Stay Relevant: Lessons from 21 Years in Media | Perez Hilton DSH #1131

Summary

Digital Social Hour: Stay Relevant: Lessons from 21 Years in Media | Perez Hilton DSH #1131

Release Date: January 20, 2025

Host: Sean Kelly

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Introduction

In episode #1131 of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with the iconic Perez Hilton to delve into his remarkable 21-year journey in the media landscape. Known for his pioneering role in celebrity gossip blogging, Perez shares invaluable insights on staying relevant in an ever-evolving digital world, the challenges of influencer culture, and his personal evolution both professionally and personally.

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1. Reflecting on a 21-Year Media Career

Perez Hilton opens up about the monumental shifts in the media industry since he began his career in 2004.

• Evolving Terminology: “When I started in 2004, that word influencer didn't even exist. They used to call me web celeb, which has a nice ring to it” ([01:25]).

• Adaptation and Growth: Hiltons emphasizes the importance of evolving with the times to maintain relevance. “I still offer my Big Mac and my French fries, but I'm always trying new recipes and serving people different things” ([02:57]).

Key Insight: Longevity in media requires continuous adaptation and innovation to meet changing audience preferences.

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2. The Dynamics of Social Media and Influencer Sustainability

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around the transient nature of social media fame and the systemic challenges influencers face.

• Algorithmic Favoritism: Perez discusses how social media platforms are designed to favor younger creators, making sustained success challenging for older influencers. “Social media is designed to give lots of juice to somebody when they're young” ([03:00]).

• Life Experience and Work Ethic: He notes, “It's easy ish to go viral nowadays, but to maintain that over the course of a career, not a lot of people either want to or can do” ([04:22]).

• Shift to Alternative Platforms: Perez expresses concern over influencers moving to platforms like OnlyFans for quick revenue, questioning the sustainability of such moves. “It's a way to get quick and easy cash perhaps for a year and you might be lucky like a Bhad Bhabie and make a lot” ([08:54]).

Notable Quote: “If you don't evolve, you're gonna go out of business” ([02:53]).

Key Insight: The influencer landscape is fickle, and maintaining long-term success requires strategic adaptation beyond initial virality.

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3. Moving to Las Vegas: A Strategic Personal and Professional Shift

Perez shares his recent relocation to Las Vegas and its impact on both his personal life and media endeavors.

• Quality of Life Improvement: “I'm so much happier in Vegas. I love it” ([25:56]).

• Professional Advantages: The move has facilitated local collaborations and hosting opportunities. “I still do all of my other Hollywood showbiz stuff, and I'm doing a lot more, like, local work, like hosting things in Vegas” ([27:45]).

• Future of Vegas Entertainment: Excited about new developments, Perez mentions upcoming studio projects that could transform Vegas into a new entertainment hub. “The Sony One is 100 happening, and that's so exciting” ([28:30]).

Notable Quote: “Life really is too short, and tomorrow is not guaranteed” ([26:00]).

Key Insight: Strategic geographic relocation can enhance both personal well-being and professional opportunities, especially in dynamic industries like media and entertainment.

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4. Media Trends: The Rise of True Crime and Political Entertainment

Perez provides an analysis of current media trends, emphasizing the rise of true crime and the blending of politics with entertainment.

• True Crime Boom: “Over the last three to five years, there's really been an explosion in true crime” ([17:51]).

• Political Showbiz: The intertwining of politics and entertainment, especially post-Donald Trump, has reshaped media consumption. “Political news became showbiz thanks to Donald Trump and social media” ([17:34]).

• Cyclical Nature of Trends: He observes that media trends are cyclical, predicting a return to mainstream celebrity news after current focuses shift. “It's all a pendulum” ([18:18]).

Notable Quote: “Everything keeps evolving. People still love... everything is a trend and cyclical” ([17:34], [18:18]).

Key Insight: Understanding and anticipating media trends is crucial for content creators to stay relevant and engage their audiences effectively.

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5. Navigating Public Relations and Cancel Culture

The conversation delves into Perez's experiences with PR, public perception, and the impacts of cancel culture.

• Perception of PR: Strongly believes that all publicity, good or bad, serves his brand. “Any chatter for me is good” ([29:24]).

• Resilience Against Cancellation: Perez highlights his ability to stay afloat through transparency and owning past mistakes. “I've been canceled so many times that you can't cancel me” ([42:45]).

• Balanced View on Public Figures: While critical of certain public figures, he maintains a balanced perspective, emphasizing accountability without endorsing violence. “I don't like Donald Trump. I'm not a Trump supporter, but I also don't wish any violence against him” ([20:22]).

Notable Quote: “I don't give a fudge about what people say about me” ([30:33]).

Key Insight: Building a resilient personal brand involves embracing all forms of publicity and demonstrating authenticity and accountability.

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6. Personal Growth and Future Endeavors

Towards the episode's conclusion, Perez shares personal reflections and future aspirations.

• Family and Lifestyle Changes: Balancing a demanding career with family life has led him to prioritize staycations and meaningful time with his children. “We do staycations on the strip... I take one at a time” ([46:34]).

• Ambitions Beyond Blogging: Exploring opportunities in publishing and television, despite the challenges of pitching and market saturation. “I'm trying to do something in the publishing world... And it's really, that whole process is a lot of luck” ([40:08]).

• Mental and Emotional Well-being: Emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and not being shackled by past mistakes. “I forgive myself... I am really happy. I'm so grateful, and I'm still here” ([43:02]).

Notable Quote: “Life is meant to be happy and enjoyed as much as possible” ([26:00]).

Key Insight: Personal fulfillment and professional success are intertwined, necessitating a balanced approach to career ambitions and personal well-being.

