Jared Padalecki apologises for wishing Perez Hilton well

Jared Padalecki has walked back his public support of Perez Hilton after receiving criticism online

The Supernatural alum had uploaded a social media message wishing Hilton well after the celebrity blogger was hospitalised after sharing a disturbing livestream in which he engaged in apparent acts of self-harm at his Miami home.

Social media users subsequently criticised Padalecki for allegedly supporting Hilton, given the blogger's past bullying and targeting of various celebrities and their families. Padalecki quietly deleted his message amid the backlash.

"I didn't know. It's been brought to my attention," Padalecki wrote via X on Sunday. "I'm sorry."

"To give more detail re my post wishing someone well, I had absolutely no idea about his past," the Gilmore Girls star shared in a follow-up message that same day.

"I had heard of him. Obviously. I had heard that he hadn't exactly 'been kind' to me in the past. So, my thought is always to give grace and forgiveness to those who may have tried to 'harm' you. In my experience, it usually works out better than holding a grudge or wishing punishment on someone else.

"That having been said, I truly didn't know anything about the extent to what he has done," Padalecki continued. "That's my bad. On my life, I have never in my life, not once, looked him up or gone to one of his sites. I simply thought he was a 'tabloid' type of sensationalist journalist."

Hilton's relatives meanwhile noted that Perez's condition is "serious but stable", noting that the influencer sustained "significant blood loss" during his livestream.