The late Michael Jackson‘s nephew, TJ Jackson, said he is “praying” for Perez Hilton’s recovery despite past tension between the blogger and the Jackson family.
“Everybody is talking about this Perez Hilton video. I haven’t seen it but from what I’ve heard it’s horrible,” TJ, 48, tweeted on Wednesday, August 5. “One thing I’ll say…He hasn’t been nice to many celebs including my family. Nevertheless I never want to see anyone broken and in such a dark place. I am praying for his healing and his health.”
The youngest son of Michael’s brother Tito Jackson spoke out following a traumatic TikTok livestream on Tuesday, August 4, where Hilton appeared to perform dangerous acts of self-harm. Miami-Dade police confirmed to Us that law enforcement officials received calls “regarding an individual who was live-streaming acts of self-harm on social media” and were then sent to Hilton’s Florida home for what they suspected was a “possible suicide” attempt.
Hilton was eventually hospitalized. His family confirmed on Wednesday that Hilton was “able to communicate” during his stay in the hospital, which they took as a “hopeful” sign for his recovery.
The celebrity blogger has a long history of tension with the Jackson family dating back to Michael’s death at age 50 in June 2009. When news broke that Michael suffered a medical emergency, Hilton speculated that the King of Pop was pulling a publicity stunt to get out of performing his 50 planned This Is It concerts in London.
“Get your money back,” he advised This Is It ticket holders at the time.
Hilton received a wave of backlash when Michael died and he later publicly apologized, saying in a statement that he was “genuinely feeling sorry that [Michael] died and sorry for his kids.”
In the wake of Hilton’s hospitalization, TJ expressed hope that the alarming situation would serve as a wake-up call for the blogger.
“And hopefully one day he will find his way and inspire others who make a living negative talking/slandering others to choose a different route and be better themselves, to lean into LOVE more. That’s the way to really live life to the fullest,” he tweeted.
When a fan suggested that “the underlying cause is the lack of love,” TJ agreed, replying, “Very true.”
There have been strong reactions to Hilton’s disturbing livestream and subsequent hospitalization from many of those he mocked on his website over the years.
Alec Baldwin‘s daughter Ireland Baldwin described Hilton as “a despicable human being” for allegedly disparaging her famous family in the past, even as she offered support for his recovery.
“Perez Hilton has publicaly [sic] humiliated my family for years, sexualized me from a young age, commented on my weight and body [as a child], made unforgivable comments about people in my family, drew j!zz coming out of my mom’s and friend’s mouths, and has always been a despicable human being,” Ireland, 30, wrote via her Instagram Story on Wednesday.
She went on, “But his children deserve better and a healthy father and I am so sad for all of them. I hope he gets the help he needs and heals.”
Former America’s Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry said in a vlog on Thursday, August 6, that she forgave Hilton for “bullying” her during his “peak years” of fame.
“I also want him to see me saying that his life has value and that I wish him peace, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him,” Curry, 44, told her Instagram followers. “I think sometimes that’s what it takes. Not your friends rallying round you, but people who should hate you saying, ‘Hey, your life has value, don’t do this.’ At least that’s what it used to be like for me because I’ve been in some dark places.”
Hilton’s family released a new statement on Thursday, in which they acknowledged that “the events of the past several days have been nearly unbearable for our family.” They confirmed that “Perez’s [three] children, niece, and sister were inside the home” moments before his livestream started, though they “immediately fled to protect the children from witnessing any further trauma.”
“Our highest priority right now is helping the children begin to heal from what they experienced,” his family said. “An important part of that process is allowing them to safely return home and begin rebuilding a sense of security and normalcy.”
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