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Conclusion

In this candid conversation, Perez Hilton offers a wealth of knowledge drawn from over two decades in media. His reflections underscore the importance of adaptability, authenticity, and resilience in maintaining relevance. Whether navigating the tumultuous waters of social media fame or balancing personal life with professional aspirations, Perez's journey serves as an inspiring blueprint for media professionals aiming to thrive in a dynamic digital era.

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Connect with Perez Hilton:

• Website: PerezHilton.com
• Podcast: The Perez Hilton Podcast
• Social Media: Available across all major platforms

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements and non-content sections from the original podcast transcript to focus on the substantive discussions between Sean Kelly and Perez Hilton.

Transcript

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[Perez Hilton]

CT mobile.com no, you do Katy Perry iSwitch.

[Podcast Host]

I think it's interesting.

[Perez Hilton]

That's a shtick that she does as part of her show. And they show clip out of context. She explains what she does in the show.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that's a wild one. I mean, cloning is possible though. My friend is cloned his dog.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, dogs. Yeah. Mr. Piffles here. Piff the Magic Dragon.

[Podcast Host]

All right, guys, got Perez here. Brand new year, man.

[Perez Hilton]

Thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. You excited for this year?

[Perez Hilton]

I am very excited because last year was awful.

[Podcast Host]

Really.

[Perez Hilton]

And I worked really hard to plant seeds for 2025.

[Podcast Host]

Okay. What made last year awful?

[Perez Hilton]

Just, you know, adulting. Like real life stuff. Not fun work drama. Like, you know, people dying and people getting sick and the things that really matter.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. You working really hard these days.

[Perez Hilton]

I'm always hustling, man. You have to. Especially when you. This year is now my 21st year doing the whole everything that I do. You know, when I started in 2004, that word influencer didn't even exist.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

They used to call me web celeb, which has a nice ring to it. But now, you know, you. You have to keep evolving with the times. And I still have my website, I have my podcast, which I launched before everybody had their podcast. We've been doing it now for 10 years this year.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Perez Hilton]

And I got all my socials, creating content for that, doing a lot of talking head commentary, which is really flattering that 21 years later, people are still saying, hey, you want to be on this special? You want to be in this documentary? Like, absolutely. So I'm working on some things behind the scenes, actually. This is a good way for you to look at it and yourself too, because what you do is different but similar. We are like McDonald's and that brand specifically because McDonald's, everybody's gone to it at least once, and they've been around for 60 years, 70 years, I don't know the exact amount of time, but they're constantly tweaking their menu. Refreshing. So I view what I do as, you know, I still offer my Big Mac and my French fries, but. But I'm always trying new recipes and serving people different things. Cause if you don't, you're gonna go out of business.

[Podcast Host]

You're gonna be irrelevant.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And you see a lot of people in the social media space, they have their phase of, like, stardom, and then they fall off, Right?

[Perez Hilton]

Well, I think there's a few reasons for that. I think social media is designed to give lots of juice to somebody when they're young. I mean, even just how the algorithms work, if you launch a new account behind the scenes, they give you an extra push because they want to get you hooked and creating more content.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

And then that's easier already. Also, it's designed to favor young people. That's not to say that older people can't achieve success on social media, but if you look at, you know, the list of the top 100 influencers on each platform, the top 100 on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, whatever, most of them are fairly young. And that's because the people that are spending the most amount of time on social media are young and other things, you know, like, if you're pretty, that also goes a long way. If you're white, that also goes a long way as well. And then if you're somebody young and new, it's easy at first, but then after two, three years is when it starts to get hard. And a lot of people don't have the life experience or the work ethic to sustain success. I mean, it's easy ish to go viral nowadays, but to maintain that over the course of a career, not a lot of people either want to or can do.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

And also, what we're starting to notice now, I feel sad for people in their mid or late 20s because what a lot of people have resorted to, you know, if they started 2019, 20. 20. 2020 was the year of the new influencer. It reminded me of that. The early 2010s, when all of these YouTubers exploded. Like everybody from the British Invasion to, you know, Zoella and Alfie Days and all of those people and Tyler Oakley and Joey Graceffa in America. And none of those people are really being talked about these days because the shelf life and people move on. But in 2020, people were home during the pandemic and TikTok really birthed some big stars, from Addison Rae, who's now releasing music and starring in movies, to Charli D'Amelio, who's probably made easily tens of millions of dollars and had a Hulu show with her.

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[Perez Hilton]

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[Perez Hilton]

To Noah Beck and Bryce hall and all of these personalities. They were the top of the top, but also beneath them there were the B listers and the C listers who were crushing it on TikTok and making a lot of money in 2020 and 2021, maybe even 2022. But now we're in 2025 and towards the end of last year, a lot of these people started to go create, I'll speak in code, create OTF accounts. And it saddens me that a lot of people feel like they have to create an OTF account to make money. Because if you look at it in terms of a business, is that a sustainable business? I don't know. It's a way to get quick and easy cash perhaps for a year and you might be lucky like a Bhad Bhabie and make a lot. But Bhad Bhabi is also the exception to the rule. She's the 1%. She's the top of the top there.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

And what really, really worries me is that, you know, then give it a few more years and you're going to have a peep. A lot of people in their late 20s that were these very popular influencers who now are really depressed that they peaked at 18 or 19, don't have enough or any money saved and might be just, you know, resorting to alcohol or drugs or whatever because, oh God, I Wish I was 18 again and relevant. And that's not how it works. You know, it takes perspective and it also takes an incredible work ethic.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, it's tough to peak at that age because you're so young and impressionable.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. You know, your brain, they don't have the work ethic. They don't know, oh, I should be saving money every month. Let me try to build a business outside of what I'm doing here. And not a lot of influencers are building businesses. Even Charlie D'Amelio, to my knowledge, like she Made a ton of money and hopefully her parents saved for her and have protected her, but I don't know if she's built brands. We'll see.

