Perez Hilton‘s recent crisis sparked a wave of reactions online, with some commenters going so far as to call it “karma” for his past actions. Now, one of the celebrity blogger’s friends, Ben Russo, is speaking out and offering his perspective on the blogger.
While acknowledging that Hilton made mistakes, Russo says he has taken accountability for them and offers insight into the person he has become behind the public persona.
Perez Hilton’s suicide attempt on August 4 sparked mixed reactions online, with many expressing concern and offering compassion while others dismissed the incident as “karma” for the things he did at the height of his popularity.
Hilton rose to fame in the mid-2000s after launching his provocative celebrity gossip blog, where he became known for ruthlessly mocking celebrities, drawing graphic scribbles over their photos, ridiculing them during their lowest moments, and even outing some closeted celebrities.
Amid Hilton’s crisis, one of his closest friends, Ben Russo, is speaking out. In an essay for Page Six, Russo said Hilton has made changes since becoming a father and has taken accountability for his past actions.
“The person being judged today is not simply the person people remember from a website two decades ago. None of us can rewrite our past, but I believe we have to allow people the possibility of becoming something more than the things they may have done,” Russo wrote.
The Celebrity Blogger Made Changes In 2010
Russo, who was Hilton’s publicist for a decade, noted that he had a “front-row seat” to the blogger’s career and witnessed his rise to fame, the mistakes that he made, and the guilt he later felt. He acknowledged that Hilton “played a powerful role” in the Hollywood machine that churned toxic celebrity gossip, but reminded people that his friend wasn’t the only one.
“Perez has acknowledged the harm he caused. In 2010, he changed course, risked the platform he had built, and publicly committed himself to doing better,” Russo wrote, adding that Hilton took accountability.
In 2010, Hilton vocalized his support for anti-bullying campaigns, and he received backlash. Many called him a hypocrite for his advocacy when he himself “bullied” celebrities in his blog. He went on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and vowed to overhaul his blog and stop tormenting celebrities.
In an interview with Out in 2010, he said, “I need to take the steps to do things differently. I can’t be that which I’m criticizing in others. I can’t be that which I’m denouncing.”
Ben Russo Says Perez Hilton’s Episode Shouldn’t Be Celebrated
Russo further wrote that he isn’t asking people to forgive the blogger. However, he believes that Hilton’s suffering should not be celebrated either.
“Whatever you might think of Perez Hilton, what happened last week was not karma. It was a mental health crisis. And no suicide attempt should ever be celebrated as justice,” he wrote and asked people for compassion.
Russo also shared that Hilton carried the public’s judgment over the years, which at times “made him feel as if he was not worthy of being alive.”
“Compassion doesn’t require us to forget someone’s past. It simply requires us to remember there is still a human being behind it,” he noted.
Celebrities Show Sympathy For Perez Hilton
I’ve gotten so many comments disagreeing with my last posts on Perez Hilton that it’s actually sad to me.
Again, I know he was absolutely awful to so many (including my family) but I just wasn’t raised or taught to want worse for people. It’s just not the way. There is no…
— TJ Jackson (@tjjackson) August 7, 2026
Amid the online chatter about Hilton’s past, a few celebrities have come forward to offer their well wishes to the blogger, despite being hurt by him in the past.
As The Blast previously reported, Ireland Baldwin, who said Hilton made “unforgivable comments” about her and her family, hoped for the blogger’s healing, adding that his three kids need “a healthy father.”
“America’s Next Top Model” winner Adrianne Curry, whom Hilton targeted in the past, also expressed her sympathy for the blogger, whom she said was “never” her friend. “I forgive you, I don’t think you should be hurting yourself, and I hope you get f-cking better,” she said.
Michael Jackson’s nephew, TJ Jackson, took to X to say he was praying for Hilton despite the hurtful things the blogger had said about his family in the past.
Perez Hilton Remains Hospitalized
Hilton remains in the hospital receiving treatment more than 10 days after his suicide attempt. His sister, Barbara, shared that the family does not know when her brother will be discharged, but said he is facing a long road to recovery physically and mentally, as reported by The Blast.
Barbara also revealed that Hilton felt depressed in the weeks leading up to his recent ordeal and voluntarily sought treatment. He was later discharged from the hospital and appeared to be doing better before the incident.
Meanwhile, his three children are in the custody of his mother while he recovers, which a source claims could take months or years.