Warning: The interview below discusses suicide, self-harm and mental health struggles. Some details may be difficult or distressing to read.
For the first time since Perez Hilton (real name: Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.) livestreamed his suicide attempt via TikTok on Aug. 4, his family is speaking out about what really happened that horrific night — and the desperate efforts that were made to save his life.
In an exclusive interview with Page Six, Hilton’s younger sister, Barbara Lavandeira, is breaking her silence to reveal the heartbreaking events leading up to Perez’s crisis, the moment she realized her brother was in grave danger and the long road to recovery he now faces.
Until now, the family has remained silent as they have focused on Hilton’s medical treatment and the well-being of his three children, while trying to process the traumatic series of events that shocked the world and turned their lives upside down.
But amid relentless speculation about the 48-year-old’s health, his children and what the future holds, Lavandeira says the family now wants to set the record straight — correcting what she says are rumors and false reports — while also explaining the mental health struggles her brother had been battling in the weeks before he was rushed to hospital.
Lavandeira also hopes that by speaking candidly about what her family has endured, it will help people better understand how quickly a mental health crisis can unfold.
Read Lavandeira’s full interview with Page Six below.
What made you decide to talk now?
I’ve debated for the past few days whether I should say anything personally. Mario has always been an open book. He’s a public personality and someone who has shared so much of his life online. As his younger sister, I’m the opposite. I’m a very private person, and although I’ve worked with him for many years, I’ve always stayed behind the scenes.
But so much has happened, and I feel like I’m the only person who witnessed what happened from beginning to end and can offer some clarity. I’m talking now for everyone who cares about him and has been sending their best wishes, but also because of all the rumors, false reporting, fake exclusives and made-up quotes going around. I can only share what I personally witnessed and experienced, but I want people to hear directly from someone who was actually there.
Let’s start with the events on Aug. 4, the day Perez went on TikTok and harmed himself. What do you remember from that day?
August 4th will forever be one of the darkest days my family and I have ever experienced.
That afternoon, Mario was in his bedroom with the door closed and locked, which wasn’t like him. His door was almost always open.
When I knocked, he said he was fine, but I could barely hear him. After I knocked a few more times and asked him to open the door, he stopped responding. I tried calling his cell phone in case he couldn’t hear me, but he wouldn’t answer. Something just felt wrong.
I unlocked his bedroom door and realized he was inside the bathroom. I knocked several more times and told him I was going to come in if he didn’t open the door. He still didn’t answer, so I unlocked it.
When I opened the door, my nightmare became a reality. Mario was standing in front of the shower, naked, cut up, covered in blood, with a box cutter in his hand.
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.
I’m going to leave out many of the specific details because they’re too painful, graphic and overwhelming.
What did you do?
I left the room, grabbed the car keys and yelled for the kids to run to the car. Thankfully, our mom wasn’t home at the time, and I was able to get everyone out quickly.
Once we were in the car, I called the police and arranged for someone to pick up the children, take them away from the scene and make sure they didn’t return.
In the hours that followed, so much more happened than I’m willing to share publicly. Eventually, I was able to go back into the house while I waited for the ambulance and placed 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.
The ambulance took him to the hospital, and I stayed behind to speak with the crisis team that arrived.
Did you call your mom?
The first call I made was to the police. Then I messaged my best friend, who lives nearby, while I was on with dispatch and asked her to please come get the kids and take them away from the scene.
I called my mom a bit later. I didn’t want to frighten her immediately, especially before the police arrived, and I understood more about what was happening.
How is he doing now?
Mario remains hospitalized and continues to receive medical treatment for his injuries. His physical and mental recovery is going to take a lot of time, but we remain hopeful.
He has no access to a cellphone, social media or the internet. Everyone’s focus is on helping him recover physically and making sure he receives the mental and emotional care and support he needs.
I don’t want to go into the specific details of his injuries or treatment. Those are private medical matters. He did sustain cuts to his face and other areas, but it’s still far too early to know the extent of any lasting damage or scarring. What I can say is that he has a long road ahead of him, both physically and mentally.
Were there warning signs before that day?
