On Tuesday, a flood of online users reported that celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was live-streaming acts of self-harm on TikTok. The video on the social media platform appears to have since been taken down.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Rolling Stone that it received multiple calls regarding an individual who was live-streaming acts of self-harm on social media and that deputies located the individual’s residence, who was alone inside. The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Hilton was involved in the incident and said spoke with family members on scene.
“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,” read a statement from the Sheriff’s Office. “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.”
The statement concluded, “At this time, deputies have tactically disengaged while continuing to monitor the situation and providing the needed support to his family.”
Mr. Hilton, born Mario Lavandeira, gained fame after launching his highly popular gossip website in the early Aughts and gained notoriety for his unapologetic and often controversial take on celebrities’ lives. Several celebrities and their PR teams have denounced Perez for his public insults, from Khloe Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga, a former friend of Perez.
In recent years and as online culture changed, Hilton toned down his public attacks and appeared to embrace fatherhood and adopt a kinder public persona. In an interview with The New York Times in 2012, Hilton seemed regretful over his past behavior and the emotional damage he had inflicted on others. “What’s important for me is not being liked, but it is that people think I am no longer toxic to the world,” he said. “I’m aware of the fact there are going to be a lot of people with lingering resentment and a lot of skeptics,” he said. “And that’s O.K. because I am not pretending to be perfect.”