Photo: AARON SCHWARTZ/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
Paris Hilton is celebrating what looks like the end of a long and hard-fought battle. For years, Hilton has spoken out about the abuse she alleges she and her classmates suffered at Provo Canyon School in Utah, a boarding reform school for “troubled teens.” On Monday, local news announced that the Utah Department of Health and Human Services had revoked the license of Provo Canyon School’s Springville campus.
The school was cited for several violations, including failing to maintain health and safety and to report critical incidents as well using aggressive physical contact. The school’s license was already on conditional status due to a previous citation, and it will now have to cease all operations by August 6. At a media briefing on Tuesday, according to the AP, Shannon Thoman-Black of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services said that the school’s owners “may not reapply for a new license for five years” and that, in the meantime, the department will monitor the facility as “these kids get discharged into safe places.”
When asked for comment, Provo Canyon School CEO Tim Marshall wrote in a statement to The Cut, “We disagree with the state’s decision to revoke Provo Canyon School’s Springville Campus license and are evaluating all available legal and administrative options, including an appeal,” adding that “our priority remains providing safe, high-quality care and support for adolescents and their families.”
Hilton retweeted the news on Tuesday, writing that she had been “waiting years” to announce this news. “The place that hurt me, and countless children before and after me, will no longer be allowed to operate,” she said. “The dream I’ve had to protect future generations from the abuse I endured is finally happening.”
I’ve been waiting years to write this. The place that hurt me, and countless children before and after me, will no longer be allowed to operate. The children inside are going to be removed 🥹The dream I’ve had to protect future generations from the abuse I endured is finally… https://t.co/ZpWH4xO0dY
— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) July 7, 2026
Hilton has said that, among other abuses, she and other teen girls were drugged and sexually abused by staff members at Provo Canyon while being told they were getting cervical exams. “It was with a couple different staff members where they would lay us on the table and put their fingers inside of us. I don’t even know what they were doing, but it was definitely not a doctor and it was really scary,” she told the New York Times. She has also spoken out about her experiences in a Washington Post op-ed, her own documentary This Is Paris, and in meetings with Congress about the need to crack down on the “troubled teen” industry.
Now at least one of these institutions will no longer be allowed to operate.
Stay in touch.
The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
Related