Paris Hilton was "very shocked" when Sarah Silverman apologised for joking about her DUI arrest during the 2007 MTV Movie Awards but "appreciates" the gesture.
Paris Hilton
The 40-year-old heiress reflected earlier this week on how uncomfortable she felt about the gag, prompting the comic to say sorry on a new episode of her podcast, and now the 'Stars Are Blind' hitmaker has thanked Sarah for speaking up.
She said: "I was not expecting an apology. I wasn't asking for one, that was just my sister, you know, being very protective and wanting an apology. So, yeah, I was very shocked when I got it.
"I really just appreciate it so much, and I'm glad that her comedy has grown and she realizes that it's not nice to make fun of people. And I think everyone learns that in life.
"Sarah is hilarious, like I've listened to her comedy and I've always been a big fan. Well, before that moment, and always just thought she was so funny, but not when she's making fun of people. I think she's just funny when she's just being her funny self."
In her apology, Sarah recalled how her "heart sank" when she saw how upset Paris was about her joke - in which she claimed the bars on her cell would be painted to "look like penises" so she was worried the socialite would "break her teeth" - and she wrote a letter afterwards to say sorry, but never received a reply.
Paris insisted she never received the letter and admitted it would have "meant a lot" to her if she had.
Speaking on her own podcast 'This Is Paris', she said: "I got a little emotional because I was like that's actually really sweet because... It just didn't seem that way.
"But obviously, when you're up there doing a comedy sketch it's not like you're gonna be how you truly feel inside sometimes. And, yeah, I just really really want to thank you for saying that to me.
"Who did not pass me on that letter? Because I would have loved to read it many years ago because that night at the MTV Awards haunted me for a very long time.
"Apologies are never late, so it's okay. We can start a clean, fresh slate.
"Thank you so much for your apology, it means so much to me."
After Paris and her sister, Nicky Hilton, reflected earlier this week on the incident, Sarah said she was "really sorry".
She said: "I regretted the jokes not years later, but kind of immediately. I wrote to let her know, but I know now that the letter didn't get to her. So, here I am, 14 years later, telling you, Paris, that I am really sorry. I was then and I am, much more completely and with far more understanding, I think, now.
“I felt it the second I saw your face that night. It feels terrible to know you have hurt someone and it's important to make it right. So, I hope this does that."
The ’Wreck-It Ralph’ star then called the joke “ugly”, and said she has been trying to “change with the times” over the last 14 years to make sure she has "heart".
Tagged in Paris Hilton Sarah Silverman Nicky Hilton