Spencer Pratt, the reality star and self-proclaimed “Guy You Loved to Hate,” may slam into political reality in his bid to court Hollywood’s vote to be the next Los Angeles mayor.
A poll conducted this week of TheWrap’s LA-based, industry audience found Mayor Karen Bass led at 39%, with Pratt in second at 24% and Councilmember Nithya Raman behind him at 21%.
That reflects more support for Pratt than another new poll of Angelenos that came out Thursday. A UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll of likely voters put the race much tighter, with Bass at 26%, Raman at 25% and Pratt at 22%.
Some of TheWrap’s readers were wary of the former reality star who was propelled into the race after losing his house in the 2025 Palisades fire. “I am really trying to understand why anyone that isn’t a full blown Trumper would vote for him. The only explanation I have is for Palisades people, as he is saying what they want to hear,” Ian Kerner, vice president of sales and marketing at Fotokem, told TheWrap. “It seems likely it will be him vs. Bass, and that will be the big conversation. Unfortunately, the conversation should be the fact that he is completely unqualified.”
In a feat many considered unlikely when he entered the race, Pratt has emerged as a competitive candidate in the run-up to the June 2 primary election. He’s successfully channeled the dissatisfaction with the incumbent mayor, attacking Bass for the city’s handling of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
His ire against Bass earned him support, but will Hollywood, a notoriously liberal town, put its weight behind a Republican, let alone a former reality TV “villain,” to run things?
The numbers suggest that Pratt’s high-profile social presence and support from some in Hollywood may not translate into votes from more general voters or even those within the entertainment industry. Still, Pratt has surged in the polls and is neck-and-neck with Councilmember Nithya Raman for the second position and a place in the run-off election, even as some close to Pratt have come out staunchly against him as a mayoral candidate and Jimmy Kimmel laying into him as a Trump-like figure in his Wednesday night monologue.
“I love him [Pratt], but we’ve already done that. We’re not going to do that again,” Lisa Rinna, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Traitors” alum, said on a red carpet this week in an apparent reference to President Donald Trump. “Listen, I’m a reality person. You wouldn’t want me as mayor, really. I mean, let’s just face it, I love him. I think he’s amazing. I just think we did that.”
Bass needs 51% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary to reclaim her seat, but after public outcry throughout her first term, it’s a virtual certainty that she will need to go to a run-off election.
Respondents to TheWrap survey stated that their primary motivation in voting for Pratt was to support an anti-establishment candidate and a political outsider. Many explicitly stated they were looking for an outsider to “expose corruption” and address the city’s poor leadership and accountability.
“I’d have to be an idiot to want more of the same,” one respondent wrote.
Several of those voting for Bass stated that their prime motivator was not necessarily to support the incumbent, but to oppose the election of Pratt, calling him a “failed reality TV personality and troll” who lacks government experience. Some stated Bass was the lesser evil, and one said that her reelection would “minimize the effects of MAGA encroachment on voting rights.”
As for what issues mattered most to them in the mayoral election, 27.9% said affordability, 22.4% said homelessness and 17.5% said film production/employment.
Over 60% of respondents reported that they were not satisfied with their options for mayor.
Spokesmen for all three campaigns did not respond to a request for comment on our poll results. The poll comprised 180 respondents to TheWrap’s outreach.
The donors
Pratt has won over more of Hollywood’s elites than many expected. David Foster, 16-time Grammy Award winner, hosted a backyard fundraiser for the mayoral candidate. Foster’s wife Katharine McPhee even serenaded Pratt, singing a remix of “The Best” with a lyric change to “Better than Karen Bass.” Foster’s daughter Sara Foster also donated to Pratt’s campaign.
According to campaign funding data from April 19 to May 16, Pratt received over $2.7 million in campaign contributions. He has received $3.2 million in funding since he announced his candidacy in February. The maximum contribution allowed by an individual to a mayoral campaign is just $1800.
