Sarah Silverman has apologized to Paris Hilton for a cruel joke she made about the heiress back in 2007.
According to BBC News, the Wreck-It Ralph star and infamously provocative comedian apologized for her roasting of Hilton at an appearance she made in front of a crowd gathered at the MTV Movie Awards fourteen years ago, hours before the socialite was jailed for violating probation on an alcohol-related drink-driving conviction.
Speaking on The Sarah Silverman Podcast on Thursday, the comedian brought up the fact that Hilton had personally called her out on her own podcast, This is Paris.
Silverman stated: "I regretted the jokes not years later, but kind of immediately. And I wrote her to let her know, but I now know that 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 can’t imagine what you were going through at that time.
"My understanding of humanity through the lens of my work as a comedian had not yet merged. And I’m sorry I hurt you. Comedy, you know, is not evergreen."
Silverman continued: "I didn't know also that she would be going directly from the event to jail that night. I said some very hardcore jokes about her, and she was there.
"And while I was, you know, thrilled at the success of my monologue, I remember spotting her in the audience.
"I really do. And I remember seeing that look on her face, and my heart sank. Because there was a person under there."
She added: "You know, as [Paris] said herself on the podcast, this would never happen today, and she’s right. I would never do those jokes today.
"I’ve actually dedicated the past several years to trying to do comedy that attempts to marry hard-hitting jokes with, you know, actual heart. Back then, the consensus seemed to be that that was not possible.
"And I fully accepted that. I came up in a time when talk show hosts and comedians hired to make fun of pop culture were roasting the biggest celebrities and pop culture icons at the time. And nobody was bigger than Paris Hilton."
Hilton herself later responded to Paris' apology on her podcast, stating: "Thank you. I really, really appreciate you doing that. I know it's difficult for anyone, you know, to apologize, and for someone to do that really means a lot.
"We've all said things in our past that, you know, we felt bad about, we later regretted. And, just, I don't know, I think everyone is guilty of doing that."
