Perez Hilton Faces 2016 Comparisons as Friends Open Hospital Doors

For Perez Hilton, the difficult recovery from his terrifying livestream ordeal appears set to continue well beyond the healing of his physical injuries.

Nearly a month after he was hospitalized in Florida, friends have told Our News Outlet that the 48-year-old celebrity gossip blogger remains deeply disoriented — reportedly unaware of what state he is in and even what year it is.

A source close to Hilton claimed he seems to have “lost a decade,” believing the current year is 2016.

The insider also said Hilton has repeatedly pleaded with friends to bring Katy Perry to his hospital bedside, describing the singer as his “best friend” and insisting he “made her into a star” and that she “would be nowhere without him.”

Hilton and Perry, 41, were once publicly close as he promoted her during the early stages of her career, but the source claimed the two have had little contact in recent years — making his requests even more painful for those around him.

“He is not all there,” the source said.

Those closest to Hilton – whose memory of his livestream last month was already said to be spotty – are now fearing the worst. A family friend of more than 20 years told Our News Outlet that even a short phone call shows Hilton is ‘still not well at all.’

On August 4, Hilton (real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr) took to TikTok to record a truly shocking live video. Horrified fans watched him, naked and covered in blood, repeatedly harm himself with a large butcher’s knife. The footage was live for about 15 minutes before the social media site stopped the feed. Police arrived soon after.

Hilton was hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for the temporary and involuntary detention of individuals in mental crisis. He has not since had access to his mobile phone or the Internet. Any calls with the outside world have been made on the hospital’s landline.

The family friend described the gossip blogger as prone to ‘rambling’ and drifting off mid-conversation. While Hilton is said to have moments of clarity, he is also described as ‘all over the place.’

‘One minute he’s thinking about moving forward and making plans for when he’s back at work,’ the friend said. ‘The next minute he’s talking about walking away altogether.’

Even from his hospital bed, Hilton is said to be fixated on the future of the eponymous celebrity news site that shot him to internet infamy in the mid-2000s and still pays the bills, despite having markedly fallen off in terms of popularity.

‘He asked how the site is doing. He asked how people are talking about him – what they’re saying,’ the friend said. ‘His family has assured him that everything is OK, but he’s not believing it.’

Before this crisis, Hilton was said to be scrambling for work beyond his blog, with reality TV pitches reportedly fizzling out before getting off the ground. 

While his site traffic surged after his shocking livestream, such grisly curiosity was fleeting, with a source saying visitors quickly tailed off. 

His small team have since resumed posting celebrity news to the site, but it remains unclear whether readers will return in force, or if Hilton will ever be well enough to reclaim the reins.

For now, the man who built a successful career online is now unable to work and cut off from both his phone and the internet while under medical supervision, the family friend said.

‘He can’t do any work at the moment. His family is handling all of his affairs,’ a source explained. ‘His mother and sister are making sure he is getting the best care. They are hopeful.’

Hilton is also covered in medical gauze after doctors stitched up dozens of cuts from the incident, sources said, and he also has limited mobility due to broken bones said to be caused by falling on the night of the livestream.

His three children – Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight – were at the home when the incident began. It’s unclear what the children may have seen before they were rushed outside by his sister Barbara, who was also home, but they have not visited their father since. A source close to the family said Hilton’s injuries are still too distressing for young children to see.

A Miami judge granted Hilton supervised visitation from hospital while his mother, Teresita, has temporary custody. But he must first obtain psychiatric clearance, and any contact must be supervised by an approved family member or therapist.

‘He’s not mentally in a place where he can really see the kids, and he is feeling pretty alone right now,’ a source said.

Meanwhile, sources previously told Our News Outlet that Hilton had not received a single card, bouquet of flowers or even a text from any celebrities in his circle.

‘All the ones he wanted to reach out, all the celebrities who he has mended fences with, all the ones who said he’s their friend. None of them are doing anything,’ an insider said.

Now, in the moments when Hilton’s confusion lifts, the family friend said, the full scale of his new reality is beginning to hit home. 

‘He feels very isolated at the moment, very alone,’ the friend said. ‘He’s being really hard on himself, regretting all these things that he has done and where life is now. He’s despondent. He’s nowhere near ready to get out. He’s got a very, very long way to go.’

But Hilton needs something to look forward to once he has recovered – and being a father could give him a reason to keep going.

‘He can move forward by being a dad, but let’s be real…it will be a co-parenting thing with his family from here,’ the friend said.

He also must focus on his health, while returning to work remains ‘a distant thing.’

‘He says he wants people to learn from him,’ the friend said. ‘He can do that best by recovering mentally and physically. He understands that.’