Gossip blogger Perez Hilton remains hospitalized and will require surgery after suffering significant blood loss during a disturbing livestream incident where he self-harmed with a knife.
In a statement published on Hilton's website, his team revealed the 48-year-old blogger suffered significant blood loss alongside unspecified additional injuries. He is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days to treat his condition.
Hilton is currently hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act, officially known as the Florida Mental Health Act. The statute allows medical professionals, mental health practitioners, judges, and law enforcement officers to involuntarily commit individuals for up to 72 hours if they are considered a danger to themselves or others.
Due to the legal requirements of the Baker Act, Hilton's team noted that his communication remains strictly limited to immediate family members, medical providers, and personnel directly handling his treatment. His condition is listed as serious but stable, and his team described his treatment and recovery as a long process.
His team confirmed that Hilton was able to visit with his mother and sister on Friday. They added that his three children remain safe and are currently being looked after by immediate family members.
"Please allow them and the rest of the family the peace and privacy they desperately need during this incredibly difficult time," the statement read. "Thank you for your continued support, compassion, and understanding." Daily Mail contacted representatives for Hilton for further comment but did not receive a response. The update follows an exclusive report by Daily Mail detailing Hilton's first words from his hospital bed.
Emergency response at Miami home
The hospitalization followed a distressing TikTok livestream on Tuesday in which Hilton self-harmed with a knife. Neighbors' surveillance camera footage captured police arriving at his home in Miami shortly after 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening.
Emergency calls from concerned fans prompted law enforcement to respond to the scene. Surveillance video showed deputies trying to coax Hilton out of the residence, with one deputy calling out: "Mario, it's the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, please step out of the house." Hilton's real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.
Unpublished clips of the footage appeared to show Hilton covered in blood while holding a knife. TikTok has since removed the livestream video and suspended Hilton's account.
Details released on Wednesday revealed that Hilton's sister, his niece, and his three children were inside the Florida home when the incident took place. A prior statement on Hilton's website explained that his family immediately fled the property to prevent the children from witnessing any further trauma when it was clear Hilton was having a severe mental health crisis and harming himself.
"Our family cannot express enough our continued gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received during this incredibly difficult time," the family statement said. They stated that the past several days were nearly unbearable for their family.
The family stated that their highest priority is helping the children heal and rebuilding their sense of security. "An important part of that process is allowing them to safely return home and begin rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy," they wrote, requesting privacy and space while promising to provide updates through PerezHilton.com when additional information becomes available.
Previous medical crises and health struggles
The incident comes after previous health emergencies for the blogger earlier this year. Hilton was admitted to a hospital in March after developing sepsis, sharing photos of himself in a hospital bed while recovering.
His sepsis developed after he took flu medication on an empty stomach, which caused an ulcer and a 21-day hospital stay. Hilton explained that he took both Aleve and Tylenol on an empty stomach for a week, resulting in an ulcer and a perforation.
Weeks after leaving the hospital, Hilton suffered another health crisis after experiencing soreness and pain in one of his legs. An ultrasound revealed he had a deep vein thrombosis.
Hilton addressed the blood clot on Instagram, writing: "I am so thankful to God that we caught this early because if that blood clot had gone to my lungs or my heart, it could have been real bad." He later posted another update on social media stating he was able to finally walk again with the help of a walker.
Speaking on Fox News Media's podcast Hang Out with Sean Hannity during an interview recorded on July 14, Hilton reflected on his earlier 21-day hospitalization. "I was in the hospital for 21 days, so I thought I was gonna die," he said.
Hilton described how doctors initially could not find where the perforation was while his body began breaking down. "I had fluid in my lungs. I went AFib. My heart issues. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong," he stated, explaining that he had taken flu medication without food despite instructions to take it with food.
Blogging career and past public controversies
Hilton is the father of three children, Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight, all of whom he welcomed via surrogate.
He launched his celebrity gossip blog in 2004 under the original name PageSixSixSix.com before changing it to PerezHilton.com. Over his career as a media personality, he befriended several Hollywood celebrities while publishing entertainment news.
In 2021, Hilton admitted that he regrets the way he covered pop singer Britney Spears during her 2007 mental health breakdown. He had drawn criticism for bullying the Baby One More Time hitmaker after calling her an unfit mother.
In 2008, Hilton released a shirt design on his website featuring an image of actor Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain alongside text questioning why Spears had not died instead of Ledger. The shirt read: "Why couldn't it have been Britney?"
During an interview on Good Morning Britain, Hilton expressed remorse, stating: "I regret a lot or most of what I said about Britney as I'm sure Piers [Morgan] would if he were here about things he's said in the past." He added: "Thankfully, hopefully, many of us get older and wiser."
Support resources for suicide and crisis lifelines
If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. If you are in the UK, call Samaritans at 116 123 for free. If you are in Australia, call Lifeline at 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800.
