A Complete Timeline Of Paris Hilton's Love Life

Out of all the celebrities in Hollywood, Paris Hilton seems to have the most charmed life. Essentially American royalty, she was born into the Hilton hotel fortune (her grandfather, Barron Hilton, was worth $4.5 billion at the time of his death), and was raised in the lap of luxury. Not content with relying on family money, she set out to create an empire of her own, a goal she has been more than successful in accomplishing. According to Vanity Fair's podcast "Inside the Hive," Hilton has "19 product lines that have made more than $4 billion in revenue," 45 Paris Hilton stores worldwide, her production company, her "This is Paris" podcast, a Warner Bros. content deal, and a thriving DJ career. She's considered by many to have been the original influencer.

Although she's been unquestionably successful professionally, there's one area of life where things haven't gone so smoothly for her: relationships. Over the years, Hilton has publicly dated dozens of men, to varying degrees of seriousness, and has been engaged four times. For a long time, it seemed that no matter how hard she tried, finding someone to spend the rest of her life with just wasn't going to happen. Then finally, in 2021, she married her "soulmate" Carter Reum. In celebration of Hilton finally finding her happily ever after, we're taking a look back at her relationship history, from pre-fame boyfriends to headline-making flings.

Before Paris Hilton became the type of celebrity whose love life is splashed across tabloid covers and detailed on gossip websites, she had her first serious boyfriend — actor Eddie Furlong. As a young teenager, Furlong had landed his breakout role as John Connor in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." The movie's massive commercial success led to a string of other roles, which cemented Furlong as a teenage heartthrob, albeit a heartthrob with a complicated personal life (an Entertainment Weekly profile published at the height of his fame detailed how the actor was seeking emancipation following a messy guardianship struggle, and he was dating his much older former tutor).

By 2000, things had begun to calm down professionally for Furlong, then 23, but his personal life was still amping up, especially once reports began leaking that he was dating Hilton. On an episode of her podcast, "This is Paris," Hilton opened up about the relationship for the first time. The heiress told guest Whitney Cummings, who was gushing about Furlong, "He's my ex-boyfriend." She went on to explain that the two only dated for about eight months when Hilton was 19. Given the fact that Paris herself wasn't a major celebrity at the time, we don't know much else about the couple, like how they met or why things ended.

We know a lot more about Paris Hilton's next boyfriend, Rick Salomon. By our estimation, the hotel heiress and professional poker player were together for around six months, from late 2000 to early 2001. For the most part, they kept their relationship relatively private, appearing on red carpets together from time to time but declining to ever speak to the media about the intimacies of their partnership. Until, that is, some of those intimacies were splashed all over the internet.

In 2003, Hilton and Salomon's sex tape was leaked. The couple immediately lashed out at each other, speaking negatively about one another in the press and filing lawsuits in court. In the end, Salomon wound up selling the full version of the tape, which he titled "1 Night in Paris," maintaining in an interview with NBC News that his decision to do so was okay because the scandal "hadn't really hurt her." 

On the other hand, Hilton, who took the brunt of the backlash at the time, with tabloids claiming she had orchestrated the entire thing to get publicity, has spoken out about how traumatizing it all was. In 2021, she told Vanity Fair's podcast "Inside the Hive" that the tape "will always be something that will hurt me for the rest of my life. It's always there in the back of my mind." Continuing, "it still gives me post-traumatic stress disorder even like talking about it... it was humiliating for people to see all of that."

Fortunately, none of the Rick Salomon drama seems to have followed Paris Hilton into her relationship with actor and model Jason Shaw. We don't know too much about Shaw aside from what the Los Angeles Times reports, which is that he has modeled for major brands, including Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein, and has had guest-starring turns on TV series like "Charmed" and "Third Watch." His preference for a more private life likely explains why their relationship remained under the radar for so long.

That all came to an end in 2002, when Shaw proposed to Hilton with a massive pear-shaped ring. The headline-making engagement only lasted for a few months, with the couple going their separate ways in early 2003. A source later told E! News that the split wasn't due to any single thing, but rather happened because "she was just such a kid and not ready for such a commitment." Despite never making it down the aisle, there doesn't seem to be any bad blood between the pair, and in 2010 they went on a date, which certainly got people talking.

After ending things with Jason Shaw, it took a while before Paris Hilton was ready to jump into another serious relationship. It was reported that she had flings with both "Sum 41" frontman Deryck Whibley and "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis in 2003 and early 2004, but nothing really lasted until she took up with "Backstreet Boys" member Nick Carter. According to People, Hilton was interested in Carter first and asked her bodyguard to call up the pop star to arrange a meeting. Fortunately, Carter was just as interested as she was, and the couple spent seven months together before splitting in July 2004.

Their breakup was a messy one. The duo had gotten couple tattoos together just weeks before going their separate ways (Nick got "Paris" inked on his wrist), and there were allegations of cheating, abuse, and all sorts of shadiness. Almost a decade later, Carter was still talking about the dramatic split, writing in his book "Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It" (via Access), "Paris was the worst person in the world for me to hook up with." The heiress hit back, "I don't believe I was a negative influence on Nick... when we met he was already a successful pop star, I'm pretty sure that was the only thing influencing him at the time. I'm glad he got help for his problems and wish him all the best."

