Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media has optioned Sarah Ditum’s book “Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s,” which examines pop-culture misogyny in the early 2000s through the stories of nine female celebrities of the era — including Hilton herself. The company plans to adapt the book as a docuseries.
“Toxic” offers a deep dive into the stories of Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Kim Kardashian, Chyna and Jennifer Aniston. The book explores their battles with fame, their efforts to control their own narratives, and their various degrees of success and failure in doing so. Ditum portrays her subjects as nuanced individuals confronting the challenges of celebrity amid a “ruthless and rapidly evolving media environment” and “how their experiences influenced broader perceptions of identity, body image, relationships and ambitions that still resonate today,” per 11:11 Media’s announcement.
“When I discovered ‘Toxic,’ I was immediately taken by the depth of Sarah’s dedication, research and writing,” Hilton said. “Sarah’s work inspired me to envision ‘Toxic’ as a documentary series where we can provide a platform for similar stories of those who had to navigate intense public scrutiny, so they can reclaim their narrative from a time when they had little control.”
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Ditum will work with 11:11 Media on the adaptation using the research she gathered to write the book. “’Toxic’ was always intended to put the women I write about back at the heart of their own stories,” Ditum said. “Working with Paris and her team on bringing this book to TV feels like a kind of homecoming for the project, and I’m incredibly excited for what they’ll bring to the next stage of ‘Toxic.’”
Ditum’s deal was negotiated by Emily Hayward Whitlock at The Artists Partnership working in association with Caroline Hardman at Hardman & Swainson, a London-based literary agency.
11:Media is a media and consumer lifestyle company co-founded by Hilton and Bruce Gersh in 2021. Its recent TV and film projects include the release of “Paris In Love” Season 2 on NBCUniversal’s Peacock and A24’s upcoming series adaptation of Hilton’s “Paris: The Memoir” in partnership Elle and Dakota Fanning’s Lewellen Pictures.