[Podcast Host]

What do you think the next era of influencers are? Do you think it's this live streaming movement that's pretty hot right now?

[Perez Hilton]

What do I think the next era is going to be? I would say it depends on what happens with TikTok, to be honest, because you mentioned live streaming and TikTok definitely has pushed live streaming on their platform and rewarding creators that go live there. From just regular live streamers to the ones selling all these products. TikTok shop. But that also makes things more complicated because it's easy ish to make a silly short video that goes viral. But not all of those creators have the stamina or the skills to go live for an hour or two hours or three hours. So the future of social media is unexpectedness. As always. Things are always changing. I mean, and I embrace that. Like, I'll ask you a question. You probably will say yes.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

Do you have a Blue sky account?

[Podcast Host]

I actually don't. I know what it is, though.

[Perez Hilton]

You don't? Okay, I do. I'm. I'm an old. I could be your grandfather and I have a Blue Sky. I was like, oh, God, here's another one. I joined just because it started to get a lot of traction and I want to be where there is heat. Yeah, it's important. Like a lot of people, I'm not saying you. I'm not singling you out, but a lot of people, like, whenever a new platform comes around, it's like, oh, another one. I'm already on too many social media platforms, but for me it's like pivot. Like the Friends episode. Pivot. You gotta pivot. You gotta. I have to. And I view it as just a win. Like, yes, it's a little bit more work, but I still have my website, so I could use all of these different channels to promote my articles, to promote my videos, to promote me.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

And if not everybody else is joining, then there's less competition.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I do agree with new apps, new features, definitely take advantage with IG reels trials right now. Dude, I'm crushing it.

[Perez Hilton]

That's awesome.

[Podcast Host]

I'm getting like 5 million views a day. Have you tried that yet?

[Perez Hilton]

That's a good idea. I've heard that some people are just using that and doing it as trials and then not sharing it with everybody, doing it as trials and just repurposing old videos.

[Podcast Host]

Old videos and Then you share the ones that get a lot of views and engagement to your feed. So instead of guessing if something's going to do well or not and it looks bad on your feed, it doesn't get the likes you want. You could do it on trials first. So I'm posting 20 a day right now. Wow. And then one or two are going viral. They're getting like.

[Perez Hilton]

The problem with Instagram, though is like, I'm not excited about it really, just because. Sure, brand deals, but I'd rather focus on channels where I can get guaranteed money. You know, like a brand deal is not a guaranteed thing to happen next month or the month after that. But, you know, a platform like YouTube or TikTok or even Facebook, where I can get guaranteed, you know, the IG reels bonus is a joke.

[Podcast Host]

I got $2 for 25 jokes.

[Perez Hilton]

It's a joke.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy.

[Perez Hilton]

But I do reels, you know, I use it, obviously.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I see IG more as like a. Like a networking app.

[Perez Hilton]

Sure.

[Podcast Host]

I get a lot of guests, you know, in the deal.

[Perez Hilton]

A lot of brands still favor Instagram.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

So obviously I use it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

For me, I would say, actually the change that I've made over the last 12 months, which might not be good for you, or it might. I've been making more long form videos.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Well, that. I think that's interesting because people's attention spans are shorter. But you got guys like Mr. Beast creating TV shows now.

[Perez Hilton]

You just get more money if they're longer.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I mean, he just made a ton of. Have you seen these games yet?

[Perez Hilton]

No, I haven't really heard about it.

[Podcast Host]

That's surprising. Yeah, that's surprising. I thought you were on top of everything.

[Perez Hilton]

You know, I'm aware of this show. I know the drama about.

[Podcast Host]

They probably covered the drama, right? The lawsuit.

[Perez Hilton]

Actually, I don't watch. I watch zero television.

[Podcast Host]

What?

[Perez Hilton]

I don't have time.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Perez Hilton]

I have three kids.

[Podcast Host]

Squid Game 2 just came out.

[Perez Hilton]

I haven't watched. I don't watch any tv, but I'm plugged in and I know everything. I know that Mr. Beast just got engaged. Congratulations to him. I watched clips. I saw this one clip from the Mr. Beast game show of this one woman. Did you see that one where she went before the clock started and then all of those people lost money. So I. I watch clips. I'm aware. I know what the chatter is on social media, but I. I wish I had time to watch television.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. So you're just constantly consuming news or.

[Perez Hilton]

Consuming news, creating my Own content. Parenting, trying to get to the gym, taking my kids to school, picking them up, doing interviews. Like, I do everything.

[Podcast Host]

How stressed are you these days?

[Perez Hilton]

I'm always stressed. But I'm grateful.

[Podcast Host]

I love the honesty.

[Perez Hilton]

I wake up and I go to bed with gratitude in my heart that I am the exception to the norm. I should not be sitting down chatting with you now. I should be totally irrelevant. And it takes so much work to cling on to my D list status. But at least I'm not on the F list. And at least I'm still on the list.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. After 21 years. That's impressive.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Cause you've seen a lot.

[Perez Hilton]

Most of the people that I started talking about at the beginning of my career are either dead or I don't talk about them anymore.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Perez Hilton]

It's true. Like, I mean, I used to talk a lot about Anna Nicole Smith dead. I used to talk a lot about China. Remember her?

[Podcast Host]

The rest of Black China or.

[Perez Hilton]

No, no. Joanie Laurer.

[Podcast Host]

Nah, I was too young. I think.

