For Perez Hilton, the most painful part of his grueling recovery may be the lengthy separation he endures from his three children.
Hilton, 48, is desperate to reunite with his young children, whom insiders say he has only been able to speak to by phone since his hospitalization on August 4.
The famous blogger is covered in medical gauze all over his body after having dozens of self-inflicted cuts stitched up by doctors.
Hilton (real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr) also has limited mobility and suffered multiple broken bones after taking to TikTok to record a shocking livestream that showed him naked and covered in blood, repeatedly injuring himself with a large butcher knife. Followers watched the gruesome live footage for about 15 minutes before the social media site stopped the feed. Shortly afterwards the police arrived.
Hilton was hospitalized under Florida’s Baker Act, which allows for the temporary and involuntary detention of individuals in mental health crisis. Since then he has no longer had access to his phone or the internet.
His wounds healed in the weeks that followed. But according to a source close to the family, Hilton is still too disfigured for the children to visit him.
Perez Hilton (pictured in 2019) is becoming increasingly frustrated as he has not yet been allowed to see his children from hospital
The famous blogger is still recovering from his wounds in the hospital after cutting himself with a knife during a livestream on August 4; pictured in hospital earlier this year
‘The cuts are bad. Still a lot of bandages. Wounds. They are on his face, neck and arms. They are everywhere,” a family friend who has known Hilton for 20 years told the Daily Mail.
Hilton’s three children – Mario, 13, Mia, 11, and Mayte, eight – were at his Miami home when the violent episode began.
It’s unclear what the children saw before they were taken out by his sister Barbara, who was also home, but the family is not interested in causing them further potential harm, the friend said.
“We don’t need to retraumatize them.”
Last week, a Miami judge granted Hilton visitation rights from the hospital, while his mother Teresita retains temporary custody of his children.
Technically the children are allowed to visit him, but the visits must be supervised by an approved family member or therapist.
The Daily Mail revealed last week that Hilton must also obtain “psychiatric clearance” from a mental health professional prior to any visit.
And this weekend, Hilton was denied that permission, according to the close family friend, who also said that could change in the coming days.
In particular, Hilton’s family hopes the wounds on his face, arms and neck heal before any visits take place.
‘He’s still covered in wounds that are healing, the stitches are dissolving and there’s still some on his face. We hope they can heal a little better this week before he sees the children,” the family friend said.
A second source close to Hilton says that the children are now being well cared for by their grandmother.
Hilton, 48, is currently receiving inpatient care at an undisclosed facility (photo at the hospital before the Aug. 4 incident)
Here you can see the blogger and podcaster in Hollywood in 2020
While the children appear to be the main cause of Hilton’s impatience while confined to the hospital, the Daily Mail has also been told that his medical bills are piling up quickly.
“Poor Perez spent so much money on the hospital and doctors, it really added up and it’s a nightmare for him,” said the second source, a Las Vegas-based friend of Hilton.
It is understood that Hilton had struggled to find lucrative work before the livestream incident and that pitches for reality shows to production companies had not survived the initial stages.
Traffic to his Hollywood news website, his biggest source of income, initially soared after the livestream incident but quickly dropped as no new content was posted online, a source close to the family said.
Last week, Hilton’s small team began posting stories, breaking news and celebrity gossip online again, but it’s too early to say whether the site’s traffic will fully recover.
That could make Hilton increasingly dependent on other sources of income.
Hilton pictured with his mother and two of his children, Mia and Mario
Hilton’s 7,000-square-foot home is located on Olive Creek Court in the exclusive Prado community
Another insider suggested that Hilton might try to take advantage of his own slump to provide for his family.
“He can always do a big paid interview when he gets out of the hospital. “It would be great if he could still make money to help his family,” the insider said.
Another option, the source added, would be to liquidate some of its largest assets.
“Perez’s house in Las Vegas has been on the market for months and hasn’t sold,” the source told the Daily Mail.
Hilton’s sprawling 7,000-square-foot home is located on Olive Creek Court in Sin City’s exclusive Prado community.
The desert mansion is on the market for a whopping $4.25 million and has not seen a price drop since the ad was placed by Kathryn Winterton with Las Vegas Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Anyone would love to see this house sold,” the source said.
