he got into the concert thing, it was hard for him to sleep probably. He was not a drug addict. He had a problem going to sleep.

I mean, this is not somebody that recreationally would abuse something and I guess the levels went up and up and up.

MORGAN: What do you think his legacy will be, Michael Jackson?

K. HILTON: Well, I think that now that he's gone, everybody realizes what a good person, all the wonderful things that he's done for charity. And it's interesting that we don't hear -- well, I won't get into any of that, but he's left three beautiful children.

MORGAN: Who will be his legacy, I think.

K. HILTON: Absolutely.

MORGAN: I'm going to take another break. When we come back, Paris, I want to talk about your business empire. Let's get to the nuts and bolts of how you ended up so stinking rich.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWS BREAK)

MORGAN: Back now with Paris and Kathy Hilton. I mean, I feel emotionally drained after this interview. Never mind you two. Let's try to lighten the load a bit. Let's talk about money. That always makes people smile, Paris.

K. HILTON: Not always.

MORGAN: No, that's true. You've got this extraordinary empire. Just talk me through what the empire consists of. How many current businesses do you have?

P. HILTON: I have 17 different product lines. So I do everything from fragrances, handbags, clothing, shoes, sunglasses, pet products, stationery, bedding. I do everything. I just launched my eleventh fragrance.

MORGAN: What kind of volumes do these sell, these things? Do you know? Do you keep a handle on it?

K. HILTON: I don't think you know that part.

P. HILTON: I do know. But I don't like to discuss money.

MORGAN: Why?

P. HILTON: I don't know. It's something my mom always taught me. It sounds obnoxious when people do that.

MORGAN: The most recent thing I read is you make about 10 million dollars a year. I would imagine it's more than that, isn't it?

P. HILTON: Yes.

K. HILTON: Don't talk about money or politics.

MORGAN: Is it a lot more?

P. HILTON: I do very well for myself. I'm very proud of what I --

MORGAN: "Don't talk about money or politics," your mother says.

K. HILTON: Both.

MORGAN: That's extraordinary. You're making this absurd amount of money.

P. HILTON: I'm feel really proud of what I've accomplished.

MORGAN: What is brand Paris? If you were pitching it to me, what do you personify?

P. HILTON: Fashion, fun, excitement, and amazing products. I really am passionate about every single thing I do. And I really believe in everything. And I worked very hard to achieve all this.

MORGAN: Do you know what you're worth? Do you keep a close eye on the money?

K. HILTON: That I bet she does. We're little cheapy cheapskates here.

MORGAN: You do?

K. HILTON: Don't to every what's this -- what's this --

P. HILTON: I don't like to be taken advantage of. I feel like people when they think you have money, they like to take advantage.

K. HILTON: -- me to do her dirty work. You've got to call her and tell her.

MORGAN: How do you trust men? Given what happened before that we discussed earlier and given you're now incredibly rich? I wish when we got married, I had signed a bit of paper. I'd be worth a lot of money. How do you trust men?

P. HILTON: It's about someone who has their own thing going on. I know my boyfriend now loves me for me.

MORGAN: This is Cy Weiss (ph). You've been with him a couple years?

P. HILTON: Over a year now.

MORGAN: Is this true love?

P. HILTON: I've never been happier. He makes me feel so safe. He's so loyal. He's my best friend. He's an incredible man. So I feel lucky.

MORGAN: Think we may be seeing some real wedding bells soon?

P. HILTON: We'll see what happens. Right now, we're so happy how we are. We'll see what the future holds.

MORGAN: Could you imagine being 35 and not married?

P. HILTON: You know, I would love to have a family and children in the next couple of years, definitely. I'm just right now so busy with traveling that I wouldn't have time right now.

MORGAN: Do you think he's the one?

P. HILTON: I do. I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else.

MORGAN: Kathy, what do you think? You've seen them all come and go.

K. HILTON: I think he's such a special, sweet, loving person. He really is.

MORGAN: Tell me about the projects you both got going on right now. This is your chance for an utterly shameless plug now. You've earned your ticket on this interview.

K. HILTON: I am working right now on a ready-to-wear clothing line, cocktail dresses and vacation wear, party dresses. But not breaking the bank.

MORGAN: Affordable beauty.

K. HILTON: Affordable beauty, really lovely, beautiful, you know, dresses and all different age ranges.

MORGAN: Paris, what 37,000 things are you up to?

P. HILTON: All my products, my brand. And next up I'm going to be getting into development, and opening my own hotels and beach clubs.

MORGAN: Seriously?

P. HILTON: Yes.

MORGAN: Where?

P. HILTON: Around the world. I can't say where yet, because it's a surprise. But within the next few months, I'll be announcing.

MORGAN: You're kind of becoming the female Donald Trump. Is that the idea? Is that the game plan?

P. HILTON: I think Donald is a brand.

MORGAN: I'll start calling you the Paris.

P. HILTON: I look up to him as a businessman. I think he's done incredibly well for himself.

MORGAN: And his daughter, Ivanka, must be about your age. Isn't she? She's impressive, too.

K. HILTON: Lovely, the whole family.

MORGAN: Well, listen, I wish you all the best of luck with it.

P. HILTON: Thank you.

MORGAN: It's been a fascinating hour. Probably not the hour that people will be expecting when they tuned in at the start of this. But I think it's shown a different side to both of you, to the Hilton family.

P. HILTON: Thank you, Piers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: We've got a blockbuster summer planned for PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

Coming up, watch for my no holds barred hour with Jerry Springer and Latoya Jackson, her life, loves, and growing up a Jackson.

Mitt Romney on the state of the GOP and his run for the White House. Also ahead, the first lady of R&B, the one and only Beyonce. And Sarah Duchess of York on her life after the royal family.

They're all coming up on PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.

That's all for tonight. Now here's Anderson Cooper with "AC 360."