Perez Hilton is recovering in a Florida hospital after a TikTok livestream during which he appeared to harm himself, with people close to the celebrity blogger saying he believes he was experiencing a “spiritual attack”.
Hilton, 48, is being treated under Florida’s Baker Act, which permits the temporary involuntary detention of people experiencing a mental health crisis. He is reported to have sustained numerous cuts and broken bones after a fall during the incident.
His children were at the family home when the crisis began and were taken outside by his sister, Barbara. They have not visited their father since, while a judge has granted supervised hospital visits subject to psychiatric clearance.
Hilton is now said to be rebuilding his understanding of what happened after a period of confusion in which he believed it was 2016. An insider said he would address the episode “medically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually”.
“Hilton is convinced that he was under spiritual attack. This is spiritual warfare,” the insider said. “He believes that the devil is not happy that he became a Christian, and was doing whatever to attack him.”
The source added: “And it’s Biblical that the closer one draws to Christ, the more the enemy will attack. He believes that’s what happened.”
Perez Hilton’s recovery in hospital
Hilton is described as being wrapped in medical gauze, with limited mobility because of his injuries. His wounds are said to be healing better than expected, which has provided encouragement during his recovery.
He currently has no phone or internet access and is spending his time receiving treatment, praying and reading the Bible. “He’s reading his Bible and praying while getting treatment,” the insider said. “Leaning on Christ like never before.”
Hilton’s mother, Teresita, has temporary custody of his three children, Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight. Any contact with their father must be supervised by an approved family member or therapist, and the children are said not to have visited because his injuries remain too distressing for them to see.
The crisis followed an intense period of religious commitment that began after Hilton suffered a stomach ulcer and severe sepsis in March. He was later readmitted to hospital with deep-vein thrombosis.
In an emotional video posted after those health problems, Hilton said he had experienced what he regarded as a direct encounter with God and planned to take his children to church. He also claimed he had been instructed to sell his 4 million-dollar Las Vegas home and move to Miami.
“I could only call it miraculous. And I was very lucid,” he said. “It was real. And this has been life-changing. I’m so grateful.”
Hilton, who said he grew up Catholic and attended a Jesuit school, added: “I was never a believer until now.”
A week later, he posted an apology for the bullying and humiliation he had directed at celebrities during his career. He said he felt “deep shame and regret” and had apologised publicly and privately to dozens of people.
“Because I was so selfish, because I didn’t care who I hurt, I just cared about the views, the attention, the money,” Hilton said. “I have also reached out to make amends.”
An individual close to Hilton said the livestream had made him reassess his mental state. “Before, he was feeling like the world would be better off without him; he’s not there anymore,” the person said. “He understands that his kids need him, his family needs him, and he has worth.”
Hilton rose to prominence through his Hollywood gossip blog and high-profile celebrity feuds, but his influence and website traffic have since declined. His small team has continued publishing celebrity news while he remains unable to work.
Another person close to the blogger said he remained strongly committed to his faith while undergoing treatment and hoped his “guardian angels” would guide him towards better mental and physical health.
