Kathy Hilton Reveals Reason for Mistaking Lizzo for ‘Precious’ Actress After Heated Backlash

Kathy Hilton has had many meme and gif-worthy moments since joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last season. From the mother of Paris and Nicki Hilton not knowing that the term hunky dory is not a real person – to her flubbing in other conversations with her co-stars, Kyle Richards’ older sister has become a fan favorite. But a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen has the audience and social media users doing anything but laughing with her.

While on the late-night talk show, Cohen instructed Hilton to play a round of “Will Kathy Know Them?”— a game that asked her to identify celebrities using only their photo. When Lizzo’s face popped up on the big screen, Hilton said: “I feel like I do, Precious?” referring to Gabourey Sidibe’s character in the 2009 drama of the same name. Many social media users took offense and felt Hilton only likened the two women because they are Black women and considered plus-sized. But Hilton insists it’s not the case.

Amid the backlash, Hilton commented on the Queens of Bravo Instagram account noting: “And my vision is terrible. If you recall, I couldn’t even determine who Justin Timberlake or Melissa Etheridge was.” Timberlake and Etheridge’s faces were also shown in the game, with Hilton asking of Timerblake: “Who the hell is that?”

Hilton’s statement comes after source close to the reality star told E! News that she “feels terrible” about the mess up. “She gets a little nervous when she is on live TV,” the source added. “Kathy is a very sensitive person and would never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.” A separate source told the media outlet: “Kathy would never want to offend anyone at all. She doesn’t know who anyone is.”