Perez Hilton has been transitioned to a residential treatment facility, where he is expected to remain for "several more weeks" or longer, his family announced in a statement posted to his website on Monday.
The move comes after the celebrity blogger, 48, spent more than a month in hospital following a severe mental health crisis during which he attempted to take his own life.
"This was an important next step, but there's still a long road ahead," his family wrote.
"Perez is expected to remain in residential treatment for several more weeks, potentially longer, depending on what his treatment team believes is best for his recovery," the family's statement continued.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, built his career as one of the internet's earliest and most prominent celebrity bloggers. He launched his gossip website as PageSixSixSix.com in 2004 before rebranding it as PerezHilton.com the following year, and grew it into a multimedia brand that included videos, a talk radio show and, later, a podcast.
He went on to work as a judge on the U.S. version of The X Factor, released several children's books, and became known as a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. He became a father for the first time in 2013, when his son Mario was born via surrogate, and later welcomed his two daughters the same way, raising all three as a single parent.
He does not currently have access to a phone or laptop, and his contact with friends and family outside the facility has been restricted while he focuses on his recovery.
Children in grandmother's care
Hilton's three children, Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight, are living in Miami, Florida, under the temporary custody of his mother, Teresita Lavandeira, while their father receives treatment.
"His three children remain together, safe, and doing well in the care of their grandmother, who has stepped in to care for them full-time during this unexpected chapter," Hilton's relatives said in the statement.
"Our family's priority continues to be giving them as much stability, routine, and 'normalcy' as possible while their dad focuses on his recovery. We are incredibly grateful for everything their grandmother is doing for them," the family added.
Supervised visits required
Hilton is allowed to see his children, but the visits must be supervised by an approved family member or a therapist, celebrity news outlet TMZ reported, citing court documents. He must also obtain "psychiatric clearance" before each visit, according to the outlet.
The August 4 incident
Hilton left Las Vegas in June to move back to his hometown of Miami, and he had been living there with his children and his mother at the time of the incident.
On August 4, he was found by his sister, Barbara Lavandeira, inside a bathroom of the family home, covered in blood and holding a box cutter. Hilton had been filming a live broadcast on TikTok, the short-form video platform, during which he appeared to engage in self-harm.
The livestream continued for about 15 minutes before TikTok cut the feed. Hilton's TikTok account has since been permanently banned from the platform. TikTok's community guidelines prohibit content that depicts or promotes self-harm, and the company says its moderation systems are designed to intervene when such content is detected and connect users in crisis with support resources.
Emergency response and hospitalization
Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene after receiving numerous calls from concerned viewers who had watched the broadcast, as well as from TikTok's own moderation team.
Hilton was treated for lacerations and an overdose before being transported to hospital under Florida's Baker Act, a state law that permits law enforcement, medical professionals or judges to order the temporary, involuntary hospitalization of a person believed to be experiencing a mental health crisis and to pose a danger to themselves or others. His family confirmed that he experienced significant blood loss and multiple broken bones during the incident.
"Perez is alive, he's getting help, and he's surrounded by people who want to see him healthy and happy again," the family's statement concluded. "Right now, those are the things that matter most."
The family's statement did not give a specific date for when Hilton's treatment might end.
