‘God revealed himself to me,’ Perez Hilton said tearfully. ‘I had never believed before, but I do now.’
The striking statement came in March 2026, after the 48-year-old celebrity blogger survived a life-threatening hospital ordeal that began with a stomach ulcer and progressed to severe sepsis.
In an emotional Instagram video, Hilton said he had found spiritual faith, expressed regret over what he described as his past ‘selfish’ conduct and promised to begin taking his three children to church.
He also made an extraordinary claim, saying God had spoken to him and directed him to sell his $4 million Las Vegas property before relocating to Miami.
Months later, however, the newly devout convert appeared in a deeply disturbing TikTok livestream. During the broadcast, he was seen naked and engaging in serious self-harm with a large knife before police intervened.
Hilton remains hospitalized in Florida, covered in gauze and separated from his children as he recovers. He is also beginning to process the events after emerging from a period of confusion during which he believed it was 2016.
‘Hilton believes he was experiencing a spiritual attack. To him, this is spiritual warfare,’ an insider told Our News Outlet. ‘He feels the devil was unhappy that he had become a Christian and was trying to attack him.’
Daily Mail insiders said Perez Hilton believed he was experiencing a ‘spiritual attack’ during his disturbing self-harm livestream in August
Earlier this year, the controversial blogger, 48, said he had found God
The insider added: ‘The Bible teaches that the closer a person comes to Christ, the more intensely the enemy may attack. Hilton believes that is what happened to him.’
According to the source, Hilton has become ‘more committed to his faith than ever’ since his reported encounter with God in March, despite remaining in hospital while recovering from the livestream incident.
The Hollywood gossip personality is now recovering beneath layers of medical gauze after doctors treated dozens of injuries linked to the episode. Broken bones reportedly sustained in a fall have also left him with severely limited mobility.
His phone is gone. So is his internet access. For now, Hilton’s world has been reduced to hospital treatment, prayer and the Bible. He has been hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for the temporary and involuntary detention of individuals in mental crisis.
‘He’s reading his Bible and praying while getting treatment,’ the insider said. ‘Leaning on Christ like never before. He’s really leaning in.’
At least physically, there are signs of progress. His wounds are ‘healing up well – better than expected’, the source said, giving Hilton what they described as a much-needed boost.
‘That’s given him some real encouragement. If his physical health is improving, then mentally and spiritually he must be improving as well.’
As the fog lifts, Hilton is now said to be piecing together what happened that night.
The source added: ‘And it’s Biblical that the closer one draws to Christ, the more the enemy will attack. He believes that’s what happened. 100 per cent;’ Above, in 2022
‘He’s got a clarity now that he didn’t have before. He knows what he needs to do. He is going to get better,’ the source said. ‘He will treat this every way he can: medically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually.’
‘This is a physical and mental problem that also has a spiritual dimension.’
That spiritual dimension may be new, but Hilton has thrown himself into it with characteristic intensity.
In his March video, Hilton went on to detail his encounter with God after his health crisis – first sepsis, then a readmission for deep-vein thrombosis.
‘I could only call it miraculous. And I was very lucid,’ he said in the video. ‘It was real. And this has been life-changing. I’m so grateful.’
He added: ‘And I grew up Catholic. I was baptized, had my Communion, was confirmed and went to a Jesuit school for seven years. But I was never a believer until now.’
For a brief spell after his apparent coming-to-Jesus moment, Hilton seemed to be presenting a very different version of himself.
Just a week later, he posted another video apologizing for the bullying and humiliation he had inflicted on celebrities throughout his career.
‘He’s reading his Bible and praying while getting treatment,’ the insider said, adding, ‘Leaning on Christ like never before. He’s really leaning in’; Above, Hilton in March video
‘I made a lot of mistakes in my past. We all have. Nobody’s perfect,’ Hilton said in the nine-minute clip. ‘But my mistakes are very public. I carry with me deep shame and regret. I’m sorry. I will continue to apologize. I have also reached out to make amends. I have apologized publicly and privately to dozens of people.’
Hilton continued: ‘Because I was so selfish, because I didn’t care who I hurt, I just cared about the views, the attention, the money – people hated me. Some people enjoyed it, but it felt like most people hated me. And last week, since I’ve been home, I haven’t been getting as much hate, and I’ve been getting love and prayers.’
He signed off by promising that he was now ‘doing things differently than before’ after his medical scare.
According to the source, the livestream has also forced Hilton to reassess the darkest parts of his life.
‘Before, he was feeling like the world would be better off without him; he’s not there anymore,’ the source said. ‘He understands that his kids need him, his family needs him, and he has worth. It’s encouraging.’
Hilton’s three children – Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight – were at the house when the incident began.
They were rushed outside by Hilton’s sister Barbara, who was also at home, but it remains unclear how much they saw before they were taken to safety. The children have not visited their father since.
A source close to the family said Hilton’s injuries remain too distressing for the children to see.
‘He was before feeling like the world would be better off without him; he’s not there anymore. He understands that his kids need him, his family needs him, and he has worth,’ added the aource; Above, with his kids Mario, Mia and Mayte in 2022
A Miami judge has granted Hilton supervised hospital visits while his mother, Teresita, has temporary custody. But there is a further hurdle: Hilton must first obtain psychiatric clearance, and any contact must be supervised by an approved family member or therapist.
Before the crisis, the star was reportedly trying to build a life beyond his Perez Hilton blog – which found fame in the mid-2000s for its withering celebrity takedowns but has since diminished in influence. Pitches for reality TV series about his life were said to have stalled before they ever got off the ground.
His website traffic initially surged after the shocking livestream, but the morbid curiosity did not last. According to a source, visitors quickly began to fall away.
His small team has since returned to posting celebrity news, but the bigger question remains: will readers come back in force – and will Hilton be well enough to reclaim the reins?
Hilton, pictured in his heyday with Paris Hilton, made his name through withering celebrity takedowns on his blog about Hollywood gossip
At the height of his fame, he was everywhere – from television studios and radio shows to red carpets and celebrity feuds.
Now the man who made a career from being permanently plugged in is cut off from his phone and the internet, unable to work while under medical supervision.
But as he continues to recover, Hilton is keeping one connection firmly switched on: his faith.
‘He prays all the time. He is still very connected to God after his near-death experience, and he is hoping his guardian angels will guide him towards better health, both mental and physical,’ another source close to the star told Our News Outlet.
