Paris Hilton Accepts Sarah Silverman’s “Genuine” Apology For For Raunchy 2007 Prison Joke

Following Sarah Silverman's recent apology to Paris Hilton for a joke she made at her expense 14 years ago, Hilton has said that she is ready to to "start a clean, fresh slate" with the comedian.

On the March 1 episode of her This Is Paris podcast, Hilton and her sister Nicky Hilton brought up a dig Silverman made at Paris during the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, which also happened to be the night before Hilton was to serve a 45-day jail sentence for a violating her probation after a suspected 2006 DUI. "Paris Hilton is going to jail," Silverman said to the audience, who erupted in cheers and applause. "I heard that to make her feel more comfortable in prison, the guards are going to paint the bars to look like penises. I just worry that she's going to break her teeth on those things."

"What Sarah Silverman did was so disgusting and so cruel and mean," Paris told Nicky, recalling that moment. " "I was so shocked and surprised because I'd actually met her a few years before when I was at an event and she couldn't be nicer. So sweet. I knew I was about to check myself into jail in a couple hours [so I was] trying to be brave. To sit in the audience with her just literally publicly humiliating me, being so mean, so cruel [about my prison time], I was sitting there wanting to die."

A few days later on March 4, Silverman addressed the event on her own podcast, acknowledging that that we now live in "an awakened world," she's "super down with reflecting on the past" and her part in "perpetuating real ugly shit." "While I was thrilled at the success of my monologue, I remember spotting her in the audience, I really do," she said. "I remember seeing that look on her face and my heart sank because there was a person under there."

Silverman said that soon after the ceremony, after feeling "awful" about how hurtful her comments came off, she wrote an apology letter to Hilton and "never heard back." "So here I am 14 years later, telling you, Paris, that I am really sorry," she said. "I was then and I am much more completely, and with more understanding, I think, now. I can't imagine what you were going through at that time."

"Comedy is not evergreen," she continued. "We can't change the past so what's crucial is that we change with the times. I can imagine Paris is probably reflecting and apologising for stuff and I say good on her for that. We both played mean characters and they had our real names. So Paris, I hope that you accept my apology and I hope that you feel my remorse. I felt it the second I saw your face that night. It feels terrible to know that you have hurt someone and it's important to make it right so I hope this does that."

The next day, Paris released a 10-minute special episode of her podcast in which she accepted Silverman's apology. "She was so genuine and so sweet and it really moved me. I was emotional hearing it," the DJ and entrepreneur said. "And I could tell that she really did mean what she said when she was apologising."

Paris addressed Silverman directly, saying "Thank you. I really, really appreciate you doing that. I know it's difficult for anyone to apologise, and for someone to do that really means a lot." She said that she got "a little teary-eyed" and "a little emotional" knowing now that the comedian had tried to apologise earlier. "I would have loved to read [the letter] many years ago because that night at the MTV Awards haunted me for a very long time."

Recent documentaries like Framing Britney Spears and This Is Paris, as well as recirculated footage from past celebrity interviews, have prompted many in the public and media to reflect on the often harsh and damaging way they've treated women in the public eye. And while some people feel that the damage has been done and that it's too late for repentance, others, like Paris, feel that they're always welcome.

"Apologies are never late, so it's okay," Paris concluded. "We can start a clean, fresh slate."