Paris Hilton has found success as a singer, actress, reality star, DJ, mom and creator of the beauty line Parive — something she credits to having ADHD.
“I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur I am today without it,” Hilton, 45, tells PEOPLE, sharing that being neurodivergent helps her with “thinking outside the box, taking risks, doing things first.”
Hilton acknowledges that “our brains work differently,” which is why personalized treatments can help. “It’s something where you can speak to your doctor and talk about a treatment plan that works for you.” She recently teamed up with Collegium Pharmaceutical for Jornay PM’s “Embrace Your Sparkle” campaign, sharing how the ADHD medication — taken at night instead of in the morning — has helped her. “Before, I would just forget to take it and then it could, like, ruin your whole day that way. So I love how if you just take it at night — and then right away when you wake up, it’s working in the morning,” she explained. “I love this campaign to ‘Embrace Your Sparkle’ because that’s something that I do, and I want others to embrace their sparkle as well and know that there is nothing wrong with them.”
She emphasizes that ADHD is “not something that needs to be fixed,” and that it can be managed with the right tools. “It’s really important to have structure, for there to be schedules… I find it really helpful to have notebooks everywhere, Post‑it notes. I have whiteboards in certain rooms where I just write things I need to remember, things I need to do, because there’s just always a million things happening in my life, being a mom and an entrepreneur,” says Hilton, who shares two children — son Phoenix, 3, and daughter London, 2 — with husband Carter Reum.
Hilton says having ADHD has also helped her be a more connected mom. “It gives me just, like, inner child playfulness, which will never go away, which I love… [It’s] so much fun being a mom and getting to relive that childhood with them and see the world through their eyes.”
Sharing her story and connecting with the ADHD community, Hilton says, has been “inspiring.”
“It’s just amazing not to feel alone,” she explains. “Some of the things I’ve been through in my life and now knowing that I have ADHD — it’s just like everything makes so much more sense now.”
Hilton tells PEOPLE she’s motivated to share her ADHD journey because “school systems are not built for brains like ours. That’s why I just want to continue talking about it and release the stigma behind it.”
“I have a platform where I can be able to tell people about it, inspire them and give people hope rather than just only hearing negative things about it — which I felt like for so long,” Hilton says. “People have only talked about negative parts about it, but there’s so much good that comes with it.”
For those who may be struggling with feeling self‑conscious about an ADHD diagnosis, she says, “There are millions of people around the world with ADHD, and if they look into it, they can also see so many incredible artists, musicians, creators, scientists — there are so many people with ADHD who have done incredible things in this world.”
“Their mind is a beautiful thing, and they should really embrace their inner sparkle, because when you do, the possibilities are endless,” Hilton says. “I feel like when you can know the good parts about it, so many amazing things can happen in your life.”
