Perez Hilton has received plenty of criticism over the years for his unflattering coverage of celebrities, but rarely has the gossip blogger ever backed down from a fight. Hilton just made an exception though, when after receiving strong backlash for posting recently leaked nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence on his website, he not only took the offending photos down but actually apologized profusely over Twitter and Youtube. Could the blogger have received a stern talking to from the star’s legal counsel?

Hilton originally posted the offending photos after they, along with nudes of many other celebrities, were leaked on content sharing site 4chan by an anonymous hacker who apparently stole them by gaining access to stars’ iCloud accounts. The images went viral online, with Hilton being one of the most prominent figures to republish them. At the time, he also tweeted “#JenniferLawrence phone was hacked her #nude pics leaked Check them out in all their gloriousness.” Hilton also posted nude photos alleged to depict Victoria Justice, but the actress has denied the authenticity of those pics.

It did not take long for twitter users to start firing back against the blogger, with many accusing him of perpetuating a sex crime. Hilton initially responded by replacing the original photos with censored versions before deciding to take them down altogether.

On Sunday night, Hilton apologized via twitter, writing, “At work we often have to make quick decisions. I made a really bad one today and then made it worse. I feel awful and am truly sorry.” On Monday, the blogger posted a longer apology video on Youtube, in which he explains, “I didn’t even stop to think about my actions. I wanted to get this out there as soon as possible,” citing the pressure of working in the gossip industry as the cause of his lapse in judgment. Hilton also insists “I was never contacted by her publicist of her lawyer. I genuinely took the photos down because I stopped and thought about it.” He then vows never to post “intimate” photos of celebrities again.

Despite his insistence that no one compelled him to take the photos down, not everyone is so quick to believe that the blogger simply had a change of heart. A rep for Lawrence, after all, has said in a statement, “The authorities have been contacted, and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.” Hmmm.