Kathy Hilton Defends Paris Hilton Against Mom-Shamers: I ‘Totally Understood’ the Diaper Dilemma (Exclusive)

Kathy Hilton revealed Paris Hilton is just like Us as she continues to learn “little by little” how to be a parent — so mom-shamers need to back down.

“It has been really special to see your first baby with her first babies,” Kathy, 64, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Smirnoff ICE SMASH Tea. Paris, 42, shares son Phoenix, 12 months, and daughter London, 2 months, with husband Carter Reum.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star explained that while she has been assisting Paris whenever possible, it’s been a long time since she had her own babies.

“I did crack up a few months ago [when] I was teaching her some things,” Kathy recalled. “I forgot to put the diaper on top of the private part and [Phoenix] started peeing and it went all in her face. She’s like, ‘Oh, why didn’t you warn me about that?’ I’m like, ‘OK, this is what we do.’ So, she’s learning little by little by little.”

While the peeing incident was behind closed doors, Paris has faced a lot of public criticism for how she’s raising her kids. During season 2 of Paris in Love, which aired in December 2023, Paris learned how to change Phoenix’s diaper “for the first time” one month after he was born via surrogate. (Paris announced in January 2023 that they had welcomed Phoenix. In November 2023, she surprised fans by announcing London’s arrival via surrogate.)

The new mom was slammed on social media for allegedly being a stand-off parent. However, Paris claimed that she was just having “a bit of fun” in that scene and it was a joke. “As you can see, I changed his diaper the night I brought him home,” she clarified via X at the time. “When it comes to being a mom, I’m fully involved and loving every moment of it.”

Kathy, meanwhile, told Us that Paris being hesitant about changing her firstborn is a very real fear for new parents, herself included.

“[When] I had Paris, my mother came and helped for three weeks,” Kathy revealed, noting that she’ll “never forget” the first time she had to put Paris in a car seat. “I felt like I was going to break her. I just happened to be younger.”

After having her own ups and downs as a mom, Kathy said, “I totally understood” where Paris was coming from during her first few months of motherhood.

Kathy explained that even she’s gotten backlash for her involvement with Paris’ kids. “Somebody made a comment that, ‘Oh, the way we were holding the baby [was wrong],’” she recalled, noting that three of her babies were in the 9 lbs. range. Only her daughter Nicky Hilton was smaller at 8 lbs. 3 oz.

“I’m used to a big baby,” Kathy told Us, adding that London is a good size but Phoenix “was smaller,” which made it harder to hold him.

Mom-shamers aside, Kathy said her daughter is doing a good job as a mom. “I knew she would be a great mom,” Kathy gushed, sharing that Phoenix and London are “very relaxed and mellow and a joy.”

Kathy has her hands full as a grandmother and a mother — she shares Paris, Nicky, 40, and sons Barron, 34, and Conrad, 29, with husband Rick Hilton — but that hasn’t kept her from her own ventures.

The Housewife recently teamed up with Smirnoff ICE to help launch its new SMASH Tea, which come in peach and classic lemon flavors. To promote the product, Kathy portrayed General Noff in the SMASH TEA PARTAY: A SMIRNOFF ICE MUSICAL production.

“I had a blast. It was so much fun. When I got to the set, literally, it was like we were doing a movie,” Kathy told Us of shooting the musical promo. “I learned a few little steps and gradually became more comfortable, and it was really a lot of fun.”

After filming the project, Kathy said she was happy to relax with one of the new SMASH Tea selections. “I personally like the peach, but you can put a little lemon in [it] too and it’s in a big can, so it’s a lot of fun,” she said. “If you take it and you have a picnic down at the beach in the evening, we like to do that at our house. [Have] a beach walk, pack a little wine or something. So I think we’ll be bringing our Smirnoff ICE SMASH Tea.”