Spencer Pratt’s bid to become mayor of Los Angeles by ousting Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has become one of the most unconventional—and closely watched—political stories of 2026. Since launching his campaign, Pratt’s gotten support from some big-name celebrities, but only some of those people who have expressed public support for him are actually donating to his mayoral run, according to records reviewed by Newsweek.
“[I] will be supporting Spencer here in Los Angeles as we desperately try and save this once beautiful west coast paradise. It’s less about partisan politics and more about accountability and change,” journalist turned podcaster Billy Bush told Newsweek.
Best known for his role on MTV’s The Hills and later The Hills: New Beginnings, Pratt entered the mayoral race as a Republican in January after losing his home in the devastating 2025 Palisades Fire. He positioned himself as an outsider promising to disrupt City Hall and hold leaders accountable for wildfire response, homelessness and public safety failures.
Once dismissed as a joke, Pratt has surged into serious contention. He’s parlayed viral videos and a large social media following into name recognition. He’s tapping into Los Angelenos’ years of festering frustrations with their leaders, and Pratt’s strong debate performance has made him a real contender, despite the uphill battle he faces to become the first person in 20 years to oust an incumbent mayor in the City of Angels.
Which Celebrities Are Supporting Spencer Pratt?
Instead of formal endorsements, Pratt’s celebrity support has largely reflected the new era, coming in the form of social media comments, likes on his posts, reposts and comments on various podcasts that celebrities host and appear for interviews.
Among those supporting Pratt on social media are Vanderpump Rules alum Jax Taylor, former Playboy model Holly Madison, millionaire matchmaker Patti Stanger and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt.
Bush confirmed to Newsweek that he hasn’t donated to Pratt’s campaign, but added that he fully supports it and wants him to win the election. Having been a journalist for years, Bush, who’s cousins with former President George W. Bush, said he never made a campaign donation until this year. He’s donated to his brother, Jonathan Bush, for his campaign to become Maine’s governor, and is co-hosting a lunch with his girlfriend at the end of the month to help fundraise for Pratt.
In terms of the top issues convincing voters to cast their ballot for Pratt, Bush said it’s likely “negligence” on the fires.
“An audit of the waste and fiscal irresponsibility in this city is the top priority,” Bush said. “How about the potholes in our streets and the drug addicts all over the place. It’s a mess.”
Longtime celebrity gossip expert Perez Hilton commented “Mayor Pratt” on one of his campaign ads on Instagram. Hilton is godfather to Pratt’s son, Gunner, and appeared on an episode of The Hills: New Beginnings to try to apologize to Pratt’s co-star Mischa Barton for things he’d published during the height of her fame on The O.C.
Hilton has publicly endorsed Pratt, praising him on social media for being smart enough to fix Los Angeles’ problems. But it doesn’t appear that Hilton has donated to Pratt’s campaign, according to records reviewed by Newsweek.
The same goes for Taylor, Madison, Stanger and Leavitt. Trishelle Cannatella from The Real World and Traitors, Reza Farahan from The Valley: Persian Style, and Real Housewives’ Tamra Judge also either commented on or liked Pratt’s campaign posts but did not donate to his campaign as of April 18.
Other celebrities who have expressed support for Pratt but haven’t donated to his campaign as of the same date are:
- Model and actress Olivia Culpo
- Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Schwartz
- Southern Charm’s Landon Clements
- Real Housewives’ Leah McSweeney
- Paris Hilton
- Actor James Woods
- The Hills’ Kristen Cavallari
- The Hills’ Audrina Patridge
- The Hills’ Brody Jenner
- Real Housewives’ Joanna Krupa
- Podcaster Nick Viall
- DJ Kaskade aka Ryan Gary Raddon
- Podcaster Heather McDonald
On April 21, Cavallari addressed Pratt’s run on her podcast Let’s Be Honest. She called it “genius” for him to run for mayor and said she loves him running because he’s a “real person who is going to call out corruption.”
“He is going to actually get s*** done. He is fired up because he lost his house, and he obviously has seen all the corruption in L.A.,” Cavallari said.
Cavallari grew up in Laguna Beach and still owns a condo in Los Angeles, but is a full-time resident in Tennessee, so she can’t vote in the election.
Celebrities Donating to Spencer Pratt LA Mayor Campaign
When it comes to actual campaign donations, the list of celebrity contributors is significantly shorter. Under Los Angeles election law, individual donors are capped at $1,800 per election, a limit that applies equally to celebrities and noncelebrities. One of the most notable celebrity donors is Jeanie Buss, governor of the Los Angeles Lakers, who made the maximum allowable $1,800 contribution to Pratt’s campaign in April.
