"He was jobless, broke and living at his parent's vacation home in Santa Barbara. He told the Daily Beast that he was considering going back to USC to finish his political science degree, but asked, "What real job - what political world - would want Spencer Pratt, with the stigma I've attached to my name?""
"Pratt is following in the footsteps of those before him who've leveraged their reality TV fame into political careers. Predominantly Republicans, they occupy the Oval Office, or serve as the secretary of Transportation, or have run as a California gubernatorial candidate. Pratt, a registered Republican, has now become part of the reality TV-into-politics pipeline, entering the L.A. mayoral race against incumbent Karen Bass and L.A. City Council member Nithya Raman."
"Pratt announced his intent to run one year after his home was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades fire. Frustrated by the red tape holding up the rebuilding process, Pratt is running on a message that L.A. is broken and only he can fix it - somehow. He has no experience in public office."
"Pratt does, however, have an edge on his competitors in one category: He knows how to amass attention. For those who did not grow up consuming reality TV in the 2000s, Pratt was the medium's No. 1 villain, a polarizing figure who understood that in reality TV - and later, on social media - being hated could be just as profitable as being loved."
Spencer Pratt, formerly known for a villain role on MTV’s The Hills and a high-profile relationship with Heidi Montag, faced fading fame in the 2010s and later described being jobless and broke while living with his parents in Santa Barbara. He considered returning to USC to finish a political science degree but questioned whether political institutions would want him due to the stigma attached to his name. In 2026, he is pursuing politics by joining the reality TV-into-politics pipeline, registering as a Republican and entering the Los Angeles mayoral race against Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. His campaign follows the 2025 Palisades fire that destroyed his home, and he frames Los Angeles as broken, promising to fix it amid rebuilding delays and red tape. He lacks public office experience but has a proven ability to attract attention through controversy.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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