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The mother of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is seeking temporary custody of his three children after he was hospitalized during a mental health crisis at his south Florida home last week.
Court documents filed in Miami-Dade county and seen by multiple news outlets, including Miami’s NBC 6, show the request for custody was made by 48-year-old Hilton’s mother.
“My main concern and objective, as well as the family’s, is to protect the children and make sure they are safe,” said Natalie F Guerra-Valdes, an attorney representing Hilton’s mother, in a statement.
“We want them to have some sense of normalcy as they begin their journey of healing after the tragic events that occurred last week.”
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, is known for pioneering the celebrity gossip blog business in the mid-2000s, posting photos and gossip. He was embroiled in many high-profile feuds with that era’s pop culture icons including Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. His business translated a measure of celebrity on Hilton himself.
But on 4 August, Hilton posted a now-deleted TikTok live stream from his home that appeared to show him naked and covered in blood, with visible cuts and holding what appeared to be a knife.
The Miami-Dade sheriff’s office said that deputies responded after they received “multiple calls regarding an individual who was livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media”.
Hilton’s identity was later confirmed by the sheriff’s office, which confirmed he was “Baker-Acted”, a term used in Florida to describe laws that allows police, doctors, mental health professionals or judges to temporarily detain a person for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation for up to 72 hours during a mental health crisis.
Hilton’s family said on Saturday he remained hospitalized in serious condition and had been stabilized, but said his injuries would require surgery.
His family later said his three children, niece and sister were inside the home “minutes before” the live stream began.
“When it became clear that Perez was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and harming himself, they immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma,” a statement posted on the Perez Hilton website said.
The blogger is reported to be a single parent to children who are all under the age of 14 and born via surrogacy. His family have asked that the public “to leave the area surrounding the family’s home”.
“Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced,” the statement reads. “An important part of that process is allowing them to safely return home and begin rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy.”
The family says it “remains focused on Perez’s treatment and recovery”.
