Perez Hilton is opening up about why he was in the hospital after recent photos caused concern about his health.
“My stupidity landed me in the hospital in 21 days and this is the most important video that I have ever shared,” Hilton, 48, began in a Monday, March 23, YouTube video. “It was the worst and best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Hilton explained that he had the flu for “about a week” before he was hospitalized and took medication. However, Hilton noted that he “didn’t take any” of his medication with food, and he developed an ulcer, a perforation and sepsis.
“People die of sepsis,” Hilton said through tears. “The day before I was hospitalized, I was in so much stomach pain. I was like, ‘This is weird, but it will go away.’ The next morning, I couldn’t walk. I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital.”
Some stars have continued to open up about their health battles — including with something as serious as septic shock. According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is a serious condition in which the body improperly responds to an infection, causing the organs to work poorly. In August 2025, Bringing Up Bates star Erin Bates went […]
Hilton shared that he was “so thankful” for the care he received at the hospital, noting that he stayed there for 21 days and felt like he knew “everybody” by the time he was discharged. He recalled undergoing several tests within the first few days because the doctors allegedly “couldn’t find” where the perforation was.
“Eventually, after five days, I ended up having laparoscopic surgery,” he said. “Surgery where they don’t cut you up, but they miraculously make these incisions … to literally flip around all of my organs, trying to find the perforation first, then after flipping around all of my organs, washing me out ‘cause I had so much infection in there. So much infection.”
Hilton had fluid in his lungs which had to be drained, while also undergoing “another major procedure.” Despite doctors draining “a ton of more infection,” Hilton said the “sepsis just kept working.”
“My body just kept falling apart,” he added, noting that his heart “got out of control.”
Billy Porter made a rare comment about how he was “dead for three days” amid his battle with sepsis. During the Monday, March 2, episode of the “Outlaws” podcast, Porter, 56, recalled being diagnosed and having to exit the Broadway production of Cabaret due to the health scare. He said he went for a “routine […]
He then developed another infection in the hospital, which Hilton claimed is “common.” After two weeks, Hilton was only receiving food through an IV. When he was able to start eating, Hilton said it was “hard on the body.” He became emotional as he recalled suffering from accidents in the bed and asking nurses for help.
“It was such a slow process. I mean, two weeks of just sickness and then another week of getting better before I was released. The last week was hell, because I had already been in the hospital two weeks by then. I was like, ‘I just want to go home. I just want to be with my babies,’” Hilton said, before sharing his appreciation for the doctors.
“One of the hardest things was when they put this NG tube in me. Having this giant tube going from your nose to your stomach, sucking up bile, infection. I had that in me for days. Not once, but twice toward the first week … I also had a foley catheter, where they insert a balloon in your bladder. So that was intense. I developed severe weakness from lying in bed for so long. Swelling of everything. I clearly lost a lot of weight. And now that I am home, I am not 100 percent. I brought the hospital with me,” Hilton continued, pointing to a PICC line inserted into his arm.
Now, Hilton is being treated through an IV, which is “a lot more effective than treating it with pills.” He explained that he has no intention of going back to the hospital, calling it a “one and done” situation. Hilton also shared that he has plans to change his daily habits, including getting more sleep at night and having dinner with his kids and mom.
“I have to thank my sister for everything. My sister is my angel. I honestly believe if it weren’t for my sister, I would probably be dead,” he said, while becoming emotional. “My sister lives in Los Angeles, but she flew out here twice and was here most of the time, even though she has a young daughter and a husband and a life in Los Angeles.”
