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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Isobel Lewis

TikTok users shocked as Paris Hilton debunks viral ‘Stop Being Poor’ photo: ‘My life is a lie’

Photograph: Paris Hilton/TikTok

Paris Hilton has revealed the truth behind a viral picture of her wearing a t-shirt telling people to “stop being poor.”

In a video shared on TikTok on Monday (3 May), the heiress and reality TV star explained what was actually going on in the photo, which has long been shared online as a reaction image.

“So there’s this photo online of me, I’m sure you’ve seen it,” Hilton said, with the much-memed photo in the background.

“I never wore that shirt, this was completely photoshopped. Everyone thinks it’s real, but that’s not the truth.”

Hilton then shared the original photograph, in which her t-shirt reads: “Stop being desperate”.

“This is what it really said,” she told the camera. “Don’t believe everything you read.”

For many social media users who didn’t know that the photo was faked, the news came as a shock.

“Oh my god I am so devastated,” one TikTok comment read, while another said: “This is actually shocking omg I’ve seen that photo for years.”

“Excuse me I was quoting this the past ten years… and I was poor… and it wasn’t even REAL???” another fan wrote.

One tweet said: “@ParisHilton just made a tiktok debunking the ‘stop being poor’ shirt someone photoshopped it. It said ‘stop being desperate’ my life is a lie.”

“WAIT THE PHOTO OF PARIS HILTON WEARING A TOP THAT SAYS "STOP BEING POOR" ON IT IS FAKE ???????” another commenter tweeted.

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