Perez Hilton, a 48-year-old Cuban-American blogger whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., was urgently hospitalized in Miami on Tuesday night after experiencing a self-harm episode that thousands of people witnessed live on TikTok.
According to a report by Telemundo 51, the broadcast showed Hilton covered in blood, with visible cuts on his arms, torso, and face, and a bruised eye, holding what appeared to be a knife.
The spectators began to plead with him to stop and to ask for his phone number to alert the authorities.
An operation lasting nearly four hours
The Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office received "multiple calls" reporting that a man was live streaming self-harm acts, and classified the incident as a "suicide attempt."
The Ring doorbell camera captured the arrival of the first patrol cars with their sirens on, with more officers joining about fifteen minutes later.
Authorities confirmed that Hilton was alone inside -his three children were not present- and implemented de-escalation protocols before entering the property.
Around 11:00 PM, the authorities managed to enter the residence and transported the blogger by ambulance to a local hospital.
The Ring doorbell footage showed the agents still on the scene at 11:11 PM, almost four hours after the initial deployment.
The Crisis Response Unit and mental health professionals also arrived at the scene to provide support to the family.
TikTok removed the video and proceeded to permanently ban the blogger's account for violating the community guidelines of that social network.
The word of their representatives
While the operation was underway, the co-executive directors of Golden Artists Entertainment, Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, issued a statement:
"We are aware of the concerning content circulating online related to our client. So far, we have been unable to contact him directly, despite our ongoing efforts to locate him. Our primary concern is the health and well-being of Perez, as well as that of his family."
This Wednesday, the family and the team of the blogger confirmed that he is receiving medical attention and requested respect for his privacy, without providing details about his condition.
A year marked by health crises
The episode occurs after a year of serious physical deterioration for the blogger.
In March, Hilton was hospitalized for 21 days due to a potentially fatal sepsis caused by a perforated ulcer.
Weeks later, he had to undergo another emergency surgery due to massive deep vein thrombosis.
It was to recover and be close to her family that she decided to move from Las Vegas to Miami with her mother and her three children: Mario Jr. (13 years old), Mia Alma (11), and Mayte Amor (8).
"Dios told me to move to Miami," she declared in an Instagram video posted on June 17, where she expressed her desire to "manifest health, good health; that is the most important thing."
Who is Perez Hilton?
Born in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents, Lavandeira studied Dramatic Arts at New York University before becoming one of the most influential entertainment bloggers on the internet.
His site perezhilton.com, named as a parody of Paris Hilton, was one of the most read websites in the world in the mid-2000s.
In his memoirs TMI: My life in scandal (2020), he acknowledged: "In the end, I realized that the things I wrote really hurt people, and a lot."
Related videos:
Filed under: