RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Topline Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was hospitalized overnight after he appeared to self-harm while on a TikTok livestream, Miami-Dade County authorities said, prompting multiple concerned fans to call the police.
Hilton, a gossip blogger whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, was taken to a hospital late Tuesday, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to multiple outlets , after his disturbing livestream prompted police calls from multiple fans.
While on a TikTok livestream Tuesday, Hilton appeared to be covered in blood while he appeared to be self-harming, as fans urged him in the comments to stop.
The sheriff’s office told CNN authorities “spoke with family members on scene, and confirmed he was alone inside” before de-escalating the situation, adding that authorities often respond to mental health crises by “creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication.”
NBC6 , a local outlet that covers south Florida, reported sheriff’s office vehicles and a firetruck were spotted outside a home in Miami-Dade County’s Westchester neighborhood, and that neighbors told the outlet the home was Hilton’s.
Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, co-CEOs of Golden Artists Entertainment, the talent agency that represents Hilton, said in a statement on Instagram they are “aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton,” but added they have “not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him.”
Forbes has reached out to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office and Hilton’s representatives for comment.
Much about Hilton’s condition after his hospitalization. Hilton has not publicly addressed his apparent mental health episode, and his agents said on Instagram they would not comment further until they have more information, also asking that Hilton’s privacy be respected.
In March, Hilton told his social media followers he was hospitalized for sepsis for three weeks, which he said necessitated an emergency surgery. Hilton said he had the flu and did not take his medications with food as directed, which he said caused him to develop an ulcer that perforated. “The day before I was hospitalized, I was in so much stomach pain. I was like, ‘This is weird, but it’ll go away,’” Hilton said in a social media video, adding he "couldn't walk” the next day. Hilton said the experience had brought him closer to God. “God presented himself to me and then did something. Something I can only call miraculous,” he said, adding he would “start taking the kids to church every week.” In another video posted days later, Hilton said he had been reading the Bible and felt “deep shame and regret” for his behavior throughout his career as a gossip blogger.
Hilton rose to fame as a popular, and notorious, gossip blogger in the 2000s, which garnered both millions of readers as well as pushback from some celebrities who felt his coverage was mean-spirited. Demi Lovato has accused Hilton of being a “ bully ,” while Lady Gaga accused him of stalking her in 2013. Mila Kunis in 2018 said Hilton was the “first person that created ugly news, that literally just spread filth,” saying it “allowed people to be mean.” Hilton has since distanced himself from his prior approach to celebrity news, writing in a 2020 memoir he “never needed to be so mean or cruel,” saying one of the “many things I regret is that I hurt so many people by giving them nasty nicknames, and above all that I was unkind to the children of celebrities.” He also said he regrets outing celebrities, saying he “no longer” believes that is acceptable.
Perez Hilton Claims He Encountered God After Being Hospitalized for Three Weeks (Hollywood Reporter)
Perez Hilton: I never needed to be so cruel (BBC)
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