Paris Hilton’s split-second voice change amazes people

Paris Hilton stunned social media users this week by seamlessly changing her vocal register mid-sentence during her speech to Congress.

The hotel heiress, reality TV pioneer and DJ testified Wednesday about the abuse she witnessed and experienced at so-called centers for troubled youth where she was sent when she was a teenager. Hilton called on lawmakers to renew child protection legislation that expired in fiscal year 2021 and pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, a measure designed to strengthen oversight of residential programs for youth.

One moment from Hilton’s powerful statement went particularly viral on X, formerly Twitter.

When Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) asked Hilton for her opinion on including mental health care in the new legislation, Hilton initially responded by complimenting the representative’s attire.

“I love your jacket. The glitter is incredible,” Hilton said.

Tenney joked, “I had some bling with me for today,” to which Hilton replied, “Yeah, I was going to find out later who made it.”

Hilton delivered her fashion comments in a relatively high voice with a lot of vocal power. However, as she continued and began to talk about mental health care, her voice shifted to a noticeably lower register.

“But I think the most important thing is that they need access to therapy counseling, mentoring and other community-based programs,” she said, her voice faltering on the word “but.”

Hilton has spoken in recent years about moving away from her signature “baby voice,” which was an integral part of her role as the “dumb blonde” on the 2000s reality show “The Simple Life” and was parodied in the 2011 sitcom “30 Rock” with a “sexy baby” character.

But Hilton has now revealed that she sounds different in her everyday life.

“I actually have a deep voice in real life,” she said on the “Today” show in 2016.

Hilton, who also showcased her voice-changing skills in the 2020 documentary This Is Paris, told ITV’s This Morning last year that her baby voice was “a sort of mask” for her as she was “naturally shy”.

Still, recordings of Hilton’s testimony before Congress this week drew strong reactions from both those who had never heard her real voice and longtime fans impressed by her rapid vocal changes.