Perez Hilton has been granted his first supervised visits with his three children while he remains in a residential treatment facility following his August suicide attempt.
The internet personality, 48, was able to see Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8, in person after an initial period of video calls, according to a blog post shared on his website Tuesday. The children had not been with their father since they fled his Florida home moments before he live-streamed an apparent self-harm incident on TikTok on Aug. 4.
“They were first able to spend time together through a few video calls, and since then, Perez has also been able to see his children and his mom a few times for short, supervised visits at the facility,” the statement read.
“Seeing his children in person has meant an enormous amount to Perez,” the post continued. “There have definitely been a lot of emotions for everyone, but being able to spend that time together has been incredibly meaningful and healing.”
Communication with Hilton remains restricted, however. His family is “not able to talk to him daily,” the statement noted.
“While that’s hard for us and for him, we understand that right now the priority isn’t constant communication with family, but rather giving him the time and space to focus on his care and continue making progress,” the family wrote.
Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, was granted temporary custody of the children following the Aug. 4 incident. At the time, Hilton suffered what was described as “significant blood loss” and injuries that required surgery. He spent weeks in the hospital before being transferred to the residential treatment program, with the move announced via his website on Sept. 14.
The post indicated that Hilton is still working to understand what led to his suicide attempt and is “learning better ways to cope.” No timeline has been given for his return home.
A few days after the treatment transfer announcement, Tony-winning producer Tom D’Angora launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $25,000 to help Lavandeira with childcare expenses. “None of the money will be used for Perez personally,” D’Angora emphasized in the fundraiser description. He explained that Lavandeira “has put much of her own life on hold to make sure the kids can continue going to school, participating in their normal activities, and having as much consistency as possible during an incredibly difficult time.”
The fundraiser had reached $14,333 as of the website’s latest update.
The Aug. 4 incident unfolded when Hilton’s children left the house shortly before he began the TikTok live stream that prompted police to respond to reports of a suicide attempt. The graphic nature of the broadcast and the subsequent hospitalization drew widespread attention to the blogger’s mental health struggles, which have played out in public throughout his decades-long career in celebrity media.
Hilton, born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., built one of the internet’s earliest and most influential gossip blogs beginning in 2004, becoming a controversial fixture in entertainment media before expanding into television, podcasting, and social media commentary. His public persona has frequently mixed personal revelation with celebrity coverage, making the current situation both a private family crisis and a continuation of his long history of sharing difficult moments with an audience.
The family statement offered no specific date for when Hilton might complete his treatment program or resume unsupervised contact with his children, noting only that the current arrangement represents progress in his recovery process.