While he’s known worldwide as Perez Hilton, his actual birth name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. Although Perez has gone by his gossip moniker for years now, he’s never actually legally changed his name from the one on his birth certificate. In fact, he told Press Gazette in 2021 that there are still a few people who refer to him by his birth name. But that doesn’t mean he’ll be turning his back on his chosen name anytime soon. “I love Perez Hilton though. It’s not easy being Perez Hilton. But I live a blessed life — very privileged, and very grateful,” he shared.
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One of those using Perez’s full name? None other than Kanye West (who’s no stranger to a name change himself). Some may remember that the rapper called the blogger out by his full name in a since deleted Instagram post in February 2022, in which West shared a photo of Perez alongside the caption (via HITC), “I have a direct question for Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. Do you think jokes about mental health are funny?” Perez then responded with an Instagram post of his own, sharing a throwback photo of himself with the rapper alongside the caption, “#Kanye, if you want to really chat — come be a guest on PerezPodcast.com.”
