Perez Hilton’s Mother, Kids Get GoFundMe Support Amid His Recovery

A close friend of troubled gossip blogger Perez Hilton has set up a GoFundMe to help support his mother and three children, who are living together as Hilton recovers after a self-harm incident that was live-streamed on TikTok last month. Tom D’Angora wrote on the crowdfunding page he created for the blogger, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira, that the two have been friends for over a decade and added that the father of three by surrogate is now “receiving full-time residential treatment while he focuses on his mental health and recovery.” “I’ve known Perez Hilton (Mario) for 14 years, and we have become very close friends,” D’Angora wrote. “During that time, he and his family have come to mean a great deal to me. With the support of his friends, I’m organizing this fundraiser to help his mother and his three children, Mario, Mia and Mayte, during his treatment and recovery.” After the disturbing 30-minute livestream in early August, which happened at a time when his kids were at the Miami property where it occurred, Hilton was rushed to the hospital; the 48-year-old required surgery due to significant blood loss. After he remained in the hospital for several weeks, he was relocated to an inpatient treatment facility. In the days following his hospitalization, Hilton’s mother, Teresita Lavandeira, was granted temporary custody of Hilton’s kids Mario, Mia and Mayte. “Like any grandmother who suddenly finds herself responsible for raising three growing children, she’s also taken on significant and unexpected expenses,” D’Angora’s post continued. “She’s put much of her own life on hold to make sure the kids can continue going to school, participating in their normal activities and having as much consistency as possible during an incredibly difficult time.” In seeking the funding goal of $25,000, D’Angora assured donors that the funds raised will benefit the blogger’s mother and kids only and that none of the money will be used for or given to Perez personally. “It’s been heartbreaking to watch someone I care about very much, along with his entire family who I also care very deeply for, go through this,” he wrote. “More than anything, I want to see Perez recover and return to a happy and fulfilling life as a father, son, brother and a great friend.” The fundraiser brought in more than $700 in two hours and, as of Friday afternoon, had reached nearly $7,300. While Hilton’s net worth is not clear, his main residence sold in 2023 for $3.695 million, according to Realtor.com. Hilton rose to fame in the 2000s as a top-tier celebrity blogger who became known for his vicious nicknames for celebrities and drawing penises and ejaculate splatters on photos of them, then quickly posting them online. In 2010, he vowed to stop bullying celebrities, breaking the news in a YouTube video titled “I’m Going to Be Doing Things Differently.” “Every contribution, no matter the amount, will help support the kids and their grandmother during the months ahead,” D’Angora wrote as his post concluded. “If you’re not in a position to donate, simply sharing this fundraiser would also mean a great deal.”