[Perez Hilton]

Joanie Lahore was a big wrestler, and she did a lot of reality television as well. And she was a popular person to cover in the early 2000s. Or Amy Winehouse dead and. Or even, like, you know, the cast of the Hills. Like, yeah, I was obsessed with the Hills, and my audience loved the Hills. And I don't talk about any of those people anymore. Maybe a little bit. Kristin Cavallari. She's done a good job of trying to, you know, still be out there.

[Podcast Host]

Her pod's pretty good.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. Yeah. So she gets some pickup. But, yeah, I'm very honest about everyone and everything, including myself. And in order to still even somewhat be here, it requires so much heavy lifting.

[Podcast Host]

Right. Does a celebrity gossip still pull the same numbers as it used to?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Really?

[Perez Hilton]

People love it.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I thought people stopped caring about it.

[Perez Hilton]

No, they do. Well, what also has happened, though? Well, actually, here's what I've observed. Everything keeps evolving. People still love. Oh, my God, are you kidding? Like, this Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni story has been huge for me or all the Diddy drama people. I'm over the diddy drama, but people can't get enough of it. Like, and every time I. I think, oh, this, this one. People aren't gonna care anymore, the clicks on my website blow up or the views on any video that I make explode on those specific topics. When I started in 2004, celebrity news wasn't mainstream news. I would never take credit for it, but I Played a part in changing how people a consume media and the type of media that was really covered a lot by the mainstream. So, like, the first 10 years of my career, celebrity news became mainstream news. Then in part two of my career, from like 2010 to 2020 or around those years, more like maybe a little bit later than that. Politics, the commodification of that as entertainment, it's the flip side of the same coin, really. So political news became showbiz thanks to Donald Trump and social media.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

And I started covering a lot more politics because what I do is not just celebrity. I do pop culture. So whatever people are talking about, that could be celebrities, but it could also be politicians or a sad situation in New Orleans or people get run over or whatever it might be.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

So that was the second evolution. And actually, I don't know how much you do this, the most recent evolution. And I think it's a response to both. It's a response to celebrity and. But mainly I think it's a response to politics and wanting an escape from that. Over the last three to five years, there's really been an explosion in true crime. Like, if you look at the top podcast list, so many of them are true crime.

[Podcast Host]

I've seen that.

[Perez Hilton]

Or if you even look at, like, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, that woman who spent about a decade behind bars and for the role that she played in her mother's murder, she got out of prison and was a big celebrity, like a Kardashian, with people talking about her and treating her like a celebrity. Same with the Menendez brothers. Now, you know, multiple shows on Netflix about them. And this true crime explosion is the latest trend. Everything is a trend and cyclical. Like, now that I've been around long enough, eventually it'll get back to just mainstream celebrities. There's also been periods of, like, really heavy focus on influencers, and that's kind of gone away, too. And then it'll go back to politics. And it's all a pendulum.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Cycles. I think politics around election time are just insane. My views were crazy on the political episodes.

[Perez Hilton]

I love it.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I loved it, too. But now it definitely died down.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

But, yeah, the true crime stuff, I mean, look at Luigi. He's blowing up.

[Perez Hilton]

I know. I was just on a documentary. You could watch it now on Hulu called Manhunt, Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder or something like that.

[Podcast Host]

They already made a documentary about it.

[Perez Hilton]

Yes.

[Podcast Host]

Holy crap.

[Perez Hilton]

ABC News reached out to me, said, hey, we're making a documentary about Luigi Mangione. To air on 2020 and to air on Hulu. Do you want to be a part of it? I'm like, yeah, I've been covering that story and every single detail of it. I think that, you know, there's certain stories that really pop off for many reasons. That one definitely did because people could see themselves not necessarily in him, but in the topic. Right. Like our system of health insurance is so broken and corrupt and people have all this pent up frustration.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

But all these years later, like, I still am going to say what I really believe, even if it goes against popular opinion. I also condemn what he did. I don't think that vigilante justice is the way forward. What are we going to do next? Pew. Pew. Politicians that we disagree with.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

That did happen to Donald Trump in 2024. A couple, a few times, three times, I think. And every single time I condemned that. I don't like Donald Trump. I'm not a Trump supporter, but I also don't wish any violence against him.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. You ever have any worry about publishing a story?

[Perez Hilton]

All the time. I mean, for different reasons. The most, the biggest worry is I need to make sure I still take what I do very seriously. So I need to make sure. Is this correct? Is this true? I don't want to be peddling. Oh, oh, God. And actually, I think this also is connected to Donald Trump. This is one of the things that frustrates me and saddens me the most. It's got to do with Donald Trump and it has to do with social media and rewarding this kind of content. One of the other big changes that has started since I began in fricking 2004 is the explosion of conspiracy theories.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

Conspiracy theories were not as prevalent or even now they're mainstream. And so many people creating conspiracy theory content and I, I put an asterisk behind it, really believing it. But do they really believe it or are they just saying that because they know it'll get views? But Donald Trump set the stage for that by planting this major seed of distrust against journalists.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

You can't trust journalists. You can't trust the media. Okay, so now we're all going to be conspiracy theorists. Some of them are true. I'm not going to say they aren't. But the majority of conspiracy theories are not true.

[Podcast Host]

Which ones piss you off the most?

[Perez Hilton]

Just like the ones that are so not true. Like, oh, like the first one that comes to mind. Britney Spears is dead. That's a clone. She got cloned like that's so stupid. Come on, come on.

[Podcast Host]

You don't believe in celebrity clones.

[Perez Hilton]

No, you do.

[Podcast Host]

Katy Perry. I twitch. I think it's interesting.

[Perez Hilton]

That's a shtick that she does. It's part of her show. And they show clip out of context. She explains what she does in the show.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that's a wild one. I mean, cloning is possible, though. My friend has cloned his dog.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, dogs. Yeah, Mr. Piffles here. Piff the Magic Dragon, his dog. He's. He cloned him four times.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, wow.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So cloning is real, but on a human level. That sounds advanced.