It had already been an extremely difficult year for Mario. This past March, while he was living in Las Vegas, he was hospitalized for close to a month.
Doctors initially didn’t know what was wrong. His body became septic, he coded and he nearly died several times. He underwent abdominal surgery, had fluid drained from around his lungs twice and then had to recover from surgery and begin physical therapy.
During a follow-up appointment, doctors also discovered a large blood clot in his leg. That’s a very simplified version of everything that happened, but it placed an enormous amount of stress on both his body and his mind.
He couldn’t sleep while he was hospitalized. He couldn’t eat. He didn’t know whether he was going to survive. After he was released, he began struggling with depression, anxiety, stress and overwhelming thoughts.
There were signs that he was struggling, and we were taking them seriously. He was seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist and was trying to get better. What we didn’t know was that things would escalate the way they did.
That must have been terrifying. How did that impact him?
It was incredibly traumatic for him. After he was released, he said he wanted to live somewhere with a larger support system. He wanted to be closer to family, cousins and friends.
He also had what he described as a “welcome back to Jesus” moment. He reconnected with his faith and became convinced that moving to Miami was the right thing to do.
We thought Miami would give him a fresh start and surround him and the children with more family support. Sadly, what should have been a happy new beginning became another source of stress for him.
In what way?
Mario moved from Las Vegas to Miami with our mother and his three children in June. I live in California with my husband and daughter, but I was visiting Miami when this happened.
Soon after arriving in Miami, Mario started having doubts. He worried that moving had been a mistake, a financial drain and an impulsive decision. He wondered whether he should have stayed in Las Vegas, and those thoughts wouldn’t leave his mind.
Being closer to family helped in some ways, but he was still struggling. My mother and I convinced him to speak with a therapist, and after some hesitation, he agreed and began therapy a couple of times a week.
A few weeks later, he met with a psychiatrist and was prescribed a low dose of an antidepressant. He was depressed, but he was trying. He was anxious, but he was doing what he could to get better.
During the month and a half he had been in Miami [before the incident], he had good days and bad days, but there were plenty of happy moments. He took the kids to museums and restaurants. They went to the zoo and the beach, visited family and spent time together. We laughed together and tried to help him settle into his new life.
Things seemed to be looking better. He was still seeing his therapist, and his antidepressant dose was going to be increased. He still wasn’t feeling great, but it seemed like he was trying to make the most of it.
Then about two weeks before August 4th, Mario came to my mother and me and said he needed to speak with us privately. He told us that a few days earlier, he had felt empty, hopeless and like he was a burden on everyone. He then admitted that one night when he couldn’t sleep, he had taken the remaining painkillers from his surgery in March. He said he just wanted to sleep.
Hearing that broke my heart. I thanked him for being strong enough to tell us, but I also told him that he needed proper psychiatric help. He agreed, and I took him to the hospital that same day.
He went voluntarily. After several days of evaluation and treatment, the facility determined that he could be discharged.
That weekend, Mario seemed so much better. He looked better too. We spent time together as a family, and he started looking up coping mechanisms and grounding techniques he had learned during his short stay [in the hospital].
On Monday, August 3rd, he returned to his regular therapy sessions. On Tuesday, August 4th, he completed an intake call for an intensive outpatient program and was supposed to begin outpatient group therapy the following week. Later that same afternoon, our lives changed forever.
What do you think changed on that day, Aug. 4?
I keep going over all of it in my head and trying to make sense of it.
There could have been so many things involved, including severe depression, the lingering effects of his hospitalization and sepsis, not sleeping, possible medication reactions and the combination of prescription and over-the-counter medications he took that day.
People have many theories about what could have led him to that point, but the truth is that I’m not a doctor. I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what happened inside his brain or what caused him to act the way he did. Those are questions for his healthcare professionals.
What I do know is that my brother was not well that day. He needed help, and he still needs help.
Does he remember much? Have you been able to ask him about it?
Our visits and conversations with him have been limited, and I don’t want to speak for Mario about what he does or doesn’t remember.
He’s with medical professionals, and right now, the focus needs to remain on his treatment and recovery. There’ll be time for those conversations when his doctors believe he’s ready.
