There was a certain tone in celebrity tabloids that did not arise, but did flourish, in 2000s and 2010s internet rags. The tone was catty, invasive, and sometimes downright conspiratorial.
Much of that tone and its refinement and copycats can be traced to one blogger in particular: Perez Hilton. As society has moved on and many of his old targets have come into their own power or grown up to be adults, the blowback from all the things he said has been slow but steady.
For example, this week Tallulah Willis, the youngest daughter of actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, used the power of social media to talk directly to the public to discuss how Hilton's mockery made her actually suicidal in the past.
Willis inherited much of her father's well-known facial structure, because that is how genetics work. In the past, Hilton mocked her for her chin, a writing decision that reverberated through the tabloids and was often repeated.
Now an adult, Willis posed a set of photos on Instagram comparing pictures of herself and her father and expressed pride in her facial features.
"The face, the smile, dare I say it the chin (hey @perez remember when you bullied a 13 year old for money?) that made me want to end it all, is now the most precious gift I could be bestowed with. I used to not be able to say the word chin out loud."
She was not the only one to take it on the proverbial chin.
Other daughters of famous parents shared their own stories, including Ireland Baldwin (dad actor Alec Baldwin) and Sailor Brinkley Cook (mom model Christie Brinkley).
@irelandirelandireland/Instagram
@sailorbrinkleycook/Instagram
But Willis is an adult now, and seemed to be truly grateful for sharing her dad's features.
"!! My Lordy! if I am NOT this man’s child 💛💛 Wow this is making me so full and emotional this early Wednesday morning."
Her father, actor Bruce Willis, has retired from acting. He was first diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, then with frontotemporal dementia in 2024. There is no cure for that type of dementia, so it is especially poignant that Tallulah Willis has chosen to publicly celebrate her connection to him, even the ones that were mocked in the past.
Many commenters shared that sentiment.
@amybinnnyc/Instagram
@seabreeze.sheri/Instagram
They said it was a blessing and a gift to be able to see your parents in yourself, especially after they are gone.
@allwehaveistime54321/Instagram
@heathersconnected/Instagram
Willis went further the same day with a whole separate post about how she had been overly sexualized as a child, and the steps that her mom Demi Moore tried to go through at the time to receive justice from Hilton and his ilk.
Her call-out of Perez Hilton was particularly noted by commenters.
@makeupcrayz/Instagram
@rainbowdonkey473/Instagram
Because really, Hilton often wrote about the children of celebrities, finding them fair game for gossip even as they were actual minors.
@rznne/Instagram
Probably drawn by the hundreds of people tagging him in comments, or the media flurry around Willis' post, Hilton himself turned up in the comments on her post.
Not to make a public apology, but to ask her to read a private message.
@theperezhilton/Instagram
Many found irony in Hilton making fun of people's appearances.
@jandifollowill/Instagram
@sarcasm.stardust/Instagram
The time has come, albeit a bit late, for Hilton's past gossip mongering to catch up with him.
@niinunaanu/Instagram
@magical_mystery_witch/Instagram
Many commenters pointed out how much Willis inherited from her dad.
@chanel0574/Instagram
@annelikson/Instagram
Tallulah Willis is an actor and clothing brand designer.
@jessicachastain/Instagram
