Who is Perez Hilton?
Perez Hilton, whose birth name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. , is an American blogger and media personality. He is widely recognized for his often controversial blog posts about celebrity gossip. His style of writing was unique with tabloid photos, adding his own commentary captions.
Perez Hilton Early Life and Education
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., professionally known as Perez Hilton, was born on March 23, 1978 in Miami, Florida. He was born to Cuban parents, growing up in Little Havana and Westchester neighborhoods in Florida. Perez attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami and graduated in 1996. Hilton graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University in 2000. He later pursued an acting career before beginning his career in blogging.
Blogging career and Success
In 2002, Perez moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, where he briefly worked for GLAAD and freelanced for LGBTQ publications before fully shifting to digital media.
In 2004, Perez Hilton launched his own blog, PerezHilton.com. His blog gained popularity for its tabloid photo captions, unfiltered commentary and witty digital drawings. The website gained massive traffic in 2005, making Hilton one of the most prominent digital influencers. Hilton’s website was dubbed “Hollywood’s Most Hated Website” for its distinctive commentary style.
Controversies and Legal battles
While Hilton’s site gathered massive popularity and traffic, it was not short of backlash, feuds and legal battles. Perez was often accused of copyright infringement and irresponsible reporting. Photo agencies like X-17Online filed lawsuits against him over unauthorized use of images. He also drew criticism form celebrities and advocacy groups for outing closeted LGBTQ + celebrities
Other Career Highlights
Beyond blogging, Perez Hilton expanded into other media like TV and audio. Hilton began showing up on talk shows and news to offer his usually witty commentary. He co-hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards and appeared on a couple Television shows.
In 2008, he also began his own radio show, “Radio Perez.”Hilton appeared in several Tv series and films which included “Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild” 2008 and “The Hills.”
In 2009, Perez appeared as a judge in the Miss USA pageant.
Personal Life
Perez Hilton is openly gay, and has embraced singe parenthood through surrogacy. He is a father of three children: Mario Armando Lavandeira III (born 2013), Mia Alma (born 2015), and Mayte Amor (born 2017). Hilton lives with his mother Teresita Lavandeira in Las Vegas.