Paris Hilton says she feels “validated” after Utah shuts down Provo Canyon School campus

Paris Hilton says she feels “validated” after Utah officials revoked the license of the Springville campus of Provo Canyon School, where she has long alleged she was abused as a teenager.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services revoked the facility’s license on July 6, citing repeated health and safety violations, including failures to protect children and maintain adequate staffing. The school must stop accepting new students immediately and end services by Aug. 6.

Hilton said the decision confirms what survivors have been saying for years. She called it a victory for former students who reported abuse and said she hopes it will help protect children still at the facility.

Hilton first shared her allegations in the 2020 documentary This Is Paris, claiming she experienced verbal, physical and emotional abuse during her 11-month stay at the school in the late 1990s. She has since become a leading advocate for stronger oversight of youth residential treatment facilities.

Provo Canyon School has previously said it cannot comment on allegations from before its current ownership, which began in 2000, and has denied condoning abuse or using solitary confinement as a form of discipline.