Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr.[1] (born March 23, 1978),[2] known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid photos over which he has added his own captions or "doodles". His blog has garnered controversy for its attitude, its former practice of outing alleged closeted celebrities, and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.
For the socialite, see Paris Hilton.
Perez Hilton
- Blogger
- columnist
- media personality
2001–present
3
In addition to his blogging, Hilton has written four books, hosts a podcast with Chris Booker, runs two YouTube channels, has appeared in various films and television shows, and has acted in two off-Broadway shows. In 2018, he was dubbed "the original celebrity social media influencer" by BroadwayWorld.[3]
Early life
Hilton was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents.[4] He was raised in Little Havana and Westchester, Florida, and later attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic school in Miami.[5] Hilton graduated in 1996, and the aspiring actor received a scholarship to New York University.[6]
Legal issues and controversies
Civil litigation
A suit against Hilton for copyright infringement was filed by Zomba Label Group on October 11, 2007, stating that Hilton had illegally posted recordings by Britney Spears on PerezHilton.com. The illegal postings include at least 10 completed songs and unfinished recordings leaked over a period of three months. The suit asked for real and punitive damages in an unspecified amount as well as legal costs. Spears was not a party to the suit.[55] In March 2008, Hilton announced on his blog that he would no longer blog about artists signed to Sony BMG (which owned Zomba at the time). However, when the lawsuit was settled in November of that year, Hilton ended his boycott and resumed regular blogging about Sony BMG artists.[56]
On October 11, 2007, a judge cleared the way for Hilton to be deposed in an ongoing defamation suit brought against him by DJ Samantha Ronson, after a post on PerezHilton.com claimed that she had planted cocaine in friend Lindsay Lohan's car and set Lohan up to be photographed while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Hilton's report was a repetition of gossip initially posted on CelebrityBabylon.com. The judge was informed in court that the owner of that site had already settled the case with Ronson.[57] On January 23, 2008, Perez Hilton was awarded $85,000 by superior court Judge Elihu Berle in this lawsuit filed by Ronson.[58]
Hilton has attracted lawsuits due to his use of video footage of celebrities on his blog. He was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for Irish actor Colin Farrell on July 18, 2005, after posting a link to Farrell's sex tape with then-girlfriend Nicole Narain on his site,[59] and on February 20, 2007, a lawsuit filed against him by Universal City Studios Productions LLP for posting a topless image of actress Jennifer Aniston that was allegedly "misappropriated and illegally copied" from unreleased footage from her 2006 motion picture The Break-Up.[60]
Bloggers, journalists, news agencies and photographers alike have charged that Hilton posts paparazzi photographs and other copyrighted content from their sites.[61] On November 30, 2006, the photo agency X17Online filed a lawsuit against Hilton in federal court, seeking over $7.5 million in damages for copyright infringement.[62] X17's co-owner Robin Navarre told the Los Angeles Times that the sale value of their photographs has been significantly reduced because the photos have appeared on PerezHilton.com before they could be published in magazines to which exclusivity is important. Navarre said:
Personal life
Hilton moved to Manhattan in 2013, stating, "I love New York and that is where me and my growing family want to call home right now".[113] Hilton was referring to his first child, Mario Armando Lavandeira III, born on February 17, 2013, conceived with a donor egg and carried by a surrogate mother.[114] His daughter, Mia Alma Lavandeira, was born on May 9, 2015, via surrogate.[115] On October 4, 2017, he welcomed a second daughter, Mayte Amor, also via surrogate.[116]
In April 2018, Perez attracted some criticism of his parenting when he stated he hopes his son Mario is heterosexual because "it would be easier" than being homosexual.[117] He claimed he would not sign up his son for dance classes, if requested, because "dance class might make [his] kid gay".[118]
Books
On October 6, 2009, Celebra Books released Hilton's first book, Red Carpet Suicide: A Survival Guide on Keeping Up With the Hiltons. Tracey Lomrantz Lester of Glamour stated, "The book gives readers the inside track to becoming "A Hilton"... AKA "people we confuse with celebrities": Pimp out your famous kids, give a fierce mug shot, use your fabulousness for good... all great pieces of advice, but let's be honest, I wanted to know more about the FASHION!"[119]
On December 1, 2009, Celebra Books released Hilton's second book, Perez Hilton's True Bloggywood Stories: The Glamorous Life of Beating, Cheating, and Overdosing, which the NY Daily News characterized as a "tell-all book."[120]
On September 1, 2011, Celebra Young Readers published Hilton's first children's book entitled The Boy with Pink Hair. Hilton described the book as a story "about every kid that's ever had a dream, felt excluded, wanted to belong, and hoped that one day they could do what they loved and make a difference."[121] In a September 2011 interview with The Advocate, Hilton admitted that the book was inspired by his own childhood: "I've always considered myself a freak, an outsider, and a bit of an interloper. I never really fit in with any groups, so I just did my own thing."[122]
On October 6, 2020, Chicago Review Press published Hilton's memoir titled TMI: My Life in Scandal. In the book, Hilton unveils "the story of how Mario Lavandeira became Perez Hilton, the world's first and biggest celebrity blogger, while also becoming the most hated man in Hollywood."[123] Publishers Weekly called it "catnip for Hollywood gossip hounds."[124]