The iconic 2006 photo of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, has an “awkward” backstory and the heiress is dishing all about it.

Paris Hilton (pictured) revealed the truth behind a 2006 photo of herself, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

On a Thursday episode of her iHeartRadio podcast This Is Paris, Hilton recalled the night the trio was photographed in her car, surrounded by photographers in Los Angeles. But this was no girls night out for the biggest names in pop culture.

“So that was a night that Britney and I went out, and we were at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and we were at our friend’s party, and then we were deciding to leave because we wanted to go home,” Hilton revealed. “And we were just walking to the car and all of a sudden got swarmed by tons of paparazzi. Just as we were walking to the car, that’s when Lindsay came up. So, it was kind of awkward because at this point, we are just having some drama.”

Hilton continued, “So as I was getting in the car, one of the paparazzi screamed at me, ‘Is it true that you hit Lindsay?’ And at that moment, all of a sudden, I saw Lindsay walking towards us, and I said, ‘Why don’t you just ask her?’ And Lindsay said…’No, of course not’…something like, ‘No, Paris would never hit me, I’ve known her since I’m 15.’ It was basically just, not admitting what she did. It was quite awkward to be asked that question, and then it was just weird how the whole thing happened.”

As Hilton tried driving away from the flashing lightbulbs, “I looked over, and she’s in my car,” she said. “And we weren’t getting along, so I was polite.” Hilton told the same story in 2018, adding that she didn’t make a further scene because, “I didn’t want to humiliate her in front of all the paparazzi and be like, ‘Get out of my car.'” Hilton added that she and Spears went back to her house and went to sleep. “There was no Uber back then, so [Lohan] probably called a cab. I have no idea,” she said.

Lohan has also insisted that Hilton did not strike her, telling paparazzi in 2018, “She never did that. She’s a good girl.” Hilton later branded her a “Pathological liar” in an Instagram comment.

Since that night, photos and videos of the encounter (and speculative stories) have made celebrity history and the image lives on merchandise like coffee mugs, car shades and pins. Hilton even had fun with a 2019 tribute photo featuring a Spears impersonator and an image of Queen Elizabeth in place of Lohan.

That year, when Watch What Happens Live‘s Andy Cohen asked Hilton to list three nice traits about the Mean Girls star, Hilton answered, “She’s beyond,” while stifling her laughter. “Lame and embarrassing.” A spokesperson for Lohan responded with a statement to Us Weekly: “Obviously, Paris needs to feel relevant and is desperate for attention.”

Hilton said on her podcast that she and Lohan used to be tight however, “She did a couple things that really hurt me and just betrayed my trust, and caused a lot of drama.” The pair ended their friendship with “on and off” contact, but the heiress is not resentful today.

“But when I think about it now, we were just so young and immature and it’s just kind of like that high school drama, especially in the L.A. scene, and then also having to live it out in public with the media just constantly trying to stir things up and make things even worse than they are…” she said. “Back then, the media just really enjoyed having girls feud with each other…but when I think about it now, I’m not someone who holds grudges. I just feel like life is too short and I hope that she’s doing great.”

Meanwhile, Hilton and Spears have been friends for years. As Hilton told SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in September, “She is so sweet and so innocent and such a nice girl.”