Not one to stay out of the dating scene for long, Paris Hilton rebounded with another musician, Fred Durst. But her relationship with the Limp Bizkit rocker was over almost as quickly as it started, leaving the reality star looking for love once again. A few months later, she seemed to have finally found it in Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis. To those of us watching their relationship unfold via the tabloids, the romance felt like it belonged in a movie — the insanely attractive, extremely wealthy couple spent their courtship traipsing around the world, spending time in far-flung destinations like Greece, London, and L.A., before getting engaged just a few short months later. To top it all off, Latsis offered Hilton her choice from 15 rings designed by the most notable jewelry-makers in the biz, including Harry Winston and Tiffany & Co.

Then, in September 2005, the couple shocked their fans by announcing that their fairytale romance was over. In a statement released via E! News, Hilton revealed that things had changed; she realized she "wasn't ready" to be married and "[did] not want to make the mistake" of rushing things. The outlet also reported that Latsis' family wasn't thrilled with the couple's whirlwind affair, which surely had something to do with the wedding being called off. In the end, Hilton auctioned off the 24-carat ring she had settled on, donating all the proceeds to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Hours after the news broke that Paris and Paris had broken up, the Hilton celebutant was caught kissing another billionaire Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos III. The couple appear to have met through Mary-Kate Olsen, who had been dating Niarchos for five months before he dumped her in favor of the hotel heiress. Unsurprisingly, that did not bode well for the women's friendship, and Olsen told W Magazine, "[Paris] and I always only had nice things to say about each other. Now I guess you can tell we're not talking."

Given the fact that Niarchos and Hilton only spent a few months together (they dated from fall 2005 to May 2006), we're not sure that breaking girl code was worth it in this case. Hilton and Niarchos seemed to have fun together, sure, hitting the clubs regularly and even co-hosting a big bash for Niarchos' 21st birthday a month before they split, but stealing your friend's guy just for a bit of fun simply isn't cool. However, considering that everyone involved in this drama was under the age of 25, we'll give them all a pass — we all made choices in our early 20s we aren't proud of.

Paris Hilton has always lived a bicoastal life, flitting back and forth between L.A. and NYC with astonishing frequency. But in 2007, she put that jet-setting lifestyle on pause and rented a house in Malibu for the entire summer. It was here that the tabloids discovered she finally had a new boyfriend (after splitting with Niarchos in 2006 she was believed to have dated "Desperate Housewives" actor Josh Henderson, but supposedly nothing exclusive). The guy in question? Australian surfer and designer Tyler Atkins.

The blonde pair were smitten with each other, spending lots of time cuddling on the beach and canoodling at parties. While Hilton never spoke publicly about the relationship, Atkins supposedly did, telling Who.com (via People), "She is a really smart, amazing girl and we share similar interests. ... She's a cool girl and we're having a really great time enjoying each other's company." But by the end of the summer, the couple seemed to have decided the relationship wouldn't work (distant zip codes may have played a role in the decision) and went their separate ways.

An ill-fated summer romance didn't deter Paris Hilton's pursuit of true love. In February 2008, Hilton and "Good Charlotte" rocker Benji Madden stepped out together. By that point, the musician was the brother-in-law of Hilton's longtime BFF Nicole Richie (who had married his twin, Joel Madden), and it seems the connection helped ignite a spark where there had previously only been a friendship. A few months after they made things official, Hilton wrote on her now-defunct Myspace blog, "I've never felt so happy and in love. He's such an amazing guy and life has never been better" (via People).

The rest of the relationship proceeded in basically the same manner, with plenty of public declarations of love. Madden wrote a song for Hilton ("Shine Your Light") and told Life & Style (via Digital Spy), "She is my life, my heart, and my soul, and is the most important thing in my life. No one exists but her." In return, Hilton gushed on "The Late Show With David Letterman," "I'm so happy, I'm so in love, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him. ... We're so happy, I know I want to be with him forever." But, forever wasn't to be, and by November 2008, outlets were reporting that the couple had called things off.

In the same "Late Show" interview where Paris Hilton professed her love for Benji Madden, she also told host David Letterman that she had never seen an episode of the MTV reality series "The Hills." By early 2009, that seems to have changed, as she was spotted with her new boyfriend, "Hills" alum Doug Reinhardt. It's unclear how things got started between the pair, who dated for around 14 months, but we have a much clearer idea of how things ended, which isn't amicably.

An unnamed source told Page Six, "Doug was just too fame-hungry. Paris felt like he was using her." The businesswoman didn't exactly do much to squash those rumors, remarking to Us Weekly, "I am like so past that — I don't even care! I don't even remember that time in my life." She added, "I just realized I am better off without him. So I ended it because I deserve something much better." As for her scorned reality star ex, he didn't have anything to say about the breakdown of the relationship, opting instead to hide out in Aspen with his family until the whole thing blew over.