Singer Katherine McPhee has given $1,024 to Pratt, with a $524 donation in March and a $500 donation in April, according to records reviewed by Newsweek. She told Newsweek that what’s happening in Los Angeles, where she grew up, is “bigger than politics.” She criticized the issues with public safety, open drug use, traffic, graffiti and the “overall decline in quality of life” for Angelenos.
“While I don’t necessarily think celebrity endorsements are what sway voters — and I’m certainly not trying to become the face of anyone’s campaign — I DO want to support someone who is speaking truthfully about policies that are not working,” McPhee told Newsweek. We’ve had many of the same career politicians leading the city for a long time, and I think people are hungry for fresh perspectives and accountability. That’s what resonated with me about Spencer’s campaign.”
Other celebrities who have donated to Pratt’s campaign as of April 18 are:
- Actor Wendy Moniz, who gave $3,371
- Actor Ninon Apnea, who gave $100
- Producer Jeff Jenkins, who gave $1,047
- Producer Jeremy Latcham, who gave $157
- Producer Craig Plestis, who gave $105
- Producer David Trotti, who gave $315
- Former Representative Matt Gaetz’s wife, Ginger Gaetz, who gave $500
Another interesting donation came from Holly Wilson, CEO of Women’s Recovery, an addiction treatment center in Colorado. Wilson donated $105 to Pratt’s campaign on April 14, according to campaign records. While fans of The Hills likely don’t recognize the name, they probably recognize Wilson’s maiden name of Montag. She’s the sister of Pratt’s wife, Heidi Montag, and found herself on the receiving end of Pratt’s ire throughout the The Hills series.
In 2022, Pratt posted a video on TikTok that there was a time he never thought he’d speak to Wilson again. But he said that she got treatment for addiction problems she was dealing with and had been sober for 11 years at the time the video was made. Pratt said the two now have a “great” relationship and called her an “amazing” mother.
How Much Has Spencer Pratt Raised in LA Mayor Election?
Since announcing his campaign, Pratt has raised over $500,000 and over 50 people have maxed out their donation contribution. His donations from January to mid-April 2026 have surpassed Bass’ fundraising over the same period, although she has significantly more cash on hand than Pratt.
The Republican’s fundraising haul places him among the top tier of candidates in what has become a crowded and volatile race. Pratt’s ability to raise more than half a million dollars as a first-time candidate with no prior elected experience has altered perceptions of his campaign’s viability.
Much of Pratt’s fundraising appears to come from a broad base of individual donors rather than large institutional or labor-aligned committees. Separate filings also indicate that independent expenditure groups opposed to Pratt have spent substantial sums attacking him, a sign that political organizations increasingly view him as a credible threat rather than a novelty candidate.
Spencer Pratt’s Chances of Winning LA Mayor Election, According to Polls
Polling data suggests Pratt remains an underdog—but no longer a fringe contender. A UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs poll conducted in early April found Bass is leading the field with roughly 25 percent support, followed by Pratt at approximately 11 percent, with City Councilmember Nithya Raman close behind. If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary, the top two voters will face off in November.
Pratt may also be gaining on Bass. A poll released Wednesday from Emerson College showed Bass’ support at 30 percent and Pratt’s at 22 percent. A previous poll from March showed Pratt trailing Bass by 10 points.
McPhee told Newsweek that Pratt will win if people actually go out to vote, and she may be right.
If the results from the Emerson poll hold, Pratt will take 61 percent of the Republican vote, or equal to 670,354 votes, according to the latest voter registration data. He’ll also take 48 percent of the independent vote, giving him 659,986 votes, and 6 percent of the Democratic vote, for a total of 1,510,422.
Bass, in contrast, is on pace to win 42 percent of the Democratic vote for 1,260,577, 3 percent of the Republican vote and 12 percent of the independent vote, for a total of 1,458,541 votes.
Pratt’s also shown voters that he’s not the celebrity they may remember from The Hills. He’s a serious candidate who is passionate about the issues facing the city. His debate performance was praised by Dougles E. Schoen, who worked on former President Bill Clinton’s campaign. Schoen said Pratt could upend the race and has an opening to put up a good fight, even if he doesn’t win.
“For his part, Pratt displayed a noteworthy mix of confidence and message discipline for a political newcomer. His attacks on Bass and Raman were pointed, but more importantly, he returned to a central argument: Los Angeles needs a change from Bass’s leadership and the governing approach it represents,” he wrote in an op-ed for The Hill.
A lot of people are undecided about their votes and with the election likely heading to a November runoff, a lot can change between now and then. And the last time an incumbent mayor was ousted in Los Angeles was in 2005, so it won’t be an easy victory for Pratt.
But his polling and support show his campaign is far from the joke that people wrote him off as when he announced his run. He’s a serious candidate that has a shot at breaking a 20-year trend in California politics.
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