The Hills to City Hall: Who is ex-TV star and LA mayoral challenger Spencer Pratt?
Former “The Hills” reality TV personality and “villain” Spencer Pratt appears poised to advance to the Nov. 3 runoff election, where he would challenge Democrat Mayor Karen Bass, early voting results indicate.
Pratt’s projected second-place finish is the latest stage in a clamorous ascent in the polls, fuelled by a fervid social media campaign against Bass and a fundraising effort that has raised $3.75 million from supporters.
If results hold, Pratt — a registered Republican who announced his candidacy as an independent in January and has been commended by President Donald Trump — would face Bass Nov. 3 in the deep-blue city. But younger voters who missed the height of Pratt’s early 2000s TV fame might find themselves questioning: who is Pratt, and will his campaign actually take him from Hollywood to City Hall?
Votes are still being counted, but as of 11:49 a.m. Wednesday Bass was in the lead with 34.8% and had gained a wide enough margin to guarantee her ticket to November. Pratt followed closely behind, with 30.4%, edging out progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman, who had secured roughly 22.3% of the vote.
Pratt’s initial rise to fame
Though currently self-described as “Karen Bass’ worst nightmare,” Pratt, a Los Angeles native, initially rose to prominence on MTV’s hit reality TV show “The Hills”, which ran from 2006 to 2010.
He made his debut in season two as the boyfriend of his co-star and now-wife, Heidi Montag. The pair, dubbed by fans as “Speidi”, famously joined ranks to rile up their co-star and Montag’s best friend, Lauren Conrad. Pratt initially claimed he engineered the rumor that Conrad had made a sex tape with her ex-boyfriend — the root of the infamous feud between the women. He later backtracked his admission. The conflict fixed the couple, who wed in 2009 and on season five of the reality show, in the celebrity spotlight.
The long-shot bid for City Hall
Pratt launched his campaign against incumbent Bass on the anniversary of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Pratt and Montag lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fire on Jan. 7 that year. The former reality TV star rebuked Bass for failing to respond adequately to the disaster.
“While Karen Bass is worried about getting meth-heads new grills, the LAFD has 3 dozen LESS firefighters than we had when the Palisades Fire hit,” he wrote on X in May.
Beyond advocating better emergency preparedness in the wake of the 2025 fires, Pratt’s messaging has centered on accusing Bass of failing to address homelessness and the rising cost of living, capitalizing on mounting frustration from Angelenos. Pratt claimed the city remains “unsafe” in a May 28 interview with CNBC, and has labelled unhoused individuals as “zombies.”
“We don’t enforce any laws in Los Angeles. The only laws that are enforced now are maybe parking tickets for people that are hardworking taxpayers that are just trying to get their matcha and have to step over a naked drug addict,” Pratt said in the interview.
The 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, released by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, reported a 17.5 percent decrease in homelessness during Bass’ tenure. Pratt claimed the figure was “fabricated.”
The former TV star also ran a guerrilla social media campaign against Bass that raised his electoral persona in a crowded field rife with potential challengers. Viral, AI-generated social media posts mocked Bass and the Democratic establishment. In one video Pratt reposted, Angelenos are shown throwing tomatoes at Bass while Pratt, dressed as Batman, fights armed guards with “DSA” — Democratic Socialists of America — and vies to protect Los Angeles from a Joker-makeup-wearing Bass.
On the fundraising side, Pratt has raised more in contributions than any other candidate in the mayoral race, accumulating $3.75 million — almost ten times more than Bass between April 19 and May 16. The TV personality, concurrently, received a slew of high-profile endorsements, including from President Donald Trump.
“I’d like to see him do well. He’s a character. I heard he’s a big MAGA person. He’s doing well,” Trump said to reporters on May 20.
Pratt called the race a “local race” in a May 28 interview with NBC.
“People don’t care. In L.A., they want to feel safe, they don’t want to step in human poop,” Pratt said. When asked again about his feelings on a potential endorsement from Trump, he said, “This, this right here, what you’re doing, you having this conversation is what’s destroyed local elections.”
The road to November
Though Pratt appears to have secured a spot on the Nov. 3 ballot, the road to City Hall remains an uncertain and ongoing battle.
Analysts drawing parallels between Pratt and Trump’s campaign trajectories — noting the similar lack of political background, combative approach to opposition, and reality TV origins — have suggested that Trump’s nod to Pratt could hinder his results in a city where the President is deeply unpopular and Republicans make up approximately 14% - 17% of LA County’s total registered voters.
Pratt also faced criticism from the California Democratic establishment he rebuked.
“I don’t know that he’s ever held a job in his life other than to be a reality TV star,” Bass said on Monday while campaigning. “I think he doesn’t know the issues. He’s operating out of anger.”
Still, Pratt is confident about the results of the primary and ready for November. “She knows it’s on. I hope she’s ready,” Pratt said Tuesday night. “I literally could not be more excited.”