[Perez Hilton]

And also it's like, okay, you're gonna clone Britney Spears and she's gonna be the same exact age as the other Britney. Use your brain, people.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, well, she's in Vegas, right?

[Perez Hilton]

Brittany, she lives in la. Or she's spending a lot of time in Mexico too. There is a rumor that she might be doing another residency.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, really?

[Perez Hilton]

Which could go either way, I think. You know, having the. The motivation to show up somewhere and do what she loves and be responsible could be really good for her.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

Or it could be really bad for her. The pressure that comes along with that.

[Podcast Host]

That was probably the big. One of the biggest falloffs I've ever seen, I think. Britney, I.

[Perez Hilton]

How would you. What do you mean? Fall off? In what sense?

[Podcast Host]

Just like she was at the top. And then you hear these stories of her manager just controlling her and stuff.

[Perez Hilton]

Not her manager. Her dad.

[Podcast Host]

Or her dad.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

So just.

[Perez Hilton]

I mean, she is beloved. So she's not in a place right now to be doing the grind of recording, releasing, promoting, performing. I. I don't think that's. That's all a lot of work. I think her focus right now is just being free, which she is, and trying to figure out adulthood.

[Podcast Host]

Did she get freed from her dad?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, she did, because she's in her 40s now. But for the longest time she was in this conservatorship which she felt was stifling. And then before that, she was very famous already since a very young age. And everything was done for her and everything was taking care of her for her. And in a way that stunts your maturity, it stunts your growth. If you never have to worry about anything or deal with anything, you're babied.

[Podcast Host]

Yep.

[Perez Hilton]

So she's an adult baby. And I don't say that as a diss. I say that with compassion.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. No, that's good that you have that thought with your kids though, right? Because.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh, yeah. No. I tell my kids all the time, you better study hard because when you graduate college, you're on your own, kid. Any money that I like. I used to be like a diva before you were born. Like, I would go and take really fancy vacations all over the world. I'm not taking fancy vacations all over the world anymore because I have three kids and I have to be really mindful with my spending.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

But once I've done my job and raised my children to the best of my ability, I will always be their father and always be there to love them and support them and if they want it, give them advice. But any money that I have, I will start to, like, budget it and, like, give myself an annual allowance and start taking those international diva trips again.

[Podcast Host]

I love it.

[Perez Hilton]

I'm not leaving, like, literally, I'm not even going to leave my house. I will sell my. I'm not going to leave. The only money I'll leave is for them to, like cremate me and bury me and all that jazz.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Perez Hilton]

But I don't. I don't want to leave them a single doll dollar. That's not a joke.

[Podcast Host]

What makes you feel that way, though?

[Perez Hilton]

I want to enjoy my money. It's my money. I've had to. I'm sacrificing so much for like 20 years or so. Like, I worked so hard. I want to hopefully be able to live long enough to then enjoy that next era of my life. And why leave it behind? They can work for it themselves or not.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I love it, man. How you like in Vegas? You've moved here recently, right?

[Perez Hilton]

Well, actually, is it today? Today or tomorrow is my two year Vegas anniversary. So it just has flown by. I'm so much happier in Vegas. I love it. I've been wanting to move here for a while. Since 2018 when I got to be here for two months. I was a special celebrity guest host for Chippendales. I didn't take my clothes off. I was just the emcee. But being here for that long in the middle of the summer and living like a local, I just fell in love with the city and the people and everything about it is just so much more conducive to an easier life. Like, oh, wow. I can get to my rental home after the show in just 15 minutes. That would never happen in Los Angeles, where I was for 20 years. And then actually it was because of the pandemic and my therapist that I ended up making the change because I felt stuck in Los Angeles. I felt Like, I had to be there. But then as the pandemic went along and everybody started moving and I realized, no, I don't have to. And I felt like I needed that permission from my therapist. He's like, do it. Because I kept doing all this mental gymnastics. I'm like, oh, I'm going to wait. I'm going to wait till I get my son to the really good private school here in Los Angeles, and then once I get him in, I can go to Vegas. And if it doesn't work out in Vegas, I can always come back, and at least I know I got him into that really good school. Cause, like, I'm such a type, a planner, overthinker, all those things. But you know what? Life really is too short, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. That's not to say, like, be irresponsible. That's why I'm not still taking all those international trips. I'm responsible. But life is meant to be happy and enjoyed as much as possible.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Did it slow down business? Because your. Your stuff's all about, like, Hollywood scene. Right?

[Perez Hilton]

I think it's actually helped, to be honest, because now it's. I still do all of my other Hollywood showbiz stuff, and I'm doing a lot more, like, local work, like hosting things in Vegas and getting paid to promote this and collaborate with that brand. So it's. It's been a blessing. It's. It's been a major help, actually.

[Podcast Host]

I love it.

[Perez Hilton]

I'm so. Yeah. And the future of Vegas really is, like, gonna be Hollywood 2.0. They're building one, possibly two big studios, one with Mark Wahlberg and the other one that's in Summerlin that's already a go with Sony and another one right by UNLV with Warner Brothers.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. I didn't know about that one.

[Perez Hilton]

I don't think that one's confirmed yet.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Perez Hilton]

But the Sony One is 100 happening, and that's so exciting. You know, a ton of television films will be shot in Vegas.

[Podcast Host]

That's huge.

[Perez Hilton]

A lot of local people being employed. And whether you like it or not, more people will be moving to Vegas and more celebrities as well. So I love that.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I'm just hoping the traffic doesn't get too bad.

