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Hilton’s breakout came in 2003, when she starred with her childhood friend and socialite counterpart in the reality series , in which they lived for a month with a family in the rural community of . The show was initially pitched to both Paris and Nicky Hilton. Paris was convinced to come on board; however, Nicky, being somewhat shy to the limelight at the time, opted out. The series premiered on December 2, 2003, shortly after the leak of Hilton’s sex tape, and was a ratings success. Its first episode attracted 13 million viewers, increasing Fox’s adult 18–49 rating by 79 percent. The high viewership was attributed to the exposure Hilton received for the homemade tape, while she became known for her onscreen persona.
After her pictorial by and September 2000 article for , Hilton was hailed as “New York’s leading “, whose fame was beginning to “extend beyond the [local] tabloids”, by in February 2001. The scandal involving her sex tape, which arose shortly before the December 2003 premiere of , ultimately catapulted her into global fame and made her an overnight subject of media frenzy, attention and public scrutiny. The sudden and unusual interest on her life led to write that, “[w]e in the media have become Paris-ites”. Similarly, described her presence as a “staple of the daily news cycles” that became “impossible to escape”. In an effort to “rehabilite her public image” and “capitalise” on the increased curiosity following the release of her sex tape, Hilton started to promote herself through different forms of such as advertising, publishing and broadcasting.
In 2000, a then-19-year-old Hilton drew attention from tabloids when she and were seen together on the NYC late-night circuit. That led to one of her first magazine profiles, with , in which she denied that they were involved. She dated actor in 2000, and poker player , with whom she filmed her sex tape, in 2001. She was engaged to fashion model Jason Shaw from 2002 to 2003. They have reportedly remained friends since their split. She had a seven-month relationship with singer in 2004; Carter opened up about their relationship in his 2013 autobiography. “Paris was the worst person in the world for me to hook up with,” he wrote. “[She] fed my worst impulses as far as partying.”
Under the title , Salomon began distributing the tape himself in April 2004 through the adult film company . In July 2004, Salomon dropped his lawsuit against the Hilton family after Paris Hilton’s privacy lawsuit was thrown out of court. Salomon and Red Light District Video agreed to pay Hilton US$400,000 plus a percentage of the tape’s sale profit. In 2013, Hilton claimed she never made money off her sex tape: “[I] never made a dollar. I make enough money in nice ways. My fragrance [line] makes enough, I don’t need to worry about that.”
