Raven Symone Calls Out Perez Hilton’s Past Comments
These words came from a recent episode of Tea Time with Raven & Mirandawhich Raven co-owns with his wife, Miranda Maday.
They were chatting with actor and comedian Brendan Scannell when the conversation turned to some of the worst criticism they’ve received as celebrities.
“Interesting,” Raven began. “When you’re in front of the public and when you dress up or play an actor, you’re open to criticism from everyone, including moms, no matter what.”
Raven then shared the most hurtful comment that still remains with her to this day. “I was called a poodle,” she said. “My hair was so curly, Perez Hilton called me a poodle.”
An incredulous Brendan asked, “He called you a poodle?”
Raven confirmed, remembering, “Yeah, you said you looked like… [poodle].”
When Brendan said “it was probably at the height of his career,” Raven replied, “It was. But there was also some prejudice.”
Miranda recalled how “cruel” Perez was at the time — behavior that included taking out celebrities and comedians like Britney Spears during personal challenges — and revealed that he has since apologized for much of that. That’s when Raven quickly cut her off and said, “Don’t ever apologize to me.”
“We need an apology, Perez,” Raven continued, accusing the blogger of starting a culture of celebrity gossip, filled with gossip.
He appeared to be referring to a 2008 post on Perez’s blog about one of his own at the time. Titled “Poodle Died On Its Head,” the caption read, “There’s no reason for that hair! Come on, girl. You should have Disney money in the bank. Can’t you buy better hair???” It also used offensive language while targeting Raven for “queen makeup.”
Shortly after the clip was shared on his podcast Instagram page, Perez commented and apologized.
He wrote, “I am sorry. This is one of a long list of regrets. I am deeply ashamed of so much of my past.”
Raven’s comments come four months after Tallulah Willis again called out Perez for criticizing her appearance in shorts with her father, Bruce Willis, when she was just 14 years old. Although Perez has not been seen to speak publicly about those comments, he has repeatedly apologized for his past behavior in general.
“A lot of what I did back then was suspicious and toxic,” Perez — now a father of three — told BuzzFeed News in 2021. “But it wasn’t everything. I wasn’t just mean and mean and cruel and hurtful. And I was positive and supportive.”
You can watch a clip of the podcast here – and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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