[Perez Hilton]

Even if it is, it doesn't matter because Vegas is still smaller. So even if traffic does get bad or worse, it'll still be quicker to get places than in Los Angeles.

[Podcast Host]

That's true. Yeah. L. A is. Oh, my God.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. That's really. The traffic in Los Angeles. Is the number one reason I moved.

[Podcast Host]

I don't fly in LAX anymore.

[Perez Hilton]

It broke my soul.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. It's too unbearable.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I literally go to Burbank instead.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh, my God. The easiest. I do too. So game changer.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. LAX is an hour drive.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

At least.

[Podcast Host]

Do you believe that all PR is good pr?

[Perez Hilton]

Absolutely.

[Podcast Host]

Really?

[Perez Hilton]

Yes.

[Podcast Host]

It's the worst story imagine for me.

[Perez Hilton]

But I'm not everybody.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

I love like. Like yesterday I woke up to the news that I was mentioned in the Justin Baldoni lawsuit against the New York Times. And it was an insult. And I loved it. I genuinely loved it. This public Justin Baldoni saw an article that I wrote and he. Because clearly he was all about what people were saying. And he texted it to his crisis PR expert and she said, he is a troll. Nobody pays attention to him. And I was happier than my younger fat. Well, I'm still fat, but I was younger. I was happier than, like, me at a buffet. I was like, yes, I gotta make a video about this. I gotta talk about it on my website. I gotta talk about it on my podcast. Like, I need to, like, milk this for every single juicy drop that it has. So, yeah, for me, alt press is good press, but for somebody like Reese Witherspoon when she had that altercation with the police officer, that was not good press for her.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

But I don't give a fudge about what people say about me. And I realized that any chatter for me is good.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you need fixed.

[Perez Hilton]

There's a difference. Because I've never ever been an A lister. Even when I was in my it girl era, like opening Britney Spears circus tour or being in Rihanna's S M music video. And everywhere I was maybe at most, C minus or C list.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

A little above where I'm at now on the D list. But if you ever get to the A list, you can exhale. Because once you're on the A list, you will always be on the A list. But not a lot of people make it to the A list. There's a big gap between B and A list. For example, Julia Roberts. Maybe once a year or every other year, I talk about Julia Roberts on my website or my podcast or my socials. But she's still an A lister, Right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, that makes sense. How often are crisis PR companies hitting you up?

[Perez Hilton]

Every once in a while. But I was not hit up by anybody related to this. I won't even mention who did he. No, no. Somebody was threatening to expose me. And I was like, expose me. Because I'VE mentioned it a few times. Many times. I've mentioned it many times. I just never made like us. I didn't mention it every time, and I didn't have, like, a standalone video. Justin Baldoni, the actor who has gotten into all this drama with Blake Lively, his lawyer is also my lawyer.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Perez Hilton]

But I have not been influenced by my lawyer. My lawyer has not leaked me anything. I'm a little salty about that, actually. I wish he did give me some. Some documents.

[Podcast Host]

Well, he's a good lawyer, then. Client.

[Perez Hilton]

He is a good lawyer. A very expensive lawyer, but that's usually how it works. Yeah, very.

[Podcast Host]

I thought you were gonna say Jay.

[Perez Hilton]

Z. Oh, no, no. Jay Z. We'll see what happens there. I mean, so far, only one person has made an allegation against him. And if that remains, then I think he'll manage to skate away from all of this pretty unbothered.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

If all of a sudden there's five women, 10 women, then he's got a real problem. But he's not a rapper anymore. He retired. He's just doing things behind the scenes. And I feel like, okay, I'm. I'm removing myself from Roc Nation. I don't want my personal business to hurt the company. So the company will still go onwards. And even if he doesn't collect any more money from the company, he's still married to Beyonce.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

Who can pay all the bills.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. It's hard to lose in that situation.

[Perez Hilton]

He should have enough money to save to never have to work again.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Did you cover the Andrew Tate stuff when it was happening?

[Perez Hilton]

A little bit. That's not my audience, though.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

My audience is, like, 90 female.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, really?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. I'm the opposite.

[Perez Hilton]

I know. That's why I was so excited to chat with you. I. I regularly. I'll be on Fox News. I'll talk to everybody because I love having conversations and reaching different people than. Than the little echo chamber that I'm a part of.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. We have total different audiences. Mine is super conservative, too.

[Perez Hilton]

There you go. I. I'm pretty conservative.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, you are.

[Perez Hilton]

And pretty liberal. I think I'm in the middle. I'm a centrist. Or if there were to be another new party, a party, I would call it the realist party. I'm a realist. I want to get real things done, real change, and not the smoke show of bs. That is politics.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

I'm in the middle, and I think. I think most Americans probably are in the middle, but the loudest voices on each side and the extremes are the ones that get the most attention.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, yeah. Especially on X. Oh, my gosh. X is like.

[Perez Hilton]

I refuse to call it that. It's still. It's still Twitter. X is the dumbest shit ever. Sorry, that's the first time I curse. Because it's that dumb.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I was surprised they changed their name. Same with Facebook. Changing the meta.

[Perez Hilton]

But Facebook is still Facebook. The parent company is just the one that's different.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, X changed to actually X. Yeah. Which is weird.

[Perez Hilton]

Ridiculous.

[Podcast Host]

I still call it tweets.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, exactly. The dumbest thing.

[Podcast Host]

It's. Did you see what Elon did yesterday to all those right wing people?

[Perez Hilton]

No, I saw something that he did about the Tesla explosion.

[Podcast Host]

No, I saw that. No, but he took away five people's verified badges and demonetize them.

[Perez Hilton]

Salty. I thought he was all about free speech.

[Podcast Host]

That's why it's getting a lot of backlash.

