LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former reality television star penned an autobiography titled “The Guy You Loved to Hate.” He’s tried his hand at music, putting out a track named “I’m a Celebrity.” He launched a business marketing crystals with supposed therapeutic benefits.
However, Spencer Pratt couldn’t make his most recent project work — an unlikely campaign to become Los Angeles’ next mayor. The Associated Press confirmed Monday that the former television personality failed to secure a spot in November’s runoff election against current mayor Karen Bass.
Rather than facing Pratt, a Republican who earned backing from President Donald Trump, Bass will compete against progressive Nithya Raman, a city council member who mounted a challenge to the Democratic mayor from her political left.
Pratt’s run for office was powered by his celebrity status — he appeared on “The Hills,” a reality series about young adults in Los Angeles — and supporter-created videos using artificial intelligence technology. However, his campaign also captured voter anger that elected officials have failed to tackle persistent city problems. Pratt consistently highlighted issues of homelessness, criminal activity and urban deterioration that have tarnished a city famous for its dining culture, scenic beauty and worldwide entertainment business.
“Enough is enough,” Pratt frequently declared during his campaign appearances.
Election workers needed several days to count ballots from the June 2 primary election, which is standard practice in a state where lengthy vote tallying has become a source of voter irritation and unfounded conspiracy claims. Last Friday, Pratt shared images of himself at city hall accompanied by just one word — “Patience.”
No Republican candidate has captured a mayoral victory in Los Angeles since 1997, leaving Pratt with significant obstacles as a political newcomer. His desire to enter politics was sparked by personal tragedy that brought real-world consequences to his celebrity background. His residence was among thousands lost in last year’s Palisades Fire, which became the city’s most devastating blaze on record.
“This is where I live,” Pratt declared in a campaign advertisement while positioned before a trailer on his destroyed property’s remains. “They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are.”
Despite this claim, Pratt wasn’t actually residing in the trailer — TMZ subsequently revealed he was staying with his spouse and two young sons at the upscale Hotel Bel-Air. His anger reflected widespread disappointment with Bass, a Democrat who was traveling with a presidential delegation to Ghana when the fire started and has received criticism for sluggish reconstruction efforts.
Dennis Kamrany, a longtime Pacific Palisades resident who works in real estate and continues waiting for his home’s gas service to be restored more than a year after fire damage, said Pratt’s lack of political background wasn’t important.
“I’d rather have someone that’s a fighter, that has energy, that’s young, that is talking about common sense policies,” he stated.
“What the hell do we have to lose?” he continued. “We’re already in the dumps. Give somebody else a shot.”
Steve Hilton, a conservative media personality who emerged as the top Republican gubernatorial candidate, viewed Pratt’s mayoral bid alongside his own campaign as evidence that California voters desperately want relief from the state’s dominant liberal leadership.
“We’ve got a failed and broken system and you’ve got a couple of outsiders who’ve never run for office before,” Hilton said regarding himself and Pratt. “This is our moment.”
Democratic voters outnumber registered Republicans in California by almost 2-to-1 across the state, while Republicans represent fewer than 15% of registered voters in Los Angeles.
Given those numbers working against Pratt, insufficient Los Angeles voters believed he deserved an opportunity to manage a $15 billion budget and 50,000 city employees, including approximately 8,600 police officers, in America’s second-largest city.
Billionaire entrepreneur Rick Caruso encountered similar obstacles in 2022 during his mayoral campaign against Bass. The former Republican turned Democrat invested more than $100 million, mostly personal funds, on a public safety-focused campaign and lost by almost 10 percentage points.
Deanna Crane, 33, said she preferred “anyone with a pulse other than Spencer Pratt” for mayor.
While she shared Pratt’s criticism of how Bass managed last year’s fires, she cast her ballot for Raman instead.
Pratt emerged from the early 2000s youth-oriented reality television explosion in Los Angeles, where he established himself for nearly two decades. His career breakthrough occurred when he joined “The Hills” second season as Heidi Montag’s romantic partner. The pair — particularly Pratt — fully adopted their television roles as attention-seeking villains, even co-authoring “How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture” in 2009, their wedding year.
Seemingly nothing was off-limits for Pratt when it came to generating headlines or pursuing publicity.
He took credit for circulating gossip about a private video involving “The Hills” cast member Lauren Conrad, though he later retracted this claim. Eighteen months after wedding Montag, they pursued divorce proceedings; months afterward, he revealed it was staged to promote Montag’s struggling music career. During their staged separation, he was also detained in Costa Rica for trying to board an aircraft while carrying a weapon.
In 2018, he discussed squandering a $10 million fortune on extravagant spending, including $4,000 wine bottles and $1 million in crystals. He also established Pratt Daddy, a crystal-selling enterprise. The company’s website claims the crystals helped address Montag’s post-operative discomfort “that even morphine could not relieve.”
Following their home’s destruction in the Palisades Fire, the family received criticism for accepting fan donations. Pratt maintained they weren’t wealthy even before losing everything. He also turned to TikTok content for income, attempted launching a reality series about their reconstruction journey, and began urging supporters to stream Montag’s music, including her 15-year-old release “Superficial.”
The album reached No. 1 on iTunes, supported by celebrities like Paris Hilton, Alix Earle and Flavor Flav. He marked the achievement with an Instagram video.
“Who needs a house, who needs clothes, who needs anything but this level of clout, pop, superstardom?” Pratt exclaimed.
The next mayor will probably gain international recognition when Los Angeles presents the Olympics in 2028.
However, declining regional population numbers reflect resident dissatisfaction with taxation, traffic congestion and widespread high costs.
While data indicates the city has achieved progress on homelessness, temporary camps and lines of deteriorating recreational vehicles remain widespread. Dirty, damaged streets and walkways are common.
Additionally, Hollywood production work has been relocating for years to less expensive filming destinations. The restaurant sector has been struggling.
Los Angeles’ challenges convinced some voters to consider Pratt as an option.
Susie Tho, 38, arrived to wait outside Pratt’s primary election night event hoping for a handshake opportunity.
Tho identified as a Democrat but supported Pratt. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she said she voted for change after watching the city “gone downhill.”
When Pratt initially declared his candidacy, she felt uncertain, but she said his debate showing, which she described as focused and well-prepared, convinced her.
“I just wanted a clean and safe street for my child to grow up in,” Tho explained. “I miss the LA that I grew up in.”
