The event that kicked off FIFA 2026 was bound to be a show. The world was watching the host country, and it was a glittering gathering of A-list celebrities, world-class athletes and music legends. In the midst of all the publicity and the glitz and the glam, one unscripted moment was there…more for a welcoming cry for friendship than for a performance, because it was a cry that brought back a friendship, a friendship that was kindled in the blaze of early 2000’s stardom, that stood out.
When an interview came up with a light question about who would be her dream team of “girl gang” MVPs for a friendly match, it was the original influencer and media mogul Paris Hilton who was on the red carpet. Hilton took no time at all at all to name three ladies—Britney Spears, Kesha, and Demi Lovato. But the name was the first which was the most important. “Britney Spears, of course,” Hilton said with a huge smile. I just love her so much, she added, hoping to meet Lovato at the event. It was a short comment; but to those who follow the two pop culture giants for decades, it said a lot.
Hilton and Spears first met in the early 2000s, when both were in the rough-and-tumble waters of super stardom. Hilton was holding reality TV and tabloid overcrowd, Spears was filling arenas and defining pop music. The media frequently saw them as just another Hollywood couple coupled together by partying and paparazzi. However, as Hilton himself would later confess, this was not the full story.
Earlier this year, Hilton spoke candidly about the true bond between them on the “I’ve Never Said This Before” with Tommy DiDario” podcast. I was there a few weeks ago with Britney for her birthday in Mexico and we were just talking about how cruel and mean spirited people were back then, Hilton said. “And she is someone that can relate to that, very few people can relate to that, it has made us both so strong.” The one thing they both showed, the private judgment of the public, the constant looking over your shoulder, the strength that can only come from a machine that has seen you both survive.
Hilton and Spears’ friendship has been truly unique in Hollywood—it has remained constant through the years as careers change. They do not constantly blog about each other or make red carpet re-unions in order to get some publicity. Rather, their friendship has been marked by subtle, repeated actions: attending each other’s birthday parties, being polite over phone calls, keeping one another’s confidences during the world’s inquiring.
Spears spoke directly about their relationship in her 2023 memoir The Woman In Me, and discredited the embellished stories that trailed them for years. “It wasn’t as out of the way as the press said,” she wrote. The message that Hilton and Spears convey here is simple: “The life you see in the magazine is not the one the people really live. Spears also named Hilton as being someone who saw her through some of her most critical times, which she said is not the case for many in the entertainment industry.
Spears’ mention in Hilton’s shoutout to FIFA 2026 is just as significant as the shoutout itself, given that it comes from a player who was previously known for his fiery temper.The inclusion of Spears in Hilton’s shoutout to FIFA 2026 is even more impactful than the shoutout itself, as it is coming from a player who has been notoriously known for his temper. Global celebrities were in attendance for the opening ceremony, including Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, BLACKPINK’s LISA, Anitta, Rema, future and Tyla. It was easy for Hilton to have come up with a safe, general response. Instead, she opted to publicly name a peer and pillar in her life, even when it was the easier thing not to say anything.
In the grand scheme of things, the friendship between Hilton and Spears is a rare example of how friendship can change in the age of celebrities. In the early 00s, this closeness was very often described as adolescent or hasty. Both of them were young women in the limelight, who were both underestimated by the industry, who found solace in each other. The bond is regarded with more depth today, as a survival mechanism, a chosen family and a sign of loyalty.
But there are no friendships without their complexities, of course. Hilton and Spears have had different lives in recent years, with Spears striving for freedom upon the termination of her conservatorship and Hilton establishing a business empire for herself and raising her family. Many of the fans have questioned why they don’t come out together more frequently. But maybe it’s their distance that makes them real? They aren’t doing friendship for clicks! They just go about living with it behind closed doors, and it’s only seen from time to time to let the world know that some connections last.
