The Hills Star Spencer Pratt Dismissed As “Stupid” And “Unqualified” By Sister Stephanie Despite Emerging As A Poweful Force Against Democratic Establishment In LA Mayoral Race
“THEY LET US BURN,” is the slogan that echoed on banners across LA on Jan 8, 2026, as Los Angelinos protested the failures of their City Hall during the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires. It was at one of these rallies that Spencer Pratt launched his bid to unseat embattled incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, whose tenure became tumultuous when empty city reservoirs and an underfunded fire department were caught offguard by the fires.
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Pratt, a registered Republican, has utilized his big social-media presence to become a vocal critic of Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom. However, he doesn’t seem to enjoy as much popularity back home as his own sister and fellow The Hills star, Stephanie Pratt, has emerged as his biggest critic.
Many celebrities lost their homes in the Palisades fire, including Anthony Hopkins, Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, and Billy Crystal, but none of them have become as politically significant as the former reality TV star. After losing his home in the fire that tore through the affluent neighborhood, Pratt became a thorn in the flesh of the establishment – using his online presence to bash California and LA democratic policies on housing and disaster preparedness with a surprising success spree.
In September 2025, Pratt led the campaign against state Senator Henry Stern’s bill titled SB771, which would see social media companies like X face fines of up to $1 million for promoting what the bill termed as “violent content.” Pratt claimed the bill would wage war on free speech, urging Governor Newsom to veto it. Pratt’s campaign, which had the support of X and Elon Musk, proved successful as Newsom vetoed it on October 13, 2025.
In LA, Pratt has also had his fair share of success in upsetting the establishment despite being an outsider. He launched a successful opposition to SB79, a bill that would have allowed denser housing in more areas around LA, which lost by eight to five votes at the City Council. Pratt rallied public support against the bill, claiming that denser housing would impede evacuation efforts when the next fire happens.
“I’m not a politician. I’m a husband and father who watched my home burn because the system failed us. We don’t need more government programs. We need common sense, accountability, and a Mayor that shows up for everyone,” he said in his campaign launch. Self-proclaimed as “the guy you loved to hate,” after his reputation in the reality show, the republican quickly became one of the loudest dissenters against Karen Bass’s leadership.
Despite Bass’s ratings recovering slightly in the wake of the Trump-led ICE Raids in LA, Pratt continued to blame the mayor’s policy of noncooperation with the Trump administration for the exacerbation of fear and tension in the city. “When I am Mayor, I will work directly with the federal government in a firm but humane way with a clear focus on public safety. Violent criminals will be removed from our streets, and law-abiding, hard-working families will live without fear,” Pratt said.
Being a Republican in LA, Pratt’s mayoral bid was always going to be an uphill battle, but in recent weeks, it has received backlash from a surprising source. “Spencer has done great work for the Palisades. But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor. A vote for him is a vote for stupidity,” Spencer’s younger sister Stephanie said on X at the beginning of her Valentine’s Day tirade of attacks her estranged elder brother.
Stephanie made a long list of unsubstantiated claims against Spencer, including being an alleged cult member. She also said that her brother secretly struggled with a drug problem and that he also got her hooked on drugs.
The worst of all was her claim that the father of two was a violent person and that he attacked her when she was 18, leading to her being hospitalized. “At least hire someone with work experience who wasn’t in a cult. I’m WORRIED about LA. I have no problem with Spencer playing government, but our city needs help,” she said.
The 32-year-old The Hills Alum further said that her brother stood no chance at winning the mayoral election. In her opinion, Pratt would make a great mayor for the Palisades if the affluent neighborhood were separate from the city of LA. According to her, Pratt doesn’t have what it takes to turn LA Democrats. “He’s just trying to stay famous and sell his memoir, don’t be fooled,” she claimed.
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While some of her claims are deeply concerning, Stephanie doesn’t offer any evidence to support them. According to THR, she actually shifted her position when fans in the comments section of her X page pressed her over the cult claims. Stephanie and Spencer have an ongoing decades-long feud going as far back as the early 2000s, before they joined The Hills. Their relationship appeared completely broken by 2021, when Spencer said the relationship between his family and his sister was “nonexistent” and that she had no place in his son Gunner’s life.
“I’m not going to pretend that Spencer and Heidi are good people like I was doing for most of the series for my parents. For the shit they’ve done to me recently, I’m done. They’re the most toxic people I’ve ever met,” Stephanie said regarding her brother and his wife while speaking on her podcast. The feud led to Stephanie being excluded from the casting of the second season of The Hills: New Beginnings. Her latest claims against Spencer, therefore, sound a lot like a continuation of the family feud.
Despite these claims, Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign is still well underway. He managed to get on the ballot before the deadline, joining 27 other candidates in the hotly contested race. His campaign is yet to give a public response to his sister’s Claims.
Pratt, meanwhile, remains a potent threat to Karen Bass’s reelection campaign alongside LA City councilmember turned Democratic Socialists of America candidate Nithya Raman, who emerged at the last minute, having been a strong ally of the 72-year-old incumbent.
