It was a little after 1:00 a.m. here in Montana when Paris Hilton was freed from the Los Angeles County jail after 23 days.

With hundreds of reporters standing by waiting for the jail doors to open, a smiling Paris walked to her mother’s waiting arms and a ride to freedom. It was historical, so I was there (via the TV). It was must-see.

CNN, FOX and MSNBC covered the story. CNN and MSNBC dropped out after Hilton left the parking lot. FOX News had the story covered from beginning to end with a chopper overhead. It looked like Paris and her parents (and driver) ended up at her parents Bel Air home, which is gated.

It was a freakin’ media circus. I thought over and over, “Why?” When her vehicle stopped for a red light, swarms of paparazzi jumped out of their vehicles and surrounded her SUV, with camera flashes going off. Sometimes the vehicle was blocked. Probably 50 paparazzi vehicles followed Paris’ SUV along the route. It was sometimes a dangerous situation.

Yes, Paris is free on probation. She will be on Larry King Wednesday night. She said she has changed. We’ll see.

I’d suggest she use a chauffeur for her trips on the town. It’s safer and she can afford it.