Key Takeaways
- Newly released 911 dispatch audio shows Miami-Dade authorities rushed to Perez Hilton’s home after multiple viewers reported seeing him livestream acts of self-harm, leading officers to enter the residence and have him taken to a hospital for treatment.
- Officials say Hilton, alone at the time, was “safely recovered” and his family was supported by the sheriff’s Crisis Response Unit and mental health professionals, while his reps asked for privacy and said their focus is on his health and recovery amid intense public concern.
- The incident follows a brutal stretch of health crises for Hilton—including sepsis, emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer, and a massive blood clot—that he says pushed him back toward his Catholic faith and a less confrontational public persona.
Newly released 911 dispatch audio is shedding light on the frightening chain of events that unfolded before Perez Hilton was hospitalized in Miami, revealing that emergency responders were dispatched to what was reported as a "suicide attempt" after concerned viewers watched the celebrity blogger's livestream on Tuesday, August 4.
According to dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, the first emergency report came in at 10:41 p.m., sending multiple law enforcement and fire rescue units to Hilton's Miami-area home. While dispatchers communicated graphic details about the reported self-harm, the outlet chose not to publicly disclose those specifics.
Audio from the response indicates authorities eventually entered the residence around 11 p.m. local time, after multiple units had been staged at the scene.
Ring camera footage later captured deputies outside the home calling out, "Mario, it's the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, please step out of the house," as they worked to safely reach Hilton.
Authorities said the response began after "multiple calls" from people who saw someone "livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media." The Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office confirmed Hilton, whose legal name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., was alone inside the home at the time.
He was later "safely recovered and transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to a local hospital, where he is receiving medical attention," the agency said, adding that its Crisis Response Unit and licensed mental health professionals were also deployed to support Hilton's family.
Hilton's representatives issued an updated statement on Wednesday, August 5, as concern continued to grow online. "At this time, we do not have any additional confirmed information to share regarding Perez Hilton's condition," they said. "Our focus remains on Perez's health, recovery and the privacy of both him and his family during this incredibly difficult time."
The statement also thanked supporters for the "outpouring of concern and support" while asking the public to continue respecting Hilton's privacy. A day earlier, his management had said its "primary concern is Perez's health and well-being, as well as the well-being of his family."
The new details arrive just months after Hilton publicly reflected on surviving a series of life-threatening medical emergencies that he said transformed his outlook.
Earlier this year, the entertainment personality spent nearly three weeks hospitalized after he said taking flu medication without food led to an ulcer, a stomach perforation, sepsis and emergency surgery.
Weeks later, he underwent another procedure after developing what he described as a "massive" blood clot. Hilton later revealed that those health crises led him back to the Catholic faith of his childhood, saying he experienced what he believed was a miraculous encounter with God.
Since then, he has frequently posted about attending Mass, reading the Bible, and stepping away from the confrontational online persona that made him one of the internet's most recognizable celebrity gossip figures.
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any time, or visit 988lifeline.org to connect with trained crisis counselors. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