How are the children?
Our main priority is making sure they are safe, supported and surrounded by people who love them. They’re trying to process something no child should ever have to experience.
They love their father, and the goal is for Mario to get well and be able to care for his children again when he is healthy and able to do so safely. In the meantime, our mother is caring for them, and our entire family is helping provide the love, stability, privacy and professional support they need.
There has also been a lot of false information circulating. Mario’s children have never been taken away from him in the past. Neither my mother nor I are trying to take them away from him permanently now. We are seeking a temporary legal arrangement so our mother can make the necessary decisions for them while Mario receives treatment and recovers.
How is your mom doing?
She’s experiencing the heartbreak of watching her son go through something no mother should ever have to witness, while also trying to remain strong and provide stability for his children.
She loves Mario, and she loves her grandchildren. Right now, she’s doing everything she can to support all of them while processing her own pain and fear. We’re all trying to support her, too, but this has been incredibly difficult for her.
You said there have been a lot of mistruths out there. What’s hurt the most?
The comments calling this “karma” have been especially painful. I wouldn’t wish what my mother, Mario’s children or our entire family is experiencing on anyone!
I know some people don’t like my brother. Some people even hate him. Mario has publicly acknowledged the harm he caused earlier in his career. In 2010, he went on network television and admitted that the outings, doodles and other things he did were wrong, and he has apologized repeatedly.
I’m not asking anyone to forget or excuse any of that. 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. I don’t believe someone should be reduced forever to the worst things they did in their past, especially when they’ve admitted the harm and genuinely tried to grow.
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.
Who is Perez now in 2026? There are a lot of people out there who may have followed him for years and don’t know him outside of perezhilton.com.
To me, he’s Mario. He’s my older brother. He’s a son, a father, a brother and a friend.
Becoming a father changed him profoundly. His children became the center of his life, and he began focusing much more on his family and his health. He has never been perfect, and he still isn’t. None of us are.
But the person I know today is very different from the person the public may remember from 20 years ago. I’ve watched him acknowledge his mistakes, try to grow and work to become a better person. I’ve also watched how deeply he loves his children and how much being their father means to him.
How long do you think it will be until he can return home?
We honestly don’t know. His physical and mental recovery is going to take time, and we’re following the guidance of his doctors.
I don’t want to offer a timeline or make promises about when he might come home. Right now, the most important thing is that he receives the treatment he needs and isn’t rushed through any part of his recovery.
Your lives have obviously been turned upside down.
They have. Something like this would ordinarily be an intensely private family crisis. It should have been a time for us to process what happened, focus on getting Mario the help he needs, support the children and begin trying to heal.
Instead, we’re trying to do all of that while navigating the public attention and scrutiny surrounding one of the most painful experiences our family has ever been through.
I’m still trying to process everything. I keep going over that day in my head and wondering whether there were warning signs I missed or something more I could have done.
I’m also trying to help my mother, my nephew and my nieces adjust to this new normal, if we can even call it that. We’ve been having open conversations, spending time together, praying and connecting with cousins and friends. We’re taking things one day at a time because that’s all we can do right now.
Any messages from Perez to his fans?
I don’t want to put words in his mouth or claim to deliver a message he hasn’t personally authorized.
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. The support has meant more to us than I can properly express.
When Mario is ready and his doctors believe it’s appropriate, anything he wants to say should come directly from him.
What are your plans for perezhilton.com and his social media accounts?
With Mario focused on his recovery, he’s left big shoes to fill. His absence will definitely affect how much news we’re able to publish, but we’re focused on continuing operations and covering as many of the biggest entertainment stories we can while he’s unable to participate in creating content.
For now, we’ll continue sharing our content across the website’s social media accounts, including links to that content on Perez’s personal accounts.
Mario created his website alone and has dedicated much of his life to it. It’s his passion, so once he’s healthy and ready to return, any long-term decisions about the website, his social media platforms and their future direction should come from him.
For further updates on Perez Hilton from his family, please go to perezhilton.com.
This is the fourth article in a four-part series. Click here for part one, part two and part three.
If you or someone you know needs help in the US, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
Read the full article here
