Aspiring Los Angeles mayor Spencer Pratt has launched a vicious tirade against CBS after he claimed the outlet released a hit piece on him to help Mayor Karen Bass. The reality star turned political hopeful joined the network for an interview which aired on Thursday. However, he was unhappy that the segment interspersed his sit-down with clips from his time during his stint on MTV's The Hills. The interview did also show Pratt outlining agenda items for his mayoral campaign but still left a sour taste.
Pratt's Accusations
'After CBS embarrassed Karen Bass by fact-checking her debate lies about the Palisades Fire, they clearly got the call. CBS filmed with me on my burned out lot for over an hour, and they turned it over to Karen Bass’ PR team to edit it into a comical five minute hit piece with clips from the Hills,' he accused on X. 'They can’t beat my ideas, they can’t beat me in the debates, so they gotta try to turn my campaign into a sideshow.'
The mayoral hopeful, who is fighting for the top spot as a Republican in the very blue city, threatened not to speak with the outlet again if he wins the race. He demanded CBS release the hour-long interview as 'voters deserve to hear from their next mayor.'
Network's Response
Sources told TMZ that CBS did not leak the footage to Bass's campaign and they do plan on releasing the whole hour-long interview. The network reportedly plans on releasing the full interview on Saturday, sources told TMZ. They also denied that CBS News gave the footage to Bass's campaign. The Daily Mail has reached out to CBS and Pratt for comment.
Background on Pratt
Pratt, alongside his wife Heidi Montag, grew famous from starring in The Hills. The pair met at a nightclub while Montag was filming season one. Pratt later joined the cast in season two. Earlier this week, Pratt came face to face with some of his fellow opponents during a mayoral debate, including rival Nithya Raman, whom he cuttingly dismissed as a 'random city council member.'
The reality TV star, 42, left Raman so upset by the jibe that she continued complaining to a local KNBC reporter about the characterization following the debate, according to the LA Times. Pratt's brash debate style won praise as he took on Raman and Mayor Bass's woke policies, with 79 percent of viewers declaring him the winner, per NBC.
Debate Highlights
The Republican made the remark about Raman after she accused him of teaming up with Bass to push her out of the race, claiming they want to run only against each other 'because they think that is what will help them win.' After the comment drew laughs from the audience, Pratt mocked the notion as he said: 'Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house down.'
Pratt has been a vocal critic of Bass's handling of the LA wildfires, which decimated his $3.8 million home along with 11,000 others across southern California last January. The aspiring politician said he would much rather face only Raman in the election without Bass. 'All the unions support Mayor Bass,' he said. 'You think it's easier to run against the incumbent mayor with all the unions, or a random city council member who has been a failure for six years?'
Polling and Predictions
Recent polls show a toss-up in the election before voters head to the polls on June 2, with the election heading to a run-off on November 3 if no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote. Pratt registered at 14 percent support in a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll last month, coming behind Bass at 25 percent and Raman at 17 percent. Prediction market Kalshi gives Pratt a 22 percent chance of victory, surging from less than 10 percent a week before the high-stakes debate.
