Major Controversies Surrounding Perez Hilton: A Detailed Timeline

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Perez Hilton.

Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., better known as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. He gained prominence through his celebrity gossip blog, notable for its tabloid photos enhanced with his own captions and doodles. Hilton's blog has been a source of controversy due to its critical tone, past practice of outing allegedly closeted celebrities, and its influence on the rise of celebrity coverage across various media platforms.

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Full Timeline Controversies & Scandals

July 18, 2005: Colin Farrell Lawsuit

On July 18, 2005, Perez Hilton was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Colin Farrell for posting a link to Farrell's sex tape with Nicole Narain on his site.

July 26, 2006: Criticism after Lance Bass comes out as gay

On July 26, 2006, former NSYNC member Lance Bass came out as gay, and Hilton received criticism for having been partially responsible in the outing.

November 30, 2006: X17Online files lawsuit against Hilton

On November 30, 2006, photo agency X17Online filed a lawsuit against Perez Hilton in federal court, seeking over $7.5 million in damages for copyright infringement. X17's co-owner claimed the sale value of their photographs had been significantly reduced due to their appearance on PerezHilton.com.

February 20, 2007: Lawsuit for Posting Topless Image of Jennifer Aniston

On February 20, 2007, Universal City Studios Productions LLP filed a lawsuit against Perez Hilton for posting a topless image of Jennifer Aniston, allegedly taken from unreleased footage from her 2006 movie The Break-Up.

March 9, 2007: Judge Rules Hilton Can Continue Operating Website

On March 9, 2007, a judge ruled that Hilton could continue operating his website while the lawsuit regarding copyright infringement remained before the courts.

April 23, 2007: Photo agencies file joint lawsuit against Hilton

On April 23, 2007, a consortium of five celebrity photo agencies filed a joint lawsuit in federal district court in California against Hilton, claiming more than $7 million in damages from 25 instances of alleged copyright infringement.

April 26, 2007: Hilton Served with Lawsuit in Australia

On April 26, 2007, upon arriving in Sydney, Australia, to attend the MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Hilton was served with a lawsuit by celebrity photo agency PhotoNews claiming C$4,200 in damages for his alleged unauthorized use of a single copyrighted paparazzi photograph of John Mayer and Jessica Simpson.

June 2007: Hilton's Web Hosting Service Dropped Site

In June 2007, Hilton's web hosting service dropped his site upon threats of liability in the copyright infringement cases. His new host is Blogads.

August 17, 2007: False Report of Fidel Castro's Death

On August 17, 2007, Perez Hilton reported the death of Fidel Castro, claiming exclusive sources. This report was later proven false.

September 21, 2007: Fidel Castro Appears on Television

On September 21, 2007, Fidel Castro appeared in an interview on Cuban television, "looking frail but sounding lucid", and mocking rumors of his death, which Perez Hilton had reported in August.

October 11, 2007: Zomba Label Group Lawsuit

On October 11, 2007, Zomba Label Group filed a suit against Perez Hilton for copyright infringement, alleging that he illegally posted Britney Spears' recordings on PerezHilton.com.

2007: Criticism of Celebrities

In early 2007, Perez Hilton publicly called for Isaiah Washington's firing from Grey's Anatomy for making homophobic remarks. In 2007, he was criticized for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks allegedly made by Paris Hilton.

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January 23, 2008: Defamation Lawsuit Awarded to Ronson

On January 23, 2008, Perez Hilton was ordered to pay $85,000 to DJ Samantha Ronson in a defamation lawsuit, filed after Hilton repeated gossip about Ronson planting cocaine in Lindsay Lohan's car.

March 2008: Boycott of Sony BMG Artists

In March 2008, Perez Hilton announced on his blog that he would no longer blog about artists signed to Sony BMG (which owned Zomba at the time) due to the ongoing lawsuit.

June 2009: Hilton alleges assault by Black Eyed Peas' manager

In June 2009, Hilton alleged in a video blog that he was assaulted by The Black Eyed Peas' operation manager, Polo Molina, following the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards after party. Hilton reported that he was struck in the eye by Molina.

June 25, 2009: Hilton apologizes for anti-gay slur

On June 25, 2009, Hilton apologized for using an anti-gay slur against will.i.am during the assault incident. He pledged to donate any money won in the lawsuit against Molina to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, but the foundation declined the gift.

August 2009: X17 Lawsuit Against Hilton Settled Out of Court

In August 2009, X17's lawsuit against Hilton was settled out of court, with the terms of the agreement remaining undisclosed.

September 9, 2009: Regret Over False Castro Report

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

March 2010: Backlash for claiming Michael Jackson's illness was a publicity stunt

Backlash for claiming Michael Jackson's illness was a publicity stunt, which originally occurred on June 25, 2009 shortly after Michael Jackson had gone into cardiac arrest, but resulted in a Twitter argument with Pete Wentz in March 2010.

June 13, 2010: Hilton posts upskirt picture of Miley Cyrus

On June 13, 2010, Hilton posted to Twitter a message linking to an upskirt picture of then-17-year-old Miley Cyrus, that appeared to show Cyrus without underwear, raising questions about child pornography charges. The site that he had linked to had removed the picture in question.

October 13, 2010: Hilton Apologizes for Bullying Celebrities

On October 13, 2010, Hilton posted a video on YouTube entitled "I'm Going To Be Doing Things Differently", in which he addressed his actions over the previous years, and apologized for bullying celebrities. Hilton vowed to change the occasionally malicious tone of his website, even if it meant losing readers and revenue. Hilton also announced the launch of three new websites: CoCoPerez.com, FitPerez.com, and TeddyHilton.com.

2011: Lady Gaga states Hilton sent offensive photos on Twitter

In late 2011, singer/actress Lady Gaga stated on Twitter that after she cancelled her Born This Way Ball Tour in February 2013 because of a hip injury, Hilton responded by sending her a photo of a wheelchair with the word Karma written across it, and another of Madonna pointing a gun.

February 2013: Lady Gaga states Hilton sent offensive photos on Twitter

In February 2013, Lady Gaga cancelled her Born This Way Ball Tour because of a hip injury. Lady Gaga stated that Hilton responded by sending her a photo of a wheelchair with the word Karma written across it, and another of Madonna pointing a gun.

August 18, 2013: Hilton Denies Stalking Lady Gaga

On August 18, 2013, Hilton published a statement on his website in which he denied stalking Lady Gaga. He stated that he was looking for a place to live in New York after the birth of his son, and that he was shown the apartment without knowing Lady Gaga lived in the building.

February 2014: Accusations of Cocaine Use and Fan Threats

In February 2014, after Hilton criticized Ariana Grande's hairstyles, Grande's fans posted negative comments to Hilton's social media, including threats against his young son. Hilton then tweeted Grande, her brother Frankie and her employer Nickelodeon with accusations that Grande had been seen using cocaine at a party. Grande denied the allegations.

April 2018: Criticism for parenting comments

In April 2018, Hilton attracted criticism of his parenting when he stated he hopes his son Mario is heterosexual because "it would be easier" than being homosexual. He claimed he would not sign up his son for dance classes, if requested, because "dance class might make [his] kid gay".

December 2020: Permanent Ban from TikTok

In December 2020, Perez Hilton was permanently banned from TikTok, where he had amassed 1.6 million followers.

2025: Matt Bomer reflects on Perez Hilton outing him

In 2025, actor Matt Bomer reflected on the beginnings of his acting career and being outed by Perez Hilton, during an episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner's On Me podcast.