Paris Hilton says the viral photo of her in a 'Stop Being Poor' shirt was edited and reveals what it actually said

• Paris Hilton addressed a viral photo of her wearing a "Stop Being Poor" shirt in a TikTok video.

• She said the picture was edited, explaining that the shirt actually said: "Stop Being Desperate."

• "Don't believe everything you read," the heiress said.

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Paris Hilton debunked a years-old photo of her wearing a tank top with the slogan "Stop Being Poor" on it, telling fans in a TikTok video on Monday that the text on the shirt was edited.

The picture was taken at a Las Vegas event in 2005, per KnowYourMeme. It has since been recycled into a popular reaction photo online, often used when people discuss topics related to economic inequality.

But according to the 40-year-old heiress, the image was doctored.

"So there's this photo online of me. I'm sure you've seen it. I never wore that shirt. This was completely Photoshopped," Hilton said. "Everyone thinks it's real, but that's not the truth."

She then displayed another picture of her from the same party to prove what the shirt "really said," which was "Stop Being Desperate."

"Don't believe everything you read," she quipped.

After Hilton posted the TikTok, Jubilee, a pixel artist, tweeted that they were the individual who edited the shirt. The artist said they posted the photo on Tumblr in 2013, never expecting it to garner such attention.

"LMAO omg paris hilton made a tik tok abt the shirt i photoshopped," Jubilee wrote.

Hilton responded by saying she always believed a "paparazzi agency" was behind the edits, calling the meme "hilarious" and "iconic."

"I thought it was funny when it came out but I also didn't want to insult people by thinking I would wear that," the "Simple Life" star explained, adding, "Glad to finally clear this one up for the haters."

Hilton is among the stars that have revisited their pasts in the wake of "Framing Britney Spears," The New York Times Presents documentary about the misogynistic and exploitative treatment directed toward the pop star early in her career.

On a March episode of her "This Is Paris" podcast, Hilton recalled the unrelenting jokes about her 45-day jail sentence in 2007 (she violated her probation for a previous traffic offense and ultimately served 23 days).

Hilton accused David Letterman, the "Late Show" host, of intentionally trying to humiliate her during her interview by hounding her with questions about jail, even though they previously agreed the topic was off-limits.

"It was just very cruel and very mean. After it ended, I just looked at him and I said, 'I'm never coming on this show again. You've crossed the line,'" she said, adding that Letterman did eventually apologize to her.

Hilton also reflected on comedian Sarah Silverman's "disgusting" jokes about her and her sentence at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, an event she attended shortly before checking herself into jail.

The heiress said she "was sitting there wanting to die" and "trying to hold back" tears as the audience laughed at her.

The comedian responded to Hilton days later on "The Sarah Silverman Podcast" and said she "would never do those jokes today."

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