Police Called to Perez Hilton's Home After He Livestreamed Self Harm

One of the first times we ever went viral here was when we wrote a takedown of Perez Hilton back in, I want to say, 2006 or so. He was not our favorite person, and though we were a lot more scathing in the aughts than we are these days, Perez Hilton was vicious, cruel, and the most popular gossip blogger on the Internet.

I do understand that he toned it down over the years because we all evolve, mature, and in some cases, give in to the demands of our culture. I haven’t really kept it with the guy, though I imagine for someone like Mario Lavandeira Jr., fading into a level of cultural irrelevancy has not sit well with him — he still has a decent following on social media, though traffic on his site is a tiny fraction of what it once was.

Obviously, I don’t know if that, his recent health problems (he was hospitalized with sepsis in March and later with a blood clot in his leg), or just his overall mental health has taken a dive, but last night, he livestreamed an apparent attempt on his own life. I didn’t see it, and I don’t care to see it — he was nude and slashing himself with a knife — but the social media reactions suggests that it was very disturbing, very gory, and very unsettling.

Police were called to his Florida home and Perez Hilton was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving medical attention. Beyond that, there’s been no new information aside from the tabloid vultures circling. I certainly wish him a speedy recovery not just in terms of his physical health, but his social and emotional health, as well. I hope he gets the help he needs. Though I have not kept up with Perez Hilton, we grew up in the mines together, so to speak, and it’s been a difficult … decade in our industry, particularly for those, I suspect, who don’t have a strong, supportive community around them.