Spencer Pratt stood in the Pacific Palisades on Wednesday, one year to the day after fire took his home, and told a crowd of about a thousand people that he’s running for mayor of Los Angeles.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling,” he said. “It’s fundamentally broken. It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash.”
Then he made a promise: “We’re going to expose the system. We are going into every dark corner of LA politics and disinfecting this city with our light. And when we are done, LA is going to be camera-ready again.”
In 2015, Yahoo readers voted Pratt the “Greatest Reality TV Villain” of all time. He built his career on MTV’s The Hills playing what he later called “Simon Cowell-style villainy” — manufactured drama, on-screen fights, off-camera manipulation. At 21, he became the youngest executive producer in network TV history. He and wife Heidi Montag became “Speidi,” a two-headed tabloid machine he says was worth $2 million a year at its peak.
Now he wants to run a city of four million people.
The Palisades Fire broke out on January 7, 2025. By the time it was contained, it had burned over 23,000 acres, killed 12 people, and destroyed more than 6,800 structures — including the $2.5 million home Pratt shared with Montag and their two sons, Gunner, 8, and Ryker, 3. His parents lost their home too.
In the year since, Pratt has transformed from reality TV punchline to something nobody expected: a grassroots agitator with actual influence. The New York Times wrote in October that “in an era when influencers outshine local media, to many, he has become the voice of the Palisades.”
His social media posts — which critics say have included misinformation — helped tank state legislation that would have created a regional rebuilding authority. Two Republican senators launched a congressional investigation into the fire response, citing concerns Pratt had amplified. He visited Capitol Hill in September.
A reality TV villain was suddenly shaping California policy.
His memoir, The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain, drops January 27 — twenty days from now. The publisher’s description says Pratt is “finally ready for his redemption arc,” rising “from the ashes of the Pacific Palisades fires.” Signed copies are available for pre-order. A book tour kicks off the same week in New Jersey, followed by an appearance at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in LA.
Mayor Karen Bass’s campaign noticed the timing.
“It’s no shock that in advance of his imminent book release, a reality TV ‘villain’ who once staged a fake divorce to boost ratings and spent the last summer spewing post-fire misinformation and disinformation to pump up his social media following, would now announce he’s running for mayor,” spokesperson Douglas Herman said.
Pratt has been selling “Spencer for Governor” shirts on his website for months. After Wednesday’s rally, they went on sale at a discount.
Before he took the stage, Montag addressed the crowd through tears, reminiscing about the community they lost and the home where they’d planned to raise their boys. She called her husband the neighborhood’s “savior.”
“We need accountability,” she said.
Pratt has already picked up support from Trump allies. Richard Grenell, a former ambassador and current head of the Kennedy Center, endorsed him on X: “Transparency is what we need. Spencer has the passion and the drive to make positive change for Los Angeles.”
He enters a crowded field of 21 candidates. Bass is seeking reelection. Austin Beutner, the former LA schools superintendent who also lost his home in the fire, is running on a similar accountability message. As a registered Republican in a heavily Democratic city, Pratt is considered a long shot.
His Instagram bio now reads: “This account is being used for campaign purposes by Pratt for Mayor 2026.”
His campaign website puts it more bluntly: “Karen Bass’ Worst Nightmare.”
The primary is June 2.