Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting “988.”
Perez Hilton, the 48-year-old celebrity blogger whose legal name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., was hospitalized on August 4 following a severe mental health crisis at his Miami home. Police responded to multiple emergency calls regarding the incident, which culminated in Hilton being involuntarily held for mental health evaluation under Florida’s Baker Act.
In a candid interview with Page Six She recounted that on the afternoon of the incident, Mario had locked himself in his bedroom, a highly unusual behavior given that his door was almost always left open. When she knocked, she received a muffled response, but he soon stopped communicating entirely, prompting her to force entry.
Upon entering the room, Lavandeira discovered that Hilton had locked himself in the bathroom. After she breached that door as well, she encountered a traumatic scene. She described finding Mario standing in front of the shower, nude and covered in blood, holding a box cutter. Her account aligns with disturbing, unverified footage that circulated online showing a man appearing to be Hilton in a state of severe distress.
Lavandeira acted immediately to protect the children present in the home, including Hilton’s three children—Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8—as well as her own niece. She successfully ushered them to her car and contacted a nearby friend to transport the children away from the residence while she remained to coordinate with emergency responders. She noted that her mother was not at the home during the incident.
Reflecting on the encounter, Lavandeira stated, “What I can say with certainty is that I didn’t recognize my brother when I looked at him. I saw it in his eyes. They didn’t look the same. Then, a split second later, he smiled at me. It felt like I was staring at someone else.” She declined to share further graphic details, citing the overwhelming and painful nature of the experience.
Following the hospitalization, the family issued a statement noting that Hilton’s recovery would be a long process and urged the public to rely only on information published directly on PerezHilton.com, citing the prevalence of inaccurate media reports. On August 7, court records obtained by confirm that Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, filed a petition for temporary custody of the children. The court subsequently granted a request to seal the case information.
Natalie F. Guerra-Valdes, the attorney representing Teresita, emphasized the family’s priorities in a statement to: “My main concern and objective, as well as the family’s, is to protect the children and make sure they are safe. We want them to have some sense of normalcy as they begin their journey of healing after the tragic events that occurred last week.”
A representative for Hilton did not provide a comment when contacted by. The incident remains a sensitive matter for the family as they navigate the legal and personal aftermath of the crisis. Reporting for this story was contributed by Liza Esquibias, Anthony Thompson, and Taijuan Moorman.
13, Hilton’s younger sister Lavandeira, 42, recounted that day, which she said “will forever be one of the darkest days my family and I have ever experienced.”
“He still didn’t answer, so I unlocked it,” she said.
“When I opened the door, my nightmare became a reality,” she said.
Perez Hilton ‘s sister, Barbara Lavandeira, is recounting the day of his disturbing TikTok livestream, where he performed acts of self-harm while experiencing a mental health crisis.
I tried calling his cellphone in case he couldn’t hear me, but he wouldn’t answer.
“I left the room, grabbed the car keys, and yelled for the kids to run to the car.
Thankfully, our mom wasn’t home at the time, and I was able to get everyone out quickly,” she said.
She contacted 911 as soon as the kids were safely in the car.
She opted out of sharing “many of the specific details” because “they’re too painful, graphic and overwhelming.”
8 update, the Hilton family revealed that the celebrity blogger was being held under Florida’s Baker Act, a state law that allows an individual to be involuntarily taken to a facility to undergo mental health examinations, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
A previous statement confirmed that his children, niece and sister were inside the home “just minutes before the public livestream.”
Page Six was first to report the filing on Aug.