Spencer Pratt Opens Up About LA Mayor’s Run As He Blames Leaders For Letting His House Burn
Former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt opened up about his decision to run for mayor in Los Angeles, revealing that he reluctantly returned to politics after losing his home in the Palisades wildfire last year.
“I never wanted to be mayor,” Pratt said during an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday. “I don’t want to be in politics. I want to go back to my home and my family.”
“The Hills” alum, who is married to a former co-star Heidi Montagemerged as a major critic of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Mayor of LA Karen Bassboth Democrats, accusing them of mishandling local and state responses to the 2025 wildfires that killed 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures, mostly homes.
“These people who were in charge were supposed to resign on January 7, January 8, I was expecting someone to step up and follow these people but no one did, I said, ‘Okay, it’s my job to do that,'” said Pratt.
Pratt, a Republican, first revealed his mayoral aspirations during an event called “Let’s Burn!” which was in LA in early January to mark the first anniversary of the wildfires.
The launch of his political campaign also coincides with the release of his new tell-all book, titled “The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain,” which was released on Tuesday.
The TV host-turned-author, however, pushed hard against his critics, including Mayor Bass’s camp, saying he announced his mayoral run to promote his book.
“This book has nothing to do with travel [Bass] I put it by letting my house burn down,” Pratt told Fox & Friends.
He also rejected the idea that he is only one-dimensional showman who is concerned about his celebrity-filled community in Pacific Palisades.
“What everyone in Los Angeles should be concerned about is that these city leaders are OK with letting people burn alive, and shut them down,” Pratt said, adding that he was also shocked by the quality of life issues affecting parts of LA, including homelessness and drug use.
“Anyone who drives on the streets of LA … we’re in very dark times,” he said.
Turning his attention back to post-fire recovery, Pratt criticized Gov. Newsom praised the number of rebuilding permits that have been issued so far, stressing that they do not represent complete rebuilding.
As of Wednesday, more than 1,660 rebuilding permits have been issued by the city of Los Angeles in and around Pacific Palisades, but only two homes have been completely rebuilt—one of them a “showcase” built by an architect.
Pratt noted that the city’s permit calculations include minor alterations and additions to existing buildings.
Asked how he would speed up the permitting process if elected mayor, Pratt did not give a concrete answer, instead saying he would prioritize truth and honesty as “the first step.”
Pratt’s mayoral bid, widely viewed as a long shot in LA, was endorsed by. Steve Hiltonrepresentative of the Republic in the position of governor, and Richard Grenellassistant to the President Donald Trump. Grenell wrote in X that “Spencer has the passion and drive to make positive change in Los Angeles,” the Associated Press reported.
Besides Pratt, the mayoral field currently includes Bass, who is running for re-election; Austin Beutnerformer superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District; and a community organizer Rae Huang.
