Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign just got another major Hollywood moment — complete with celebrity donors, a packed Brentwood fundraiser, and a customized musical performance that openly mocked his political opponents.
At a recent fundraiser hosted by legendary music producer David Foster and singer Katharine McPhee, Pratt was serenaded with a rewritten version of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” that left little ambiguity about where the hosts stand in the increasingly bizarre Los Angeles mayoral race.
Video from the event showed Foster at the piano while McPhee sang directly to Pratt:
“He is simply the best, better than all the rest, better than Karen Bass and Nithya Raman,” McPhee belted out. “He’s going to fix this broken LA.”
It was the kind of surreal Hollywood-meets-politics spectacle that somehow feels uniquely Los Angeles — and it also highlighted something many political insiders are now being forced to take seriously: Spencer Pratt is no longer just a novelty candidate.
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
The former Hills reality TV star is building an increasingly legitimate political operation fueled by celebrity endorsements, viral social media momentum, and voter frustration with the city’s direction.
According to recent polling, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass still leads with roughly 30% support among likely voters. But Pratt has surged into second place at 22%, ahead of Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who sits around 19%.
That alone would have sounded absurd a year ago.
Now it has establishment Democrats openly nervous.
Pratt’s campaign has become an unusual blend of internet meme warfare, anti-establishment populism, celebrity culture, and genuine anger over Los Angeles’ handling of homelessness, crime, affordability, and the devastating 2025 wildfires.
The fires, in particular, transformed Pratt politically.
After losing his Pacific Palisades home during the disaster, Pratt increasingly turned his online presence into a nonstop attack machine targeting city leadership and what he portrays as catastrophic government incompetence under Bass and the broader LA political establishment.
And unlike many celebrity political experiments, Pratt’s campaign appears to be attracting real financial backing.
Vanity Fair reported that Los Angeles Lakers minority owner Jeanie Buss donated the maximum allowable amount to Pratt’s campaign. Entertainment heavyweight Brian Grazer also attended the Brentwood fundraiser, adding another layer of legitimacy to what many initially dismissed as performance art.
Pratt has reportedly now overtaken Bass in campaign fundraising.
His donor list includes entertainment producer Jeff Jenkins, businessman Rick Salomon, and former Hills co-star Doug Reinhardt. Public celebrity support has also poured in from Paris Hilton, Kristin Cavallari, Brody Jenner, Audrina Patridge, DJ Kaskade, James Woods, Nick Viall, and Patti Stanger, among others.
That growing celebrity coalition reflects how effectively Pratt has weaponized his reality-TV notoriety into a modern influencer-style political campaign.
Instead of traditional political messaging, Pratt leans heavily into podcasts, TikTok clips, AI-generated videos, meme culture, and highly shareable social media content portraying Los Angeles as collapsing under failed leadership.
Critics say it trivializes politics.
Supporters argue it reaches frustrated voters more effectively than polished consultant-crafted campaign ads ever could.
Interestingly, some political strategists believe Pratt’s rise may actually benefit Karen Bass more than anyone else.
Republican strategist Mike Madrid told The Post that Bass likely prefers facing Pratt in a runoff rather than Nithya Raman, whose progressive activist base could create deeper problems for the mayor politically.
“She’s been trying to elevate Pratt,” Madrid said of Bass. “That’s the best way that she can survive.”