[Perez Hilton]

He's not all about free speech. He's all about Elon. He. Here's my thing. I am a narcissist, and so is Elon Musk, and so is Donald Trump. We all have a lot in common. I told you a few minutes ago, I love all attention, positive or negative. Only a narcissist would say that. But there are your traditional narcissists, and then there's malignant narcissists, which. That's an actual diagnosis. It's like malignant narcissist personality disorder or whatever. I can at least acknowledge I don't know everything. And I can also acknowledge when I make a mistake and I'm wrong and I can apologize. Elon is the type of person similar to Donald Trump. That's why they get along. They think they know the answers to absolutely everything. And just because the guy is really good with rockets and cars doesn't mean he's also good with government cuts and spending or good with this. He's clearly not good with human resources. So many workers at Tesla, he's anti union. He's been accused of being racist by former black employees of his. Like, the guy is extremely problematic and also very bright, but not the. The most intellectual person to ever live. And not somebody that has all the answers.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

That's what we call a con man like Donald Trump.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. I didn't know you felt this passionately about them.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, I don't hate him either. I find him entertaining. You see, I can. I don't like to view people as black or white just because I may disagree. And I think it helps me personally. The reason I'm able to do this is because I come from a very conservative upbringing. I'm from Miami. My entire family are Republicans. Cubans in Miami are overwhelmingly conservative Republicans. I'm not, but that's why I'm in the middle. I'm not a crazy leftist either, but I think at the end of the day, I still love my Republican family members. I'm not going to be one of those stupid people to disown my aunt or uncle or cousin or whatever because they voted for Donald Trump. That's ridiculous.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah. In your space. You gotta stay objective, too.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. And, you know, the majority of the country voted for Donald Trump this time around.

[Podcast Host]

Were you shocked?

[Perez Hilton]

No, I knew it was happening.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, you knew?

[Perez Hilton]

Absolutely. Because I'm old and I listen to a lot of npr and they do a really good job of, like, all the. For the weeks and months leading up to it. NPR would be highlighting. I'm like, who the fudge are all these undecided voters? Because literally for like, two months, they were just talking to undecided voters, and almost all the undecided voters said that they were swaying towards Trump. They wanted to blame. They wanted somebody to blame for high inflation. They wanted somebody to blame for all of these things, and they blamed Joe Biden.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. When you see Trump saying, like, fake news and suing these news outlets, how does that make you feel?

[Perez Hilton]

I don't care. He can say whatever he wants. I don't take him seriously most of the time, but he can have serious pull over people. I mean, look at what happened with January 6th, which. He better. He better pardon those people like he said he would. Those people who are criminals, they did commit crimes, but he's gonna pardon them as he said that he would. I think most journalists are good and trying to do good, good work. Obviously, every profession has some bad eggs, but, you know, like, the mainstream outlets like a New York Times or CNN or NBC News, they do hold themselves to a high standard.

[Podcast Host]

Did you ever want to go that route? The corporate route? No. You always wanted to be independent.

[Perez Hilton]

I did work for, like, a gay magazine for a while.

[Podcast Host]

A gay magazine?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. This is before I started blogging that I was. I was working as a journalist, but I never even got a journalism degree. I got a degree in drama.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, wow.

[Perez Hilton]

Which is why drama and I go very well together.

[Podcast Host]

That makes a lot of sense now. I didn't know that was a major.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh, yeah. I went to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and I got my BFA in Drama.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. I Grew up in Jersey.

[Perez Hilton]

All right. I love New York, but I'm a mama's boy. My mom lives with me. She helps me with my kids. She's taking care of them now. And she hated New York. I moved back to New York a few years ago and I was happy that I was able to be there for three more years. But she. If you're living with somebody, very unhappy, it starts to. Oh, it rubs off on you, rub off on you. And it's like, all right, fine, we'll move. We'll move back to Los Angeles. But I just couldn't do LA anymore. I started to really hate LA.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

I did 20 years. That's a long time.

[Podcast Host]

You're a vet in LA?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

You still go there?

[Perez Hilton]

Like, I go there regularly to film stuff. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. What's next for you, man?

[Perez Hilton]

Well, I'm happily doing all of the things that I do every day. My website, my podcast, my socials. And I'm trying to do some other things. Trying to do something in the publishing world, which I've done a few things in the past, trying to do something in the television world. Publishing has been easier than television, but I'm trying. I've got a few ideas that I've been pitching, and what basically happens is you pitch and you get rejected and then you come up with a new concept and you try. And it's really, that whole process is a lot of luck because getting a show on the air is so hard. And especially now the buyers, they're. They're less willing to take bets and it's. It's a tough market right now. Show business is in a really weird place. I think there's going to be even more changes happening because we went from, you know, cable to now, like, all of these streamers, and eventually over the next few years, some of them are going to go bye bye. Because people don't have the money for all these unlimited streaming options and the budgets keep going down. And it's just a very interesting time.

[Podcast Host]

It is. That's why you're seeing them just remake old shows and old ip or a.

[Perez Hilton]

Lot of people bypassing traditional media. Like Don Lemon got fired from CNN and now is doing his own solo independent thing.

[Podcast Host]

Candace Owens, too, right, Candace? Tucker Carlson.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And they're getting more views now than they were on traditional media.

[Perez Hilton]

There you go. Wait, is Tucker Carlson getting more views now?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, he is. He has the number two podcast in the world right now.

[Perez Hilton]

Wow.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, it's enough for him. Millions of views. Candace is getting way More views than she was at Daily Wire.

[Perez Hilton]

Wow.

[Podcast Host]

I don't know about Don Lemon. I don't watch him. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was getting more views as well.

[Perez Hilton]

Cool.

[Podcast Host]

You know, I'm.

