Perez Hilton

Hilton was born in Miami, Florida, to Cuban parents. He was raised in Little Havana and Westchester, Florida, and later attended Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic school in Miami. Hilton graduated in 1996, and the aspiring actor received a scholarship to New York University.After graduating from New York University in 2000 and before beginning his blogging career, Hilton attempted a career as an actor. He also briefly worked as a media relations assistant for the LGBT rights organization GLAAD, was a freelance writer for gay publications, worked as a receptionist for the NYC gay events club Urban Outings, and was briefly the managing editor of Instinct, a gay men's magazine. He says he started blogging "because it seemed easy".

Hilton's angle on celebrity gossip includes an unapologetic desire to mingle with and be a part of celebrity culture. He often comments on celebrity awards shows, clubs, and private events he has attended, and posts photographs of himself with the celebrities he writes about under the "Personally Perez" category of his blog. Although Hilton has an affinity for some celebrities, such as Lady Gaga and Sophia Bush, he also has a "vendetta" against certain stars, such as Disney Channel star Vanessa Hudgens and Gossip Girl teen actress Taylor Momsen. Teen phenomenon Miley Cyrus publicized her personal disapproval of Hilton via Twitter to which he replied. Some have suggested, however, that Hilton's proximity to the celebrities about whom he writes has led to biased coverage on his blog. For example, he purports to have befriended Paris Hilton, the source of his stage name and frequent subject of his posts. It has been noted that he rarely reports on stories or rumors casting Paris Hilton in a negative or unflattering light, and that, unlike most gossip blogs, he often acknowledges and praises her positive achievements.

Additionally, Hilton has been known to speak out publicly against discriminatory behavior of celebrities and other public figures. He called for the firing of Isaiah Washington from ABC television series Grey's Anatomy for making homophobic remarks and called for his readers to do the same. In early 2007, Hilton was criticized by The Hollywood Gossip blog for ignoring racist and homophobic remarks made by Paris Hilton.

Hilton often promotes his favorite up-and-coming musicians by posting streams of their songs under the "Listen to This" category of his blog. London-based singer Mika's 2007 rise to popular success in North America has been partially attributed to Hilton's frequent support. Hilton and Mika also claim to be friends.