Perez Hilton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Perez Hilton
Hilton in 2011
Born	(1978-03-23) March 23, 1978 (age 47) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation	Blogger Columnist TV personality
Years active	2001–present
Television	Perez Hilton Superfan Celebrity Big Brother Worst Cooks in America
Children	3

Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger and media personality. He is famous for his blog, which shares news and gossip about celebrities. He often adds his own drawings or comments to celebrity photos.

Besides blogging, Hilton has written books and hosts a podcast. He also has YouTube channels and has appeared in many TV shows and movies. In 2018, he was called "the original celebrity social media influencer."

Early Life and Education

Hilton was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents. He grew up in Miami and went to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. After finishing school in 1996, he received a scholarship to New York University.

Blogging Career Highlights

Perez Hilton's official publicity photo, 2009

After graduating from New York University in 2000, Hilton tried to become an actor. Before starting his blog, he also worked for an LGBT rights group called GLAAD. He was also a writer for gay magazines and worked at a gay events club. He said he started blogging because "it seemed easy."

Perez Hilton's approach to celebrity news includes wanting to be part of the celebrity world himself. He often writes about awards shows, clubs, and private events he has attended. He also shares photos of himself with the celebrities he writes about.

Hilton supports some celebrities, like Lady Gaga. But he has also been known to criticize others. For example, he has commented on Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and actress Taylor Momsen. Singer Miley Cyrus once shared her disapproval of Hilton on Twitter.

Hilton also uses his blog to promote new musicians he likes. He often shares their songs for people to listen to. For instance, many people believe he helped London-based singer Mika become popular in North America in 2007.

How Perez Hilton's Blog Became Popular

In an interview in 2010, Hilton said he started blogging just as a hobby. He explained that his site was different because he focused on celebrities. He found them much more entertaining than writing about his own life.

On March 11, 2005, his blog, then called PageSixSixSix.com, was named "Hollywood's Most-Hated Website." This made his blog much more popular, and it even crashed his website server for a short time. Hilton claimed that on July 30, 2007, his site had over 8.82 million page views in just one day.

In September 2008, Terra.com named Hilton the "Hispanic of the Year." This was in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. By October 2014, his website was still very popular, ranking among the most visited sites globally.

Perez Hilton in the Media

Hilton at the 2009 American Music Awards

Television Appearances

In 2001, Hilton appeared in an episode of The Sopranos. He played a student. In 2004, Hilton was a contestant on a VH1 reality show called Flab To Fab. This show focused on weight loss. Hilton lost 45 pounds in three months during the show.

In 2007, Hilton announced he would star in his own reality TV show on VH1. The show was called What Perez Sez. Hilton also appeared as a contestant on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar in 2007. He was eliminated in the sixth week.

He has appeared in many other reality shows, including MTV Cribs and Paris Hilton's My New BFF. Hilton has also been a guest star on scripted shows like Privileged and Victorious. He often appears on shows like TRL and Extra to talk about celebrity news.

In 2008, he co-hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2011, he created and presented a four-part British TV series called Perez Hilton Superfan for ITV2. In 2015, Hilton was a housemate on the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother. He was evicted in February 2015. In 2017, he won Worst Cooks in America Season 11: Celebrity Edition 3.

In December 2020, Hilton was banned from TikTok. He had many followers there. In December 2021, Hilton was a guest on Red Table Talk: The Estefans. He discussed "cancel culture" with other guests.

Live Theater Roles

Hilton starred as himself in NEWSical The Musical. This was an off-Broadway musical in 2012. He said he was excited to make his New York theater debut.

In 2015, Hilton also starred as Danny Tanner in Full House! The Musical. This was another off-Broadway show. The musical was a funny take on the TV show Full House.

Radio, YouTube, and Podcast Work

Hilton started his own nationally syndicated radio show, Radio Perez, in 2008. The show included updates from his blog. He has also appeared on The Howard Stern Show.

In July 2015, Hilton and radio personality Chris Booker began a weekly podcast. It is called The Perez Hilton Podcast with Chris Booker. They talk about the week's most popular topics.

Personal Life

In 2013, Hilton moved to Manhattan. He said he loved New York and wanted to raise his family there. His first child, Mario Armando Lavandeira III, was born on February 17, 2013. His daughter, Mia Alma Lavandeira, was born in May 2015. His second daughter, Mayte Amor, was born in October 2017. All his children were born via a surrogate mother.

Books Written by Perez Hilton

On September 1, 2011, Hilton released his first children's book. It was called The Boy with Pink Hair. Hilton said the book was about kids who have dreams and feel like outsiders. He said the book was inspired by his own childhood. He felt like an outsider and did his own thing.

On October 6, 2020, Hilton published his memoir, TMI: My Life in Scandal. In the book, he shares how he became Perez Hilton, the famous celebrity blogger. The book also talks about how he became known as "the most hated man in Hollywood."

Discography

Hilton released a song called "The Clap" in 2008. The music video for the song came from the movie Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!.

Singles

Other Appearances

• Hilton appeared in Rihanna's video "S&M" (2011).
• Hilton appeared in MattyB's cover of PSY's "Gangnam Style".

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Video Appearances

See also

• LGBT culture in New York City
• List of LGBT people from New York City
• New Yorkers in journalism
• NYC Pride March