Perez Hilton

Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), 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.

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.

Hilton graduated in 1996, and the aspiring actor received a scholarship to New York University.

After graduating from New York University in 2000 and before beginning his blogging career, Hilton attempted a career as an actor.

He also briefly worked as a media relations assistant for the LGBT rights organization GLAAD, was a freelance writer for gay publications, worked as a receptionist for the NYC gay events club Urban Outings, and was briefly the managing editor of Instinct, a gay men's magazine.

He says he started blogging "because it seemed easy".

Hilton's angle on celebrity gossip includes an unapologetic desire to mingle with and be a part of celebrity culture.

He often comments on celebrity awards shows, clubs, and private events he has attended, and posts photographs of himself with the celebrities he writes about under the "Personally Perez" category of his blog.

Although Hilton has an affinity for some celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Sophia Bush, he also has a "vendetta" against certain stars, such as Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and Gossip Girl teen actress Taylor Momsen.

Teen phenomenon Miley Cyrus publicized her personal disapproval of Hilton via Twitter to which he replied.

Some have suggested, however, that Hilton's proximity to the celebrities about whom he writes has led to biased coverage on his blog.

For example, he purports to have befriended Paris Hilton, the source of his stage name and frequent subject of his posts.

It has been noted that he rarely reports on stories or rumors casting Paris Hilton in a negative or unflattering light, and that, unlike most gossip blogs, he often acknowledges and praises her positive achievements.

Additionally, Hilton has been known to speak out publicly against discriminatory behavior of celebrities and other public figures.

He called for the firing of Isaiah Washington from ABC television series Grey's Anatomy for making homophobic remarks and called for his readers to do the same.

In 2001, Hilton made an appearance in the third episode of the third season of The Sopranos, "Fortunate Son".

His character hands over the proceeds of a Jewel benefit concert at Rutgers University, whose ticket office Christopher Moltisanti and Benny Fazio rob at gunpoint.

On March 11, 2005, within the first six months of Hilton's blogging career, PageSixSixSix.com was named "Hollywood's Most-Hated Website" by The Insider, catalyzing an initial surge in its popularity which temporarily crippled its server.

Pop singer Fergie has confirmed that she is referring to Hilton in her song "Pedestal" (2006), in which she criticizes an unidentified person for making negative remarks about her on the Internet.

In early 2007, Hilton was criticized by The Hollywood Gossip blog for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks made by Paris Hilton.

Hilton often promotes his favorite up-and-coming musicians by posting streams of their songs under the "Listen to This" category of his blog.

London-based singer Mika's 2007 rise to popular success in North America has been partially attributed to Hilton's frequent support.

Hilton and Mika also claim to be friends.

Hilton claimed that on July 30, 2007, a seemingly "ordinary day", PerezHilton.com had over 8.82 million page views in a 24-hour period.

Other sources dispute the reliability of Hilton's traffic claims.

On August 17, 2007, citing exclusive sources, Hilton announced the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro and claimed that he was the first media outlet in the world to break the news.

Although Hilton claimed that US officials would be making an announcement within hours, no announcement was made, and no major media outlets verified Castro's death.

The Associated Press later determined that rumors were sparked by a meeting of Miami officials who were to discuss the city's plans when Castro dies.

Rumors were further fueled by a road closure in the Florida Keys that was due to a police standoff.

Castro appeared in an interview on Cuban television on September 21, 2007, "looking frail but sounding lucid", and mocking rumors of his death.

On September 15, 2008, Terra.com named Hilton the "Hispanic of the Year" in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.

On September 9, 2009, Perez appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and cited his premature reporting of Castro's death as his "one regret."

During an interview in Cliché Magazine (June/July 2010), Hilton said that he only started blogging as a hobby.

"What set my site apart is that prior to PerezHilton.com, most blogs were mainly online journals and diaries, but that never interested me. I wanted to talk about celebrities because they're far more entertaining."

In an article dated October 2014, the popularity of the site was trending slightly down, as PerezHilton.com was ranked by Alexa as the 1,234th most trafficked website globally.

In 2018, he was dubbed "the original celebrity social media influencer" by BroadwayWorld.

Hilton was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents.

He was raised in Little Havana and Westchester, Florida, and later attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic school in Miami.