Perez Hilton in 'serious but stable' condition after self-harm livestream
US blogger Perez Hilton is hospitalised in Miami after harming himself during a TikTok livestream. His family says he is in serious but stable condition, facing a long recovery.
US celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is in a "serious but stable" condition in hospital after an incident at his Miami home, his family has said.
Emergency services were called to the property on Tuesday after members of the public watching his TikTok livestream raised concerns about what they were seeing. The Miami sheriff's office confirmed officers responded to a report of a man livestreaming acts of self-harm, though it did not name him, and said he was alone in the house when they arrived.
A statement on the 48-year-old's website said he had experienced significant blood loss and that his treatment and recovery would be a long process. Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, is being held in hospital under Florida's Baker Act, legislation aimed at providing services for people in mental health crises. The father of three is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days.
TikTok's response
A TikTok spokesman said the platform's automated moderation systems flagged the livestream within minutes and passed it to the company's US moderation team. A moderator error delayed the stream's removal, TikTok said, but the company alerted law enforcement, shut down several subsequent streams within 90 seconds, and banned the account.
The name Perez Hilton was chosen as a nod to Paris Hilton, who was at the peak of her fame when the celebrity gossip site launched in 2005. The blog went on to draw 8 million hits a day in the internet's early years, though it drew criticism for harsh commentary about stars such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga. Hilton has since said he regrets being mean or cruel in that period. He has also appeared on reality shows including Celebrity Big Brother.
