TMZ attempted to corner Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt with a “gotcha” story about where he’s really living after losing his home in the Palisades fire.
However, the interview spiraled into a brutal counterattack against the outlet and the city leadership Pratt blames for his family’s situation.
The controversy exploded Wednesday after TMZ published an exclusive report claiming Pratt was not actually living in the Airstream trailer featured prominently in his viral campaign ads.
The former reality star’s ads contrasted the small trailer parked on a burned-out lot with the lavish homes associated with his political rivals, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and councilwoman Nithya Raman.
Would you consider Spencer Pratt's campaign ad misleading now that it's revealed that he lives in one of LA's premier hotels rather than the trailer on his lot? 🤔
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 13, 2026
TMZ framed the ad as misleading after reporting Pratt had instead been staying at the upscale Hotel Bel-Air.
The outlet emphasized the luxury hotel’s reputation and noted rooms can cost more than $1,500 per night. But Pratt fired back almost immediately.
The “Hills” alum personally called TMZ founder Harvey Levin and later appeared on “TMZ Live,” where he forcefully defended both the ad and his living situation.
Hey guys, why don’t they wanna talk about why I need a hotel in the first place?
Karen Bass let my home burn down.
Also 6,000 of my neighbors. NBD. https://t.co/mj1QMW1NZr
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) May 13, 2026
“I don’t live at the hotel Bel Air. I don’t live in the Airstream. I don’t live in Santa Barbara. I don’t have a house. They burned it down,” Pratt said.
Levin repeatedly pressed Pratt over a line from the campaign ad in which Pratt stood in front of the trailer and declared, “I live here.”
They not like us pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) April 29, 2026
Pratt refused to back down. “That is where I live, period,” he insisted.
“I don’t need to sleep there every night. I don’t need to go number two on that toilet. That is where I live.”
Pratt argued the trailer sits on the property where his home once stood before the January fire destroyed it.
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He described the hotel as a temporary refuge after his campaign triggered a wave of threatening messages.
“I’m at a hotel because these psychopaths are messaging me every day saying they’re going to kill me,” Pratt said.
The mayoral hopeful claimed the threats became so severe that he hired private security and relocated his family from where they had been staying.
He also described living under intense stress while balancing the campaign. “I’m sleeping four hours a night,” Pratt said.
Instead of damaging Pratt politically, the interview appeared to ignite backlash against TMZ online.
Many commenters accused the outlet of targeting a wildfire victim who lost his home.
TMZ even launched a reader poll asking whether the report changed opinions about Pratt.
According to the results shown by the outlet, more than 93% of respondents sided with Pratt.
Commenters repeatedly framed the attempted exposé as tone-deaf.
“This is terrible, TMZ,” one commenter wrote. “The dude is homeless because Karen Bass let his house burn down due to gargantuan incompetence.”
Another user defended Pratt’s explanation for using the trailer in campaign material.
“Living in a hotel obviously means you’re homeless right?” the commenter wrote. “His airstream is all he owns right now.”
The failed attack landed as Pratt’s mayoral campaign continues drawing national attention through a mix of viral trolling, aggressive anti-establishment messaging and unconventional political ads.
Pratt recently released an AI-generated parody ad mocking Bass and progressive policies in Los Angeles.
Karen Bass got FOMO. These AI attack ads are crazy desperate. pic.twitter.com/7nJrFISeQH
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) May 13, 2026
The video portrayed fictional residents complaining that Pratt’s policies would ruin the city by forcing homeless addicts into treatment, increasing police staffing and disrupting progressive social programs.
“A vote for Spencer is a vote for change,” one character declares in the ad.
“Why would you vote for change when everything is fine? Stay the course with Bass.”
The parody escalated into increasingly absurd scenes before ending with an AI-generated image depicting Bass embracing Fidel Castro.
Pratt promoted the video online as a “crazy desperate” AI attack ad supposedly created by panicked political opponents.
The campaign’s aggressive tone has turned Pratt into one of the most unexpected political stories in California.
Even attack ads aimed at damaging him have frequently ended up energizing his supporters.
One ad backed by labor groups criticized Pratt for opposing taxpayer-funded housing for homeless residents, supporting larger police staffing levels and calling for reduced union power.
Rather than distancing himself from the positions, Pratt embraced them.
“Wait,” Pratt responded online. “Unions are mad that I want firefighters and city workers to get better pay and safer working conditions? What are they actually … for?”
Wait. Unions are mad that I want firefighters and city workers to get better pay and safer working conditions? What are they actually…for? https://t.co/YlIWG550B2
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) May 10, 2026
The former MTV personality has increasingly centered his campaign around frustrations with crime, homelessness, drug addiction and the city’s handling of the devastating wildfire that destroyed large sections of Pacific Palisades.
Pratt and his wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the January fire.
Since then, Pratt has repeatedly blamed city leadership for what he views as catastrophic failures in preparedness and emergency response.
His direct attacks on Bass have helped transform his campaign from what initially appeared to be a publicity stunt into a genuine political movement with growing online support.
Recent polling suggested Pratt’s momentum may be accelerating.
An Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey showed Pratt’s support more than doubled compared to earlier polling this year.
Pratt climbed from 10% support in March to 22% in the latest survey, marking the largest jump among major candidates.
Bass remained in first place with 30% support, while Raman placed third at 19%.
The gains appeared tied largely to shrinking numbers of undecided voters.
Pratt’s outsider campaign has also drawn celebrity backing. “American Idol” alum Katharine McPhee hosted a fundraiser for Pratt alongside her husband, producer David Foster.
During the event, McPhee performed a parody version of Tina Turner’s “The Best” praising Pratt while mocking Bass and Raman.
“Spencer you’re simply the best,” McPhee sang.
“Better than all the rest.”
Pratt is set to face Bass and Raman in Los Angeles’ June 2 mayoral primary.