Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton was rushed to a hospital in Florida after a disturbing social media livestream.
Hilton appeared to be harming himself during a TikTok live session on Tuesday night, Aug. 4, prompting authorities in Miami to respond to his home.
During the stream, which Urban Hollywood 411 managed to view, the blogger held a knife and appeared to repeatedly cut himself. He was not wearing a shirt, and was covered in a red liquid.
Other social media users were on the stream with Hilton. They expressed alarm and repeatedly urged him to stop. “Perez, no!” one person yelled during the stream.
The video was eventually taken down.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office released a statement to the media saying it had “received multiple calls regarding an individual who was livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media.”
Local news station NBC 6 South Florida sent a reporter and photographer to the scene. The station aired video it recorded of a man standing in a window at Hilton’s home. The station blurred the footage because “the man is naked, possibly bloody as well,” the reporter said.
Hilton, who was born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., was placed in an ambulance and taken to a hospital for treatment. The sheriff’s office said it had tried to de-escalate the situation before anyone was seriously injured.
“In many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Unless there is an immediate threat to others, slowing the situation and utilizing crisis intervention techniques can reduce the likelihood of a suicide-by-cop encounter and minimize the risk of injury to the individual, deputies, and the public.”
Hilton, who calls himself “the Queen of All Media,” is reportedly undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. According to published reports, his three children were not home at the time of the incident.
The blogger’s talent reps, Golden Artists Entertainment co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan, released a statement to Variety, saying they were “aware of the concerning content circulating online involving our client, Perez Hilton.”
“At this time, we have not been able to make direct contact with him, despite our ongoing efforts to reach him,” the statement read. “Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family. Until we have confirmed information, we will not speculate or comment further. We appreciate everyone’s concern and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.”
Hilton rose to prominence in the early 2000s by reporting celebrity gossip on his website, PerezHilton.com. According to his IMDb page, he has since made dozens of appearances in movies and TV shows, including The Sopranos, Glee, Hot in Cleveland, East Los High, General Hospital and Meet the Blacks
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