Perez Hilton’s sister, Barbara Lavandeira, is speaking out about the frightening night she discovered her brother during an on-camera breakdown.
But while her account has shed light on an intensely private family moment, some of Perez’s longtime friends are now asking for one thing: privacy.
“You cannot ask the public for privacy while continuing to give interviews about the most private and painful moment of Perez’s life,” one friend told Rob Shutter. “If Perez could speak for himself right now, he would shut this down.”
The friends say they are not dismissing Barbara’s experience or the trauma of what she witnessed. Their concern is what continued media attention could mean for Perez and his three children.
“This isn’t about blaming his sister,” another friend said.
“But the priority has to be Perez and those kids. They need privacy, stability and time to heal — not another round of headlines.”
Behind the emotional fallout, friends also point to the complicated relationship between Perez’s public career and his family.
“His family has lived in his shadow for a long time,” one friend said. “Perez built the name, and Perez is the business. Of course, there are complicated feelings when one person gets all the attention.”
There is also a financial concern. Friends claim traffic to Perez’s website has surged since the incident, raising questions about whether increased public attention could have an unintended business impact.
“The website pays the family’s bills, so everyone knows attention has a financial consequence,” the source said. “That is exactly why everyone needs to be extremely careful.”
For Perez’s friends, the takeaway is simple: whatever happens next, they want the focus away from cameras and headlines — and back on Perez and his children.

