Perez Hilton’s sister Barbara Lavandeira opened up this week about the harrowing moment she discovered her brother during his suicide attempt on August 4, offering a raw and emotional firsthand account of events that shocked both his family and the public.
Barbara, visiting from California, recounted in an exclusive interview how she noticed something was deeply wrong when Hilton—whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.—shut himself in his bedroom with the door locked, an unusual occurrence. After he failed to respond to her knocks and phone calls, she made the difficult decision to unlock his door and check on him. What she found inside the bathroom was the most traumatic moment of her family’s life.
“When I opened the door, my nightmare became a reality,” Barbara said. “Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, cut up, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand.”
The moment was so jarring that Barbara initially couldn’t recognize her own brother. “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 explained.
Acting quickly and decisively, Barbara immediately evacuated her brother’s three children—Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8—from the house. She grabbed the car keys and urged the children to run to the vehicle, then called her best friend who lived nearby to come collect them and take them away from the property. Only after ensuring the children’s safety did she dial 911.
Once police were en route, Barbara returned to the house to care for her injured brother. “Eventually, I was able to go back into the house while I waited for the ambulance and place towels over Mario to help stop the bleeding. He had already lost a significant amount of blood, yet he was somehow still able to speak, although his voice was very faint,” she said. The ambulance transported him to a Miami-area hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.
Barbara’s decision to speak publicly came after much deliberation. She noted that she is an extremely private person who has traditionally remained behind the scenes despite working with her brother for many years. However, she felt compelled to set the record straight given the rumors and misinformation circulating online. “I can only share what I personally witnessed and experienced, but I want people to hear directly from someone who was actually there,” she said.
The suicide attempt came just weeks after Hilton checked himself into a hospital for severe depression in late July. According to Barbara, her brother had confided in her and their mother that he felt empty, hopeless, and like a burden on everyone. He had also been taking leftover painkillers from his recent surgeries. When Barbara suggested psychiatric help, he agreed and was discharged after a few days of treatment and evaluation. He appeared to be improving, attending regular therapy sessions and completing an intake call for an intensive outpatient program that was set to begin the week of the incident.
Hilton’s health struggles began months earlier. In March, he spent 21 days hospitalized with severe sepsis after taking flu medication on an empty stomach, which led to an ulcer, perforation, and life-threatening infection. Just weeks later, he was hospitalized again after doctors discovered a massive blood clot in his right leg that required emergency surgery. The physical toll of these health crises, combined with his recent move from Las Vegas to Miami in June to be closer to family, weighed heavily on his mental state.
Barbara emphasized that her brother had genuinely changed over the past two decades and deserves compassion. She addressed the cruel comments from some who suggested his suffering was karma, describing such sentiment as especially painful for the entire family. She pointed out that in 2010, Hilton had publicly acknowledged the harm he caused through his controversial blog and apologized repeatedly. More recently, he had been on a private apology tour, reaching out to celebrities including Britney Spears, Khloé Kardashian, and Neil Patrick Harris to make amends.
“I’m not asking anyone to forget or excuse any of that,” Barbara said. “I also understand that some people will always believe he hasn’t done enough, despite his efforts. I’m simply asking people to recognize that he has changed tremendously over the past 20 years and has genuinely tried to become a better person.”
She stressed that his children and mother are innocent and should not be punished or tormented because of how people feel about him. “Whatever anyone thinks about Mario, his children and our mother are innocent. They shouldn’t be punished or tormented because of how people feel about him,” Barbara said.
Following the hospitalization, Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, filed for temporary custody of the three children on August 7 to ensure their wellbeing while he receives medical care and undergoes his long road to recovery. According to Barbara, his physical and mental recovery will take considerable time, but the family remains hopeful.
Barbara concluded by expressing gratitude for the overwhelming support from Hilton’s fans and well-wishers. “What I can say on behalf of our family is that we’re deeply grateful for every kind message, prayer and expression of genuine concern,” she said. “The support has meant more to us than I can properly express.”