Paris Hilton apologizes after Trump sexual harassment comments go viral

Paris Hilton is now backtracking comments she made about women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment.

“I want to apologize for my comments from an interview I did last year. They were part of a much larger story and I am regretful that they were not delivered in the way I had intended,” Hilton said in a statement to Us Weekly. “I was speaking about my own experiences in life and the role of media and fame in our society and it was never my intention for my comments to be misapplied almost a year later. I always believe in helping women have their voices heard and helping create an environment where women feel empowered and believe in themselves. I am deeply hurt by how this has played out and also deeply sorry. Moving forward I will continue to do what I can to be an advocate for girls and women with the hopes of providing a louder voice for those who may desperately need it.”

On Monday, Marie Claire published an interview with Hilton from the magazine’s September issue, in which Hilton implied the women who accused Trump of misconduct are lying. “I think that they are just trying to get attention and get fame,” she told writer Irin Carmon, who posted part of the interview transcript on her Twitter account, including more passages that didn’t make it into the final Marie Claire piece.

“I feel like, a lot of people, when something happens all these opportunists will come out. They want to get money or get paid to not say anything or get a settlement when nothing really happened. So I don’t believe any of that,” Hilton said in a portion that didn’t make it online. “Because a lot of women, I’ve seen, like him because he’s wealthy and he’s charming and good-looking so I feel like a lot of these girls just made the story up. I didn’t really pay attention to it.”

Hilton has known Trump for years and claimed to have voted for him in last year’s presidential election. Speaking to Marie Claire, however, Hilton said she didn’t vote for Trump or anyone else.

“I’ve known him since I’m a little girl. He’s a very nice man,” Hilton said during an interview on CNBC in September 2016. “You know, I think on TV people like to say things about certain people, but he’s actually a very sweet person. I like him a lot.”

During last year’s presidential campaign, numerous women accused Trump of sexual misconduct, including former PEOPLE writer Natasha Stoynoff. Trump denied all the claims.