Unlike Doug Reinhardt, Paris Hilton's next boyfriend, Cy Waits, established himself in his career without the help of the socialite. A Las Vegas nightclub owner and manager, Waits likely met Hilton through the nightlife scene. The couple certainly loved to party together at first, perhaps a little too much, considering that they were both arrested for drug possession after a night out in August 2010. In fact, reading between the lines of their breakup announcements, it seems that their differing opinions about how much partying is too much partying might have been what ultimately drove them apart.

Waits told People, "I don't want to speak for Paris, but this breakup is something I knew for a number of months needed to happen — and we finally saw eye to eye. I need to get back to focusing on my career." He also noted, "When I'm involved with someone, my focus is keeping them safe, trying to keep them out of trouble and always being supportive. Partying is not my thing." Meanwhile, Hilton simply told Us Weekly, "I feel like the relationship ran its course." Sounds to us like there was one specific thing the couple wasn't seeing eye to eye on.

Luckily for Paris Hilton, her next flame, Spanish model River Viiperi, had priorities that were much more in line with her own. Life & Style wrote that the pair met during New York Fashion Week. Aside from thinking Viiperi was "the most beautiful man [she'd] ever seen in her life," Hilton supposedly told the magazine she fell for her beau because they "have fun wherever they go." She continued, "We just love to sit in the corner and make out and dance. When I'm in the club with him, it's like no one else in the room exists — it's just us two with each other. It's romantic!"

Despite Hilton's enthusiasm, her fans were unsure whether the relationship would last, largely because of the couple's 11-year age gap. Still, Hilton maintained that age was nothing but a number, telling Wendy Williams she was "definitely" ready to have children and get married. We know, of course, that things never got to that point for the couple, who split in 2014 after two years together. Following the breakup, Hilton seemingly sent an indirect message to her ex on Instagram (according to the Daily Mail), captioning a post, "I honestly feel bad for my boyfriends after we break up... I wonder how it feels to go back to basics." Talk about a dig!

By the time she broke up with River Viiperi, Paris Hilton was ready to be done with partying... or at least to the degree she'd been doing it for the last decade. As a result, her relationship with Swiss businessman Thomas Gross was much quieter and much more private than many of her previous ones. The couple reportedly met at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, and Hilton quickly relocated to Switzerland to be closer to him. She told the British Closer publication (via Us Weekly) that she loved the quiet life the two had together outside of the spotlight, especially because it indicated to her that he had no ulterior motive in wanting to be with her: "He doesn't like fame, he just wants me. With previous boyfriends I felt there was always an intention, but with him I know it's all about love."

Unfortunately, love wasn't enough. In 2016, the couple went their separate ways, citing busy schedules as the reason for the breakup. Sources told Life & Style, "They remain close friends and care for each other but work and the distance just got in the way. She will be back in Ibiza for her DJ residency all summer and he has to be in Switzerland for his work, it's an impossible situation."

In 2016, Paris Hilton started dating Chris Zylka, an actor she'd met at an Oscars party at the Chateau Marmont years earlier. Things moved quickly between the two — Hilton told Galore she "knew there was something special about him" after their first date. To mark their one-year anniversary, Zylka got Paris' name tattooed on his arm, and six months later was down on one knee "with a $2 million 20-carat pear-shaped engagement ring" (via Radar). 

Hilton shared the news with her fans in a now-deleted Instagram post, writing, "So happy & excited to be engaged to the love of my life. My best friend & soulmate. Perfect for me in every way. So dedicated, loyal, loving & kindhearted. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! You are my dream come true! Thank you for showing me that fairytales do exist" (via E! News).

Sadly, that particular fairytale didn't have a happy ending, and Hilton announced that she had ended the engagement just eight months later. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, she said the choice to call off the wedding was "the best decision I've ever made in my life. I just don't think he was the right person and I feel like I'm an incredible woman and I deserve someone so amazing. It just didn't feel right. I've worked way too hard to just give my life to someone. They have to be perfect."

In 2019, after a decades-long search, Paris Hilton finally found that perfect someone when she reconnected with old pal Carter Reum at a Thanksgiving dinner. According to insiders, things between the entrepreneur and venture capitalist got serious very quickly, and in 2021, while they were celebrating her birthday on a private island, Reum proposed. At the time, Hilton gushed to Vogue, "I am excited about this next chapter and having such a supportive partner. Our relationship is one of equals. We make each other better people. He was absolutely worth the wait!"

A few short months later, in November 2021, the couple tied the knot. The three-day celebration, including the elaborate ceremony held at Barron Hilton's Bel-Air estate, was covered in a Peacock reality series called "Paris in Love." Married life seems to suit Hilton, who told People, "I love being a wife. ... Being married is such a great new chapter for both of us. We've been so close and inseparable the past two years together so it's always felt like we're married." Hilton added that Reum was her best friend and shared that she was looking forward to having a family with him. Here's to a lifetime of happiness for these two!