Jared Padalecki issues apology after sending message to Perez Hilton
Jared Padalecki has issued an apology after being hit with a wave of backlash for sending a message of support to Perez Hilton following his hospitalisation.
Hilton, 48, was taken into hospital on Tuesday (4 August) following reports of self-harm during a TikTok livestream.
His family have since confirmed that his condition 'remains serious but stable'.
“He experienced significant blood loss and sustained additional injuries that will require surgery in the coming days. His treatment and recovery will be a long process,” a recent statement from the family said.
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After learning about Hilton’s hospitalisation, Supernatural star Padalecki took to social media to show his support.
He wrote: “Hey @PerezHilton Just wanted to reach out and let you know that you're in my thoughts. This 'being human' is a strange thing. Exhilarating. Exhausting. Fast. Slow. Wonderful… and… at times… awful.”
However, some social media users criticised Padalecki for his support of the controversial celebrity blogger.
In response, Padalecki swiftly deleted his original post and shared another, which read: “I didn’t know. It’s been brought to my attention. I’m sorry.”
A few hours later, he then posted an addition statement to ‘give more detail’.
"To give more detail re: my post wishing someone well… I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA about his past," he said.
"I had heard of him. Obviously. I had heard that he hadn't exactly 'been kind' to me in the past. So, my thought is always to give grace and forgiveness to those who may have tried to 'harm' you… in my experience, it usually works out better than holding a grudge or wishing punishment on someone else.
"That having been said, I TRULY didn't know ANYTHING about the extent to what he has done.
"That's my bad. On my life, I have never in my life, not once, looked him up or gone to one of his sites. I simply thought he was a 'tabloid' type of sensationalist journalist."
He went on to say that he 'didn't stand for' or support Hilton's past actions.
"I'm sorry if my words caused any harm," he concluded.
"And, I hope you ALL are well out there, and taking care of yourselves."
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., rose to firm in the early 2000s thanks to his gossip blog.
But his tone and content would later earn his tough criticism, as he became notorious for handing out nasty nicknames, making cruel jokes, leaking intimate details and outing LGBTQ celebrities.
In more recent years, Hilton has apologised and expressed his regret for some of his behaviour back then.
Writing in his 2020 memoir TMI: My Life in Scandal, Hilton said: “I have a ton of regrets, particularly because I now see that I never needed to be so mean or cruel.
“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.
“I have apologised publicly and privately to dozens of people."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Claire Reid