Perez Hilton was reportedly dealing with a series of private setbacks in the weeks leading up to his hospitalization following a troubling self-harm episode that unfolded during a TikTok livestream.
Hilton, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., appeared on the livestream from his Miami home in an alarming scene that prompted concern from viewers and led to emergency intervention.
In the period before he was taken to the hospital, the celebrity blogger was facing financial strain and had been trying to secure fresh professional opportunities, the Daily Mail understands.
The 48-year-old first rose to fame in the early 2000s as one of the internet’s most recognizable celebrity gossip bloggers, later crossing over into mainstream entertainment and becoming a familiar face on reality television.
However, several recent reality TV concepts pitched to production companies reportedly failed to move beyond the pilot phase, according to information shared with the Daily Mail.
Still, there had been a possible bright spot in Hilton’s career, with the star said to have recently reached an agreement with a television production company to front a program focused on cyberbullying.
A source told the Daily Mail on Wednesday that Hilton had not yet received payment from the company and that executives were still determining what his involvement might ultimately look like.
Hilton’s personal life was also said to be weighing on him, with sources claiming he had been distressed over being single while continuing to search for a boyfriend.
Perez Hilton suffered a painful year with career and money woes, romantic heartache and a serious health scare that saw him battle sepsis before he was hospitalized over a self-harm incident on Tuesday night (Hilton pictured receiving treatment for sepsis earlier this year)
The blogger turned mainstream star was filmed being taken away from his Florida home in an ambulance
He has three children via a surrogate, a son born in 2013, as well as two daughters born in 2015 and 2017.
And Hilton has long suffered severe body dysmorphia, saying he will criticize his own appearance in every photo or video of himself that he sees, the Daily Mail was told.
Earlier this year, Hilton told the Daily Mail of how he spent 21 days in hospital after falling seriously ill with sepsis.
He said the health crisis was triggered after he took flu medication on an empty stomach.
It saw Hilton undergo two surgeries as he was treated for a string of medical crises including fluid in his lungs, deep vein thrombosis, kidney problems and an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia.
The Born-Again Christian said the crisis left him strapped for cash and he launched a line of religious-themed clothing to help pay his bills.
‘That’s why your boy is now in hustle mode. I have all that, that I had to take care of and I wasn’t able to work for over a month,’ he explained.
‘Wear something holy. Praise Him. And support your boy, if you want,’ he added.
Hilton is pictured in happier times, at the 2022 GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles
Hilton had to learn to walk again after his sepsis battle, which began after he took flu medication on an empty stomach. He had been worrying about money, struggling to land a job and sad about his single status shortly before his latest hospitalization, the Daily Mail was told
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to his residence to de-escalate the incident. Pictured above is an emergency vehicle near Hilton’s Miami home
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Hilton had recently moved to his Miami home from Las Vegas following a mental health scare earlier this year
Hilton told the Daily Mail in April that he believed he had been ‘healed’ by God during his sepsis ordeal in a ‘miraculous’ way.’
Hilton recently told of his plans to move from Las Vegas to his home town of Miami and credited God with helping him make the decision.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Hilton said he had been ‘sad’ in Vegas because he was overworked and that Miami felt like a ‘safe place’ because his cousins live locally.
He sounded a note of discontent on returning to the Florida city, saying it felt ‘strange’ and had changed so much since he’d last lived there in the early 1990s.
Hilton also revealed that recovering from sepsis had put him under ‘a tremendous amount of stress’ and that antibiotics he’d been made to take made him feel ‘run down and depressed.’
Sadly, Hilton’s troubles only appear to have worsened in recent months.
On Tuesday, deputies from Miami Dade Sheriff’s Department rushed to the scene and enacted ‘de-escalation measures.’
A mental health team subsequently arrived at the blogger’s home and took Hilton away for hospital treatment in an ambulance.
Audio from 911 dispatch revealed that officers were called to respond to a ‘suicide attempt’ at Hilton’s home.
Officers arrived at his home around 11pm, the audio showed, and cops remained at the residence for hours as he barricaded himself inside.
Hilton’s three children were not home at the time, and are reportedly in the care of his mother.
Hilton is pictured in 2009, at the height of his success as a blogger. His gossip often targeted celebrities over their appearance or sexuality, with Hilton saying he regrets its cruelty
Hilton is pictured in Las Vegas in 2023. He moved back to his hometown of Miami earlier this summer
Hilton is believed to remain in medical care as of Wednesday morning and has not made any comment on his hospitalization.
Hilton’s representatives, Golden Artists Entertainment Co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, told TMZ in a statement, ‘We are aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.’
‘At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him. Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family. Until we have confirmed information, we will not speculate or comment further.’
‘We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.’
Hilton made his name as a ‘mean’ blogger in the early 2000s who sparked controversy by commenting on celebrities’ appearances, giving them cruel nicknames and speculating about their sexuality.
His eponymous blog was a huge hit with readers and he was named the number one ‘Web Celeb’ by Forbes in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
In recent years, he sought to move away from his ‘cruel’ image and told The New York Times in 2012 that: ‘What’s important for me is not being liked, but it is that people think I am no longer toxic to the world.’
Hilton added that he felt ‘deep shame’ for his prior professional incarnation and said he had apologized to many of those he had been unkind to.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org
