Until the Palisades Fires broke out in 2025, Spencer Pratt was best known as a reality TV show personality who appeared on MTV’s “The Hills.” He sporadically appeared in the public eye in other reality TV shows and later as a social media influencer.
But his career could pivot in November as he is running for Los Angeles mayor. After voicing his frustration and anger at Mayor Karen Bass and LA city officials over their handling of the Palisades Fire, Pratt is positioning himself as an outsider candidate who understands Angelenos’ grievances.
Who is Spencer Pratt?
Pratt, a Republican candidate, calls himself a media entrepreneur.
He lost the home he shares with his wife Heidi Montag, another reality TV show personality, in the Pacific Palisades in the deadly wildfire. Since then, he has used his public platforms to criticize Mayor Bass.
Possibly taking a page out of Pres. Donald Trump’s playbook, Pratt is pledging to bring “a new golden age for Los Angeles.”
Pratt has pledged to fight for Angelenos to make the city “camera ready” once again.
A UCLA Luskin poll from April showed Pratt was in second place with 11% of the support while Karen Bass maintained the lead with 25%.
What are Spencer Pratt’s proposals?
One of his most recent campaign ads shows him outside a trailer in the charred backdrop of the Pacific Palisades as Pratt highlights failure from the city government.
As a Republican, Pratt is promising forensic performance audits to gauge the success or failure of each city department. Those that are proven to be working would receive more support while those that do not work will not receive additional funding, according to Pratt’s campaign website.
The candidate is also falling for “a top-to-bottom audit” of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power following a number of corruption scandals over the last decade or so.
Spencer Pratt has been critical of LA leadership after losing his homes in the Palisades Fire. Keenan Willard reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
What are controversies surrounding Pratt?
Pratt has been considered an unqualified candidate by liberal and progressive voters in Los Angeles. His owner sister Stephanie Pratt took to social media, explaining why Angelenos shouldn’t vote for him.
He has also said he would cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, leading another mayoral candidate Nithya Raman to call him a MAGA Republican.