[Perez Hilton]

I'm a pioneer in that space.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Perez Hilton]

Actually, that's why it's. It's really my. The reason I'm still here. If along the way, I would have gotten a show on television, like a talk show. Even though I don't have one, I want one, but I don't need one. You know, I'm still. Even though all these years later, I'm still around, I'm still a big dreamer and very ambitious. Had I gotten a panel show, like a male the View, Right. If I would have said something scandalous or done something outrageous, there would have been a big push to fire me from the Male View, and I would have been fired, and. Oh, wah, wah. But right now, and for the last 21 years, I've been my own boss. You can't fire me.

[Podcast Host]

Absolutely. Yeah. Pete. Cancel culture was a rough time, like, five years ago.

[Perez Hilton]

And also, I have been canceled so many times. I get canceled. Well, I haven't been canceled recently.

[Podcast Host]

It's not as bad anymore.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, I haven't been canceled recently, but in the past, I was canceled so many times that you can't cancel me.

[Podcast Host]

You're uncancelable.

[Perez Hilton]

Especially because I don't have any skeletons in my closet. All my skeletons are out there in the open for everybody to see and everybody to pull up the receipts, which is great.

[Podcast Host]

You can sleep at night, you know?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. You don't got to also have a lot of regrets. I'm not here boasting or proud. I made a ton of mistakes. I own them. And I'll apologize, but I'm not. Like, I love that. I only. This deep into our chat, I am gonna say, like, I am sorry for mistakes I made in the past, but I'm not doing an apology tour anymore. Fuck that.

[Podcast Host]

Well, those videos are so weird. Like, when they're crying in the camera and stuff.

[Perez Hilton]

Like, I made mistakes. I hurt people. I regret that. But I don't do that anymore.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

And what sucks is it sucks. But I've. I accept it, and I don't let it weigh me down. A lot of people only view me as the first person that they saw, which is why that expression matters. First impressions are a lasting impression. A lot of people aren't willing to give someone the grace to evolve and change. They want to keep me in the past. Like, It's a prison cell, but I don't live there anymore. And for a while, I. It was really heavy on me, and I was letting it impede my life. But now I. I forgive myself, which sounds really cheesy, but I am really happy. I'm so grateful, and I'm still here.

[Podcast Host]

I love it, man. Can't live in the past. I love that. I don't do. Dealt with similar things like living in. In the past.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh, were you canceled?

[Podcast Host]

Oh, no, but just had a lot of identity issues, honestly.

[Perez Hilton]

Identity issues? What do you mean?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, just like, I don't know, pretending to be someone I wasn't, trying to fit in.

[Perez Hilton]

It takes time. You seem like you're pretty young. How old are you?

[Podcast Host]

I'm 27.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah. You've still got a lot of time to figure out who you are. I didn't really start to figure out who I was until 30 to 33.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, like, the real me. Like, what really made me happy. It was around that time I said, now I'm ready to have kids. Like, now is the time. Like, I just knew it. And also, like, I have a theory. If you have a two in front of your age, or one if you're 18, 19, up until 29, not only do you not have to have anything figured out, but that is the time to try all of your fantasies. Like, make all of the mistakes. Get a job working as an English teacher in Brazil. Go teach snowboarding in the Swiss Alps or whatever. Like, do all of those things in your 20s when you can. Because life gets a lot more complicated in your 30s, especially if you want to have. If you do have children. And also you get a little bit more. Maybe timid is the word. Or you're just like, oh, I shouldn't do that.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Perez Hilton]

That voice that you had, the fearless voice of your 20s, diminishes a little bit the older you get. So whatever wild desire you have, do it now. You still got a couple years left.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, no, I love that advice, man. Getting married this year, so.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh, my God. Congratulations.

[Podcast Host]

Thanks. Yeah, I definitely want to travel some more before then, because once kids come in the picture, it's gonna be hard.

[Perez Hilton]

It's hard. Yeah. I mean, it's not only expensive, but also it's like you don't want to take your kids out of their routine, and it's harder to travel with children. You can do it. People do it. But I'm like a creature of habit. Like, now my vacations are staycations. It's just easy.

[Podcast Host]

I Like staycations?

[Perez Hilton]

Yeah, we do staycations on the strip. I plan a lot of activ for. I do a solo staycation with each of my kids for their birthdays.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, wow.

[Perez Hilton]

So I take one at a time. We do a staycation. We go out to these really nice dinners. I take them to shows or fun activities. Like the last one. I took my daughter to a smash room. She had the time of her life. She wasn't supposed to be in there. You're supposed to be a little bit older, but I might have lied about her age.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Those are fun though.

[Perez Hilton]

Oh my God. She had a blast. I had a blast.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Those are good for de stressing then.

[Perez Hilton]

They are. Oh my God. I had never done it before. I loved it. We did the same place, had a smash room and it had a paint a splatter room. So we were painting too.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, that's badass. It was super fun. It's been fun, man. We'll link your stuff below.

[Perez Hilton]

Thank you.

[Podcast Host]

Where else can people keep up with you?

[Perez Hilton]

Everywhere. I'm, I'm. I'm all on. I'm on all platforms and I got my own podcast, the Perez Hilton Podcast, and my website, Perez hilton dot com.

[Podcast Host]

Boom.

[Perez Hilton]

So if pop culture is your thing, including politics and celebrity and current events, then I think that what I do still is of value to people because who has the time to be scrolling through X or Instagram or TikTok for eight hours a day? If you check out my website or my socials, I will share with you the most important things that I think you should know.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. We'll link below. Thanks for coming on, man.

[Perez Hilton]

Thank you for having me.

[Podcast Host]

Yup. Check him out, guys. Peace.

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[Perez Hilton]

And no, it's not a contest.

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