This article mentions self-harm.
Perez Hilton’s family issued another update on the star this past weekend, confirming that he has been hospitalized under Florida’s Mental Health Act after a distressing TikTok livestream showed him seemingly self-harming while completely nude.
The disturbing incident occurred on Tuesday, when the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 48-year-old star’s home in Florida after receiving several desperate calls from online viewers. Perez was taken to the hospital for medical care, and graphic videos showing him covered in blood were later circulated on social media.
Since then, Perez’s family has issued multiple statements, the first of which was shared on Wednesday. In it, they wrote: “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.” They added that they’ve been “able to confirm that Perez is able to communicate, which has given our family hope” as they thanked fans for their support.
On Thursday, Perez’s family issued another statement that specifically referenced the star’s three children, ages 13, 11, and 8, whom he raises as a single father after welcoming them via surrogacy. Officers previously confirmed that Perez was alone in the house during the livestream, but it was revealed that the children had been present just moments before.
“The events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family,” the statement began. “Just minutes before the public livestream incident, Perez’s children, niece, and sister were inside the home. When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.”
They went on to ask for content creators, the paparazzi, and the media to leave the area surrounding the family’s home to give the children “the privacy and space they need during this unimaginably difficult time.”
And they doubled down on this request in the latest statement, shared on Perez’s website this past weekend, which also provided further insight into his current status. It read: “There are many false and inaccurate reports circulating in the media regarding Perez and the circumstances surrounding this situation. We want to confirm that Perez remains hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act. His communication has been extremely limited and confined to immediate family, medical providers, and others directly involved in his care. He has not communicated with the media or issued any public statements.”
Florida’s Baker Act is also known as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, and allows temporary, involuntary detention and psychiatric evaluation of individuals experiencing a severe mental health crisis.
“The only statements regarding Perez that should be considered credible and authorized are those published directly on PerezHilton.com,” the post went on. “Perez’s condition remains serious but stable. He experienced significant blood loss and sustained additional injuries that will require surgery in the coming days. His treatment and recovery will be a long process. We are grateful that Perez was able to spend time with his mother and sister yesterday. As our family remains focused on Perez’s treatment and recovery, we also need the space and privacy to care for everyone affected by this situation.”
“There is absolutely no reason for members of the media or the public to remain outside the family’s home,” it reiterated. “We again respectfully ask members of the media to leave the home and surrounding area, stop following family members, and cease photographing Perez’s children. We also ask photo agencies not to purchase, publish, or distribute any photographs of the children that may have been taken. For more than a decade, PerezHilton.com has maintained a 'no kids policy,' meaning the site does not publish photographs of children unless they are attending a public event or their family has chosen to make those photographs public on social media.”
“Perez’s children remain safe and are being cared for by immediate family,” the statement concluded. “Please allow them and the rest of the family the peace and privacy they desperately need during this incredibly difficult time. Thank you for your continued support, compassion, and understanding.”
This update came as Supernatural star Jared Padalecki faced backlash from his followers after he tweeted his well-wishes for Perez amid his hospitalization. On Saturday, the 44-year-old actor publicly tweeted Perez: “Just wanted to reach out and let you know that you’re in my thoughts. This ‘being human’ is a strange thing. Exhilarating. Exhausting. Fast. Slow. Wonderful… And… at times… awful. I hope you are trying as best as you can to be kind to yourself right now. Please surround yourself with the love and support that all humans deserve.”
This gesture sparked criticism from other social media users, who were quick to remind Jared of Perez’s controversial past when he was at the center of online tabloid journalism. If you also need reminding, Perez had a reputation for creating insulting nicknames for celebs, as well as humiliating imagery of them and publishing incredibly troubling stories to his website — including speculation over people's sexuality and mental health.
Ireland Baldwin — daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger — publicly called Perez out last week when she wrote on her Instagram story: "Perez Hilton has publicly humiliated my family for years, sexualized me from a young age, commented on my weight and body (as a child), made unforgivable comments about people in my family, drew j!zz coming out of my mom’s and friend’s mouths, and has always been a despicable human being. But his children deserve better and a healthy father and I am so sad for all of them. I hope he gets the help he needs and heals.”
As a further example, in October, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s daughter Tallulah Willis shared a shocking screenshot of an article that Perez wrote about her back in 2008, when she was just 14 years old. She included the paparazzi photos the article was about, which saw her wearing denim hot pants and hugging her dad. The article read: “Bruce Willis’s youngest spawn, Tallulah, lets her butt all hang out. The pair share a smooch and a hug. He might as well give her a pat on the ass while they’re at it! Bruce and Lulah went shopping in West Hollywood on Sunday. If that were our fugly child, we would have bought her a pair of pants!”
The livestream incident followed a difficult few months for Perez, which began when he came down with the flu in February. The following month, the star revealed that taking flu medication without food led to him developing an ulcer in his stomach, which turned into a perforation and then sepsis. Perez was hospitalized with severe sepsis in Las Vegas; he had to have a thrombectomy to remove a blood clot and spent three weeks being bedridden in the hospital.
In late March, Perez told followers: “God presented himself to me,” as he reflected on his time in the hospital, calling it “one of the most special things about this experience.” And in May, Perez candidly revealed the financial impact that his hospital stay had had on him in an Instagram video promoting his new merch, telling viewers: “You don’t want to know how much I had to pay in hospital bills, with insurance! That’s why your boy is now in hustle mode, I had all that I had to take care of, and I wasn’t able to work for over a month.”
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