Perez Hilton had been publicly reckoning with the cruelty that defined his early career before being hospitalized following a disturbing TikTok livestream. The celebrity gossip blogger, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, rose to fame by turning celebrities’ private struggles and public mistakes into content for millions of readers.

Hilton eventually acknowledged that his approach caused genuine harm, apologizing for everything from targeting celebrity children to outing people without their consent. Earlier this year, he said he felt “deep shame and regret” over his past behavior. Now, amid his hospitalization, that complicated history has influenced how some members of the public are responding to his health crisis.

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Hilton was taken to a hospital late Tuesday after concerned viewers contacted authorities about his TikTok livestream. The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies responded to Hilton’s residence after receiving multiple calls about his well-being. Authorities “spoke with family members on scene, and confirmed he was alone inside,” the sheriff’s office told CNN.

Deputies reportedly attempted to de-escalate the situation before Hilton was transported for medical treatment. The department explained that its response to mental health emergencies often involves “creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication.”

A statement posted to Hilton’s website Wednesday evening offered a cautiously hopeful update about his condition. Hilton is “able to communicate, which has given our family hope,” his team and family said, while acknowledging that it had been a “difficult” period because “very little information has been made available to our family.”

An earlier statement confirmed that Hilton was “receiving medical care” and that his “family’s focus right now is on his well-being.”

The Blogger Built His Career On Controversy

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Hilton became one of the internet’s most influential and notorious celebrity bloggers during the 2000s. His website attracted millions of readers, but its success was fueled largely by a confrontational approach to celebrity coverage. Hilton mocked stars, assigned them insulting nicknames and published invasive stories about their personal lives.

Several prominent entertainers publicly condemned his conduct. Demi Lovato accused Hilton of being a “bully,” while Lady Gaga accused him of stalking her in 2013.

Mila Kunis offered a particularly harsh assessment of his impact during a 2018 interview, calling Hilton the “first person that created ugly news, that literally just spread filth.” According to Kunis, his success “allowed people to be mean.”

Perez Hilton Admitted He Had Been ‘Mean Or Cruel’

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As attitudes toward celebrity journalism changed, Hilton began distancing himself from the persona that made him famous. In his 2020 memoir, the blogger acknowledged that the aggressive tone was not necessary for building his career. He wrote that he “never needed to be so mean or cruel.”

Hilton also identified his treatment of celebrity families as one of his greatest regrets. One of the “many things I regret is that I hurt so many people by giving them nasty nicknames, and above all that I was unkind to the children of celebrities,” he wrote.

The blogger additionally reconsidered his history of publicly outing celebrities. Hilton acknowledged that he “no longer” believed the practice was acceptable.

Not Everyone Accepted His Apologies

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Hilton repeatedly apologized for crossing boundaries and acknowledged that some of his celebrity coverage had gone too far. Certain people accepted those efforts, while others remained unwilling to forgive him.

A Daily Mail reporter who has known Hilton for more than 25 years stressed that forgiveness cannot be demanded, particularly when his work caused real emotional damage. The reporter nonetheless rejected suggestions that Hilton’s current suffering should be viewed as deserved punishment.

His past conduct may explain why some people have struggled to extend sympathy, but it does not make his health crisis less serious or eliminate the fear being experienced by his children and family. Accountability for Hilton’s actions and compassion for his current distress do not have to be mutually exclusive.

A Previous Health Crisis Deepened His Remorse

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Hilton’s latest hospitalization comes several months after he spent three weeks receiving treatment for sepsis. In March, Hilton explained that he had developed the flu and failed to take his medication with food as directed. According to the blogger, he subsequently developed an ulcer that perforated and required emergency surgery.

“The day before I was hospitalized, I was in so much stomach pain. I was like, ‘This is weird, but it’ll go away,’” Hilton recalled in a social media video. The following day, he said he “couldn’t walk.”

Hilton later described the life-threatening experience as spiritually transformative. “God presented himself to me and then did something. Something I can only call miraculous,” he said. The father of three added that he would “start taking the kids to church every week.”

In another video shared days later, Hilton said he had started reading the Bible and felt “deep shame and regret” about his conduct throughout his gossip career, per Forbes.

Hilton’s apologies cannot undo the personal damage caused by his reporting, and the people he targeted are under no obligation to forgive him. However, his hospitalization has forced a broader conversation about whether compassion should depend upon a person’s past behavior.

Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon, two Texas customers, are suing Popeyes for over $1.5 million after allegedly finding a “condom-like foreign object” in their chicken.

RELATED: LAWSUIT: Atlanta Mother Alleges Three Popeyes Workers Left Her Partially Bald For Speaking Out About Incorrect Order

Texas Customers Sue Popeyes For Over $1.5M After Allegedly Finding “Condom-Like Foreign Object” In Chicken

According to CHRON, Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon are reportedly seeking more than $1.5 million from Popeye’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International, Inc., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., and franchise operator, AAMANA Businesses, Inc.

Per the outlet, the pair purchased chicken from the Popeyes located at 7416 South Sam Houston Pkwy W. The date of their purchase reportedly was on July 25, 2026. And when Howard bit into a piece of chicken, he allegedly found a “condom-like foreign object embedded within the chicken itself.”

