Sarah Silverman apologises to Paris Hilton for mocking her in 2007: ‘Comedy is not evergreen’

Comedian said that she’d ‘immediately’ regretted her jokes about the socialite

Sarah Silverman has apologised to Paris Hilton for making “hardcore” jokes about her at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards.

The comedian hosted the 2007 award ceremony, which was attended by Hilton, during which she mocked the socialite about her forthcoming prison sentence.

While the crowd cheered at the jokes, the camera panned showed Hilton looking visibly uncomfortable.

Appearing on The Sarah Silverman Podcast on Thursday (4 March), the comedian said that she would only apologise for something she was truly sorry for and had immediately felt bad for joking about the socialite.

“I said some very hardcore jokes about her, and she was there,” Silverman said. “The crowd went bananas, and while I was thrilled at the success of my monologue, I remember spotting her in the audience [and] remember seeing that look on her face, and my heart sank.”

Hilton attends the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, where she was mocked by Silverman (Getty Images for MTV)

Silverman said that she wrote a letter to Hilton apologising, but it was never received by the socialite. “I regretted the jokes not years later, but kind of immediately,” she said.

Read more: Paris Hilton felt ‘humiliated’ during 2007 Letterman interview

“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.”

Silverman continued: “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 is not evergreen. We can’t change the past, so what’s crucial is that we change with the times.”

In an update shared on the This is Paris podcast later on Thursday, Hilton said that she was “pleasantly surprised” by Silverman’s comments.

Read more: Sarah Silverman regrets ‘unfortunate’ Britney Spears comments

“I could tell that she really did mean what she said when she said that she was apologising,” she said.

“Thank you. I really, really appreciate you doing that," Hilton said. "I know it’s difficult for anyone, you know, to apologise, and for someone to do that really means a lot. Apologies are never late, so it’s OK.”