Celebrity blogger and podcaster Perez Hilton has entered a residential treatment program five weeks after he engaged in self-harm during a livestream.
“This was an important next step, but there’s still a long road ahead,” Hilton’s family wrote in a statement.
The Miami-based internet personality is expected to remain in the program for at least several more weeks. He does not have access to his phone or laptop, and contact with family and friends remains limited, according to the update.
“Perez is alive, he’s getting help, and he’s surrounded by people who want to see him healthy and happy again,” the family said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department responded to his home on Aug. 4 after reports emerged that the single father of three was livestreaming self-harm.
The video, which was streamed on TikTok before the platform pulled it, appeared to show Hilton covered in blood, with visible cuts and holding what appeared to be a knife. Viewers pleaded with him and asked for his phone number so they could alert authorities.
Hilton is a father to three children, Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, 8, all of whom lived with him and his mother in Miami at the time of his hospitalization. Hilton’s children, niece, and sister were home minutes before his livestream and fled the property when his sister discovered him harming himself inside his bathroom.
Three days after his livestream, Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, filed for temporary custody of his children, a move her attorney said was intended to “protect the children and make sure they are safe.”
She was granted temporary custody of Hilton’s children on Aug. 18, and the internet personality was given supervised visitation, TMZ reported, citing court documents. Hilton is required to gain “psychiatric clearance” prior to visits with the children, requirements that will remain in place until Lavandeira files otherwise, the outlet reported.
In their Sept. 14 update, Hilton’s family wrote, “His three children remain together, safe, and doing well in the care of their grandmother, who has stepped in to care for them full-time during this unexpected chapter. Our family’s priority continues to be giving them as much stability, routine, and ‘normalcy’ as possible while their dad focuses on his recovery. We are incredibly grateful for everything their grandmother is doing for them.”