“The meal appeared ordinary. It was not,” they recalled of their experience, per PEOPLE. “The discovery instantly transformed what should have been an ordinary family meal into a deeply disturbing and frightening event. They were horrified by the possibility that they had already ingested contaminated food before discovering the object.”

More On Justin Howard & Danielle McKinnon’s $1.5M Lawsuit

Per the outlet, Howard and McKinnon immediately stopped eating and allegedly became nauseous. Furthermore, when they informed the Popeye’s staff, the employees allegedly “laughed and humiliated them.”

“Instead of promptly investigating the contamination, preserving evidence, or recognizing the seriousness of the complaint, management repeatedly attempted to replace the contaminated chicken rather than issue a refund. But only after persistence by the plaintiffs were they finally refunded,” the lawsuit reportedly reads.

Per the outlet, the pair is seeking over $1.5 million “in damages relating to past and future medical/healthcare expenses, past and future physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, lost wages, attorney’s fees, court costs, and prejudgment and postjudgment interest.”

Popeye’s Reportedly Responds To Discovery Of “Condom-Like Foreign Object”

According to PEOPLE, Popeyes responded to the alleged incident in a statement sent via email.

“We have looked at extensive internal video and saw no evidence to validate this claim. Regardless, it is unacceptable, and the Franchisee immediately issued a refund to the guest and, out of an abundance of caution, closed the restaurant early for re-training,” it reportedly stated.

Lastly, PEOPLE notes that Justin Howard and Danielle McKinnon are also demanding a jury by trial.

RELATED: Say, WHAT?! Louisiana Popeyes Manager Reportedly Arrested For Assaulting Customer With Hot Chicken

Marvel Studios may have found its Scott Summers.

According to a new report from Deadline, Kit Connor has emerged as the studio’s choice to play Cyclops in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot. While Marvel has not officially confirmed the casting, Deadline’s report states that director Jake Schreier and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige selected Connor following months of meetings and screen tests with multiple actors.

If finalized, Connor would become one of the first major members of Marvel’s next generation of X-Men alongside Sadie Sink, who recently made her debut as Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Samara Weaving, who was previously reported to have landed the role of Emma Frost.

Connor, best known for his breakout performance in Netflix’s Heartstopper, has quickly become one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising young stars. In recent years, he has expanded his resume with roles in Alex Garland’s Warfare, the upcoming Elden Ring adaptation, and a successful run on Broadway in Romeo + Juliet.

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Cyclops has long been considered one of Marvel’s most important mutant characters. Introduced in X-Men #1 in 1963, Scott Summers serves as the field leader of the X-Men, balancing powerful optic blast abilities with the responsibility of leading Charles Xavier’s team through countless battles.

The report also notes that Marvel considered numerous actors for the role before settling on Connor, making him another unexpected casting choice during the studio’s ongoing search for its new X-Men lineup.

Marvel Studios has yet to announce an official cast for the reboot, and, as with previous casting reports, neither the studio nor Connor’s representatives have publicly commented. However, Deadline has correctly reported several recent Marvel castings before they became official, giving this latest report significant credibility.

With Jean Grey and Emma Frost reportedly locked in and Cyclops now seemingly selected, anticipation continues to build for Marvel’s long-awaited mutant era. Fans are also expecting additional casting announcements in the near future, with many speculating Marvel could reveal more of the team during D23.

2026 has been a busy year for Russell Crowe, starring in action features like Beast and The Get Out, but each film was only released in limited theaters in the U.S., so it never quite found a niche in theaters. Both movies are now available to watch at home on VOD platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV, and each has had short-lived runs into the top 10. Crowe did debut a massively successful movie in 2025 with Nuremberg, his WWII passion project that he spent years trying to get off the ground. While he has released new movies this year, Crowe has primarily been focused on shooting scenes for Henry Cavill’s new Highlander reboot movie — Crowe even shared a new image of himself training for the film earlier this week.

Russell Crowe still has plenty of exciting projects in the works, but that doesn’t mean he’s not always on the hunt for another hit. News broke this afternoon that Crowe is returning to the sci-fi genre for a new thriller, Bluefly, co-starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas from The Bluff and Citadel. Stranger Things director Nimród Antal is directing the sci-fi feature with a script from David Frigerio, William and Carlyle Eubank. Pre-sales for the project are set to launch soon at TIFF, and the official synopsis reads as follows:

“Deep in the Congo, a grieving UN translator is pulled into a black-ops mission to recover a downed aircraft that isn’t supposed to exist. As a Special Operations team pushes upriver through militia-held territory, the recovery becomes a descent — and the closer they get to the craft, the clearer it becomes that they were never meant to bring it home.”

When Will ‘Bluefly’ Come Out?

There’s no word yet on when Bluefly will be released, but production on the film is expected to begin later this year off the coast of Australia. Should it secure distribution at TIFF, it could be as soon as 2027 before it comes out, whether it be in theaters or on streaming. It will speak volumes about the project whether there’s a bidding war for it come time at the Toronto International Film Festival. The premise for the film certainly sounds intriguing, but a movie needs a lot more than a cool premise to make it across the finish line.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the new sci-fi thriller, Bluefly, as well as future coverage of Russell Crowe’s future projects.

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Release Date

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2016 – 2025-00-00

Network

Netflix

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Directors

Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz

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Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock

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