Kathy Hilton Reveals Her Ultimate Party Faux Pas (It Involves a Surprising Celeb!)

Kathy Hilton gave QVC viewers a behind-the-scenes look into how she gets into the holiday spirit in a new shop-along special, “Your Splendid Space,” earlier this fall — and I’ve been following along ever since. Now the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is set to show us even more of how she prepares her iconic Bel Air home for the holidays — she’s been announced as QVC’s “Mrs. Claus” ahead of a new QVC special, the “Hilton’s Annual Holiday Pajama Party,” airing on November 4. 

I had the opportunity to preview a few of the exclusive gifts that Kathy has developed with QVC — including an exclusive jewelry offering, a holiday candle collaboration with Slatkin & Co, and a new PrintFresh Pajama set (last year’s is still sold out!). Her design features a toile print that’s made up of depictions of rooms inside the Hilton family home, so I’m sure they’ll sell like hotcakes when they launch later this year. They’re certainly on my gifting list!

If there’s one thing Kathy is known for, it’s being the ultimate host. Bravo viewers have been treated to years of scenes shot at seated dinners at her home in Los Angeles — plus, all the snapshots she and her daughters, Paris and Nicky, post on social media. But even before she was on television, Kathy has had quite the collection of Hollywood legends waltz into her home for one of her signature dinner parties. 

One of her storied guests had an interaction with Kathy’s staff that led her to realize a party faux pas that’s often unspoken.

I asked Kathy about etiquette rules that she usually prefers her guests to adhere to when they visit her home in Bel Air — and she ended up sharing a real dilemma that applies to both hosts and guests. In quintessential Hilton fashion, Kathy name-dropped the exact celebrity who caused a little bit of a holiday host kerfuffle.

“Yoko Ono was at our house for Thanksgiving, and she asked for the ladies’ room,” Kathy recounts, referring to a holiday season many years ago. Unfortunately, one of the two powder rooms was occupied — so staff showed the legendary performing artist to the other option, which ended up resulting in an embarrassing moment.

“[Staff] had her go into the cat box room … I was like, ‘You can’t have guests go in there!’ She’s in the room that we ended up stashing a temporary cat box in the bathtub,” Kathy explains. “I mean, I wouldn’t want that to happen to any of my guests. I mean, all guests are important.” 

Kathy added that beyond being mortified, it was a learning moment for her — hosts should think about where guests may roam around unattended, yes. But also, guests should always ask for guidance before traipsing through someone else’s home — even if it’s just to find the restroom!

It’s an etiquette rule that you may overlook — especially if a host has their hands full — but take a minute to avoid what Kathy says is a faux pas “both for the hosts and for the guests.”