Infamous entertainment reporter Perez Hilton has admitted he “didn’t care” he was being toxic when reporting on celebrities in the early noughties.
Perez (born Mario Armando Lavandeira II) rose to fame in 2004 when he launched his celebrity gossip site, which soon became one of the internet’s most popular — and most criticised — platforms worldwide.
Commonly regarded as one of the cattiest personalities in the entertainment business at the time, the now-44-year-old found himself central to scandal.
In the noughties and early 2010s, he was particularly slammed for his role in outing gay male celebrities and how his feuds with stars spilled into the public domain.
Now, Perez has confessed to only ever caring about getting “attention”, regardless of the pain it caused others.
“I cannot claim ignorance,” he told Megan Pustetto in an exclusive interview during episode 220 of the So Dramatic! podcast. “I knew at the time what I was doing was wrong, and I didn’t care.
“All I cared about was the attention that I was getting.”
He then said that he also could not blame the “ignorance in youth” for how he reported on celebrities’ lives.
“I was a grown adult. I was in my late 20s.”
Perez Hilton Says He Isn’t Looking for Redemption
Since the release of his memoir, TMI: My Life In Scandal, in 2020, Perez said that his feelings surrounding his career had been an “evolution”. More specifically, when coming to terms with the fact he’ll never find “redemption” among his peers or audience.
“In late 2020, I released my memoir, and I was doing a lot of media to promote that, and I was saying things like, ‘If I were to die today, the world would celebrate’.”
“And I was saying things like, ‘I’m irredeemable. I don’t believe that I deserve redemption’.”
However, while he still believes public redemption is off the table, Perez’s biggest feat in the past two years is that he’s forgiven himself.
“I have given myself forgiveness, compassion, understanding and grace,” the I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia star said. “And I’m truly regretful, remorseful, ashamed. But I truly also am a changed person.
“I’m very happy right now in my life, and I have been the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Perez Hilton Hopes His Career Serves As a “Cautionary Tale”
Reflecting on his infamy, Perez told So Dramatic! that he hopes his career reads as a “cautionary tale”.
“I would hope that my life, my past, my career, can serve as a cautionary tale to folks out there in that things that you say on the internet can stay with you forever,” he lamented.
“The internet will always bring up receipts of mine from 2007, 2006, 2005. It doesn’t matter that it was well over a decade and a half ago or however long it was.”
It’s the same reason Perez is yet to erase his OG blog and hurtful posts.
“I’m not trying to pretend it didn’t happen. I think it shows growth, you know?” he mused.
“It’s a time capsule, I think… it is what it is.”
Want even more goss? Listen to episode 220 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!
Know something that we don’t? Spill the tea here!
Get the tea first! Follow So Dramatic! on Instagram and tune in on Mondays to get your reality tea fix with the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto.
