Perez Hilton’s Sister Defends Him as Critics Call Self-Harm Incident ‘Karma’

Barbara Lavandeira, sister of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, defended his character Thursday after critics labeled his self-harm incident “karma.”

“The comments calling this ‘karma’ have been especially painful,” Lavandeira shared in an interview with Page Six. “I wouldn’t wish what my mother, Mario’s children or our entire family is experiencing on anyone.”

While Lavandeira understood the “hate” against Hilton for his controversial past, which included outing and mocking celebrities on his eponymous site, she defended that her brother, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., “publicly acknowledged the harm he caused earlier in his career.”

“In 2010, he went on network television and admitted that the outings, doodles and other things he did were wrong, and he has apologized repeatedly,” she added. “I’m not asking anyone to forget or excuse any of that. I also understand that some people will always believe he hasn’t done enough, despite his efforts.”

As Lavandeira went on, she noted that she was “simply asking people to recognize that he has changed tremendously over the past 20 years and has genuinely tried to become a better person.”

“I don’t believe someone should be reduced forever to the worst things they did in their past, especially when they’ve admitted the harm and genuinely tried to grow,” she said. “Whatever anyone thinks about Mario, his children and our mother are innocent. They shouldn’t be punished or tormented because of how people feel about him.”

Lavandeira’s comments come on the heels of Jared Padalecki retracting his post of support for Hilton, who was hospitalized last week following a self-harm incident on TikTok. Initially, the “Supernatural” star, who is a vocal mental health advocate following his own battles with clinical depression and anxiety, took to X and shared that he was keeping Hilton in his “thoughts.”

“This ‘being human’ is a strange thing,” Padalecki wrote at the time. “Exhilarating. Exhausting. Fast. Slow. Wonderful… And… at times… awful. I hope you are trying as best as you can to be kind to yourself right now. Please surround yourself with the love and support that all humans deserve. This too shall pass. You got this.”

Yet, the supportive post was quickly met with criticism, with several of Padalecki’s followers directing his attention to Hilton’s past online antics.

Not only did Padalecki remove the X post, but he also issued an apology, writing, “To give more detail re: my post wishing someone well… I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA about his past.”

“I had heard of him. Obviously. I had heard that he hadn’t exactly ‘been kind’ to me in the past,” he continued. “So, my thought is always to give grace and forgiveness to those who may have tried to ‘harm’ you… in my experience, it usually works out better than holding a grudge or wishing punishment on someone else. That having been said, I TRULY didn’t know ANYTHING about the extent to what he has done. That’s my bad.”

During a July appearance on the “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” podcast, Hilton expressed that he deeply regretted the way he targeted celebrities on his blog. He shared that he even reached out to Neil Patrick Harris, Britney Spears and Khloé Kardashian to make amends.

“I realized what I was doing was wrong,” Hilton said at the time. “I realized I could still be funny, but I didn’t have to be so cheap, and I didn’t have to be so cruel. It was cruel. It’s something that I carry with me. It’s like my scarlet letter, and it’s very heavy baggage.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.