Police said they attended the Miami-area home of celebrity blogger and podcaster Perez Hilton, after they received reports that he engaged in self-harm in livestreamed video Tuesday night.
A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said in an email that deputies responded to reports of someone “who was livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media.”
The statement was sent in response to an inquiry about Hilton, but it did not name him.
In a follow-up statement, the sheriff’s office said the person was “safely recovered” and taken by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he was receiving medical attention.
It said deputies spoke to family members at the scene, who confirmed the person had been alone inside the residence.
The video, which was streamed on TikTok before the platform pulled it, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood, with visible cuts and holding what appeared to be a knife. In the video, viewers pleaded with him and asked for his phone number so they could alert authorities.
Video from Hilton’s neighborhood taken by NBC South Florida showed multiple sheriff’s patrol vehicles stopped and a street shuttered by yellow tape.
The co-CEOs of the talent management firm that represents Hilton, Golden Artists Entertainment, said in a statement Tuesday night that they “are 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,” co-CEOs Dante Rusciolelli and Rebekah Kochan said. “Our primary concern is Perez’s health and well being, as well as the well being of his family.”
Hilton, 48, made a name in the early 2000s publicizing and sometimes belittling celebrities who made public gaffes or otherwise found themselves in trouble with the law.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, has three children born via surrogacy. In a June 17 video on Instagram, he announced that his family was moving back to Miami after having lived in Las Vegas for 3½ years.
“God told me to move to Miami,” he said in the video, in which he also discussed a recent hospital stay.
In a follow-up video, Hilton and the children expressed excitement about the move.
“Manifesting abundance, manifesting just family, peace, good times,” Hilton said. “Manifesting health, good health — that’s what’s most important.”
In addition to his website, Hilton has expanded his online presence with “The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker,” on which the two parse the latest celebrity news and gossip.
In 2010, he said he would stop bullying people on his website as part of his effort to discourage bullying among teenagers. “I really want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem,” he told Ellen Degeneres on her show “Ellen.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
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