Perez Hilton’s family has shared a hopeful update on his condition, telling fans Wednesday that he is “able to communicate” as he continues to recover in the hospital. The update came after the celebrity blogger was hospitalized following a disturbing TikTok livestream the previous night in which he was seen self-harming with a knife.
Earlier Wednesday, his loved ones spoke publicly for the first time about the incident, confirming that Hilton — whose real name is Mario Lavandeira Jr. — remained under hospital care. The 48-year-old’s hospitalization followed the alarming livestream, which prompted widespread concern among fans and followers.
In a follow-up statement posted to his website, the family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support: “Our family wants to once again thank everyone who has reached out with prayers, kind messages, and support for Perez. Your compassionate humanity during this profoundly heartbreaking time has meant more than words can express.”
The statement continued: “This has been incredibly difficult and emotional for us, made even harder because very little information has been made available to our family. While we continue to wait for further updates, we remain hopeful.”
His family added that they had received one encouraging confirmation: “We have also been able to confirm that Perez is able to communicate, which has given our family hope.”
They also asked the public for “continued prayers, understanding, and grace as Perez continues to recover.”
Perez Hilton’s family said the 48-year-old is “able to communicate” as they updated fans on his recovery Wednesday, after he was hospitalized following a TikTok livestream in which he was seen self-harming with a knife the night before.
Earlier in the day, Hilton’s loved ones broke their silence, saying the celebrity blogger — real name Mario Lavandeira Jr. — was still being treated in hospital after the alarming incident. HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami is pictured.
‘We will share additional updates as we receive confirmed information and are able to do so. For now, we’re taking things one step at a time and keeping our focus where it belongs, on Perez and his recovery.’
They wrapped up the statement writing, ‘Again, thank you, truly, for all your support and compassion. We are so grateful.’
Earlier on Wednesday the family spoke out for the first time following the incident, stating, ‘We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support and prayers.’
‘We can confirm that Perez is receiving medical care and our family’s focus right now is on his well-being.’
‘If and when we are able to share any updates, we will do so with everyone as soon as we can.’
Hilton’s podcast co-host Chris Booker also broke his silence on Wednesday. Booker – who has co-hosted The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker with Hilton since 2015 – released a statement via Instagram that read: ‘I am so profoundly sad for Perez and his family and what they’re all are going through. It’s truly unimaginable.’
‘I have spoken only briefly with the family. I read the statement that his team released and want to honor their wishes at this impossible time. Even the family is struggling to get updates due to the confidential security measures in place at the hospital because of how many people are trying to get information. Any updates will come via PerezHilton.com.’
He then addressed the future of their podcast.
‘As for the shows (iHeart Podcast and Patreon), it’s all TBD at the moment as our collective focus is on his health. I certainly hope to continue them with my friend when the time is appropriate. I will give updates there when the time is right. We’ve done these shows for over a decade now and the support from our listeners has been resounding.’
‘He is very loved. I can only hope that he feels it. Heal up friend,’ Booker concluded.
Just hours earlier harrowing surveillance video captured the moment scores of cops swarming the gossip icon’s Miami home when concerned fans alerted 911 to his alarming self-harming behavior on a TikTok livestream.
Officers were dispatched to celebrity blogger Hilton’s Miami home on Tuesday after receiving reports that he was broadcasting alarming behavior on a TikTok livestream
Four squad cars were spotted pulling up to the celebrity blogger’s ranch-style house with sirens blaring just after 7pm Tuesday
A person believed to be Hilton was taken from his home and into an ambulance following the incident, in a video shared by BNO News
Perez Hilton was believed to be at his mother’s home south of Miami where he appears to have self harmed. He was taken to hospital in Miami overnight
Four squad cars were spotted pulling up to the celebrity blogger’s ranch-style house with sirens blaring just after 7pm Tuesday after officers received multiple emergency calls about his behavior.
The video, captured by a neighbor’s Ring doorbell camera, reveals officers then trying to coax Hilton out of the home.
‘Mario it’s the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, please step out of the house,’ a deputy calls out as more cops arrived.
Clips taken from the disturbing livestream video, which the Daily Mail has decided not to republish, appeared to show a blood-soaked Hilton rambling incoherently after hacking himself with a knife.
The Ring footage reveals officers were still there at 11:11pm begging the showbiz blogger not to hurt himself.
After arriving on the scene on Tuesday evening, officers ultimately spoke with family members and confirmed Hilton was alone inside before making the decision to ‘tactically disengage’ while monitoring the situation, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail.
Hilton was eventually taken to the hospital where he was surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, including his 42-year-old sister, Barbara Lavandeira.
‘In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Hilton’s podcast co-host Chris Booker broke his silence on Wednesday, stating the future of their show was up in the air; Booker pictured in January
‘He is very loved. I can only hope that he feels it. Heal up friend,’ Booker concluded
‘Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.’