Grammy award winner, David Foster and his wife Katharine McPhee held a fundraiser for Spencer Pratt! pic.twitter.com/l3gLtqdM1u
— ꧁♛𝓑𝓵✯𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼♛꧂ (@heyitsmeCarolyn) May 13, 2026
Prominent Hollywood contributors include billionaire media mogul Haim Saban. The founder of Saban Entertainment was one of the most significant financial backers in the Clinton family’s political careers. He has also contributed heavily to Democratic PACs over the years, dedicating millions to helping Democrats maintain or gain control of Congress.
Other Hollywood donors include Academy Award-winning producer Brian Grazer, “Rush Hour” producer Brett Ratner, Lakers president Jeanie Buss, “Baywatch” and “Green Arrow” star Stephen Amell, WME power agent Brad Slater, Sony Music Entertainment executive Jeff Delson, “Euphoria” executive producer Ashley Levinson and Justine Bateman, among others.
Bass’ donor list does not appear to have Hollywood star power, another sign of the Democrat’s lack of voter enthusiasm. Though the incumbent has been endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Samuel L. Jackson and Jane Fonda, which TheWrap exclusively reported Thursday, her most recent round of funding does not include the same level of names.
Bass’ donors for the last period include actress and singer Jenifer Lewis, Tony Award-winning producer Amanda Lipitz and “Justified” producer Carl Beverly.
Progressive Democratic candidate Raman’s donor list, on the other hand, has bigger Hollywood heavyweights like comedy actresses Lake Bell, Rachel Bloom, Aidy Bryant and Vanessa Bayer. She also garnered support from writer-producers Jack Burditt (“30 Rock,” “Nobody Wants This”), Dave Chernin (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Daniel Chun (“The Office”). Raman’s husband Vali Chandrasekaran works in the industry and has served as a writer-producer on popular comedies like “Modern Family,” “30 Rock” and “The Four Seasons.”
Her Hollywood ties extend beyond her donor list, though. “Severance” star Adam Scott introduced the candidate at a fundraising event in Santa Monica. And “Abbott Elementary” showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker helped put on a fundraising event at Westlake Comedy, where Bell, Will Forte, Adam DeVine, Bobby Moynihan, Chelsea Peretti and Paul Scheer performed a live table read of “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special.”
What are people actually saying?
Anecdotally, Hollywood has not supported Pratt as passionately as his social media presence and donor list may suggest.
In his Wednesday night roast of the mayoral candidate, Kimmel warned that Pratt was just another “narcissist looking for attention.”
The late night host said he doesn’t believe that Pratt even wants to be mayor, noting, “You think this guy wants to sit through city council meetings all day talking about zoning? No, he wants to be a star again. And guess what? It’s working.”
Kimmel suggested that Pratt’s political rise was eerily similar to President Trump’s. Other entertainment industry professionals agreed with his sentiments.
“He’s the same as Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. All of them populists. And most of them not career politicians,” one top talent agent told TheWrap.
The talent agent clarified, however, that he believed that most of Hollywood was leaning toward Councilmember Raman – “or at least publicly stating so,” he added.
Pratt’s own sister, who co-starred with him on “The Hills,” Stephanie Pratt, has said she did not believe he has the skills to lead Los Angeles. In a series of since-deleted tweets in February, she accused her brother of assault, drug use, getting her on drugs and being in a cult.
“L.A. does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor. A vote for him is a vote for stupidity,” she wrote. “He’s just trying to stay famous and sell his memoir, don’t be fooled.”
Stephanie has since walked back these claims, saying she was wrong and that her brother has spent every day since the fires uncovering the “negligence” within the city.
Like him or not, he doesn’t seem to care, embracing his divisive, troll-like nature.
On Thursday morning, Pratt quote-tweeted TheWrap’s story about Kimmel’s monologue in which he flayed the candidate, saying, “Jimmy’s secretly voting for me.”
Umberto Gonzalez contributed to this story.
