Perez Hilton devastated after getting banned from TikTok for 'bullying' other creators : 'I am sorry'
Perez Hilton has said he plans to appeal TikTok's decision to permanently ban him from the platform for repeatedly violating its rules. Hilton shared a video on YouTube Monday, saying he learned Friday night that TikTok had banned him from the platform where he had garnered a whopping 1.6 million followers. The celebrity blogger had created a backup account, which was also taken down, CNET reported.
"It's not just about TikTok. It's about this year and me struggling so much and TikTok being such an escape for me and giving me so much joy. I had pinned so much hope for my future onto TikTok," he said in the video, adding that he's devastated by the ban.
A spokeswoman for TikTok confirmed that Hilton had been banned from the app for violating guidelines, but didn't specify which ones exactly. "We are deeply committed to maintaining a welcoming and supportive community environment," the company said in a statement. "Our Community Guidelines apply to everyone and everything shared on TikTok, and we remove accounts that repeatedly violate our policies."
Hilton, born Mario Lavandeira, revealed on YouTube that he'd been accused of bullying fellow TikTokers. Over the weekend, the Tinseltown blogger said in another video posted on Twitter that he'd also been flagged for violating TikTok's rules against nudity and harassment. He has since denied all the allegations.
According to the report, some of Hilton's comments on the platform sparked a backlash from users of the app who alleged that he was attacking teenagers. One alleged instance occurred in March, when Hilton commented on TikTok star Charli D'Amelio sharing a video of her dancing in a bikini to a remix of the Brockhampton hit "Sugar". "Anyone else thinks it's inappropriate for a 15-year-old to dance to this?" he wrote.
Hilton's remarks led to considerable outrage that snowballed into an online petition with more than 228,300 signatures on Change.org calling for TikTok to ban the 42-year-old blogger. According to CNET, Hilton was also accused of bullying for referring to "Dixie D'Amelio as Charlie D'Amelio's sister rather than by her name."
"That's a hard pill for me to swallow because I thought I was not being cruel or nasty or hurtful. I was sharing news and opinions," Hilton said.
Hilton alleged Monday that several top TikTok creators had threatened to quit the platform for a rival app if the company didn't take action against him. In response, he apologized to the creators, the D'Amelio family, as well as TikTok. "I want to say something with the utmost of sincerity," Hilton said. "I am sorry and truly I did not consider my actions as bullying."
"I get it, it's their platform. I had been talking about TikTok creators on that app," he told Forbes magazine Monday when asked if he had a message for the platform. "I wasn't bullying, but I was sharing news and opinions about them. If they want to keep TikTok a place free of criticism for their creators, that is their right. As a professional, I will respect that, if that's what they want."
"I would have pivoted away from commenting on TikTokers, or even from politics, and focus on only sharing videos of my family and doing silly dances that make me happy," Hilton added.