Authorities later confirmed that Hilton had ‘been safely recovered and transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention.’
Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Unit and Licensed Mental Health Professionals remained at the scene ‘providing support and resources to the individual’s family.’
Hilton is a father to three children, who were born via surrogacy. His eldest son was born in 2013, followed by two daughters in 2015 and 2017.
The celebrity reporter’s condition remains unclear. The Daily Mail has reached out to Hilton’s representatives for comment.
The video has been taken down, and Hilton’s account has since been suspended by TikTok.
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.’
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office told the Daily Mail that deputies rushed to the residence following ‘multiple’ emergency calls regarding an individual engaging in alleged self-harm on the platform
In a vague post on social media in April, Hilton asked for prayers
In the meantime, celebrity friends and fans of the blogger, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, have taken to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help.
‘The Perez Hilton video is so upsetting,’ wrote Trisha Paytas. ‘I hope he’s OK. I hope his children are OK.
‘Crashing out on the internet, whether it’s fake or real – is a cry for help.’
Jessica Rosado, a singer and the host of Las Vegas Morning Blend, also posted a statement to her Instagram page.
‘As someone who knows Perez personally, I find myself at a loss for words,’ she wrote. ‘I know the move to Miami hasn’t been an easy one, but never could I ever have imagined something as dark and deeply disturbing as this.
‘He is clearly in distress, and as someone who is also in media, I’m not rushing to discuss things I don’t have all the facts on,’ she continued. ‘I’m waiting to hear more from trusted sources.’
In the meantime, Rosado said her ‘love pours out to him and his entire family.’
‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with kind words and concern,’ the television host said. ‘Whether you are close with someone or not, please remember to move with empathy and approach others with the utmost care.’
Former politician George Santos wrote on X: ‘Please pray for Perez Hilton folks. He needs the power of prayer and the strength of our Lord and Savior.’
Others hit out at TikTok for allowing the disturbing video to continue for about half an hour.
‘Genuinely think TikTok should be held liable in some way for allowing that Perez Hilton feed to last 30 minutes. Absolutely insane,’ one X user wrote.
Another noted that the platform ‘allowed for many people, including children to come across a live where a man was going through a mental health crisis.’
‘Check on the people you love and please,’ the netizen urged.
Clips taken from the video, which the Daily Mail will not publish, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood while brandishing a knife
Celebrity friends and fans of the blogger – born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. – took to social media to send him messages, begging for him to seek medical help
In March, Hilton revealed that he had just emerged from a 21-day hospital stint as he battled sepsis, a result, he said, of taking flu medication on an empty stomach that triggered a cascade of health problems.
At the Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Hilton underwent two surgeries as he was treated for a string of medical crises.
During his recovery the following month, Hilton wrote he felt ‘like I should be scared right now, but I’m not.
‘I definitely am worried, though. God show me the way!’ he wrote on April 8.
‘Perez Hilton is GOING THROUGH IT right now,’ the columnist continued. ‘He asks for prayers and for Christ to intervene – sooner [rather] than later.’
Hilton later told the Daily Mail how he found God during his recovery.
‘It was God presenting Himself to me, and then doing something that I could only describe as a miracle to heal me… I was still unwell, and then God did something,’ the gossip columnist said.
He also said that his professed exchange with the Almighty allowed him to change his mindset about his rollercoaster 22-year career.
It comes after Hilton revealed that he had spent 21 days in hospital earlier this year after contracting sepsis. Pictured: Hilton in a hospital bed back in March
Hilton said he got sepsis after taking flu medication on an empty stomach. Pictured: Hilton in hospital back in March
Hilton had come under fire over the years for his controversial behavior – including outing gay celebrities and giving certain A-listers inappropriate nicknames.
He admitted that he had ‘made a lot of mistakes in the past which are very public. Which I own. Which I regret, which I have deep shame for, which I’ve apologized for repeatedly, publicly as well as privately.’
But, he said, ‘to have this experience with God and to know that God loves me, and God forgives me, it was very healing, because I then forgave myself.’
Hilton also noted he harbored guilt over ‘all of the mistakes – not even mistakes, they were awful decisions that I made’ in his ‘enfant terrible phase’ as a celebrity blogger, when he ‘knew what I was doing was wrong and I didn’t care.’
‘It’s like if you’re a drug addict, and you’re stealing from your parents’ money to buy drugs. You know what you’re doing is wrong, and you don’t care. You just want that hit,’ the father-of-three continued. ‘And that was truly what I was doing.’
For Hilton, the ‘most powerful drug’ was the ‘attention’ he garnered as an online gadfly, ‘and I didn’t care who I hurt in the process.’
Still, his ‘experience with God’ did not inspire a total career change.
When people ask if he’d consider changing professions, Hilton told them: ‘No, because I’m not doing gossip. I do celebrity journalism.’
If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans on 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
