The Hills star Audrina Patridge honestly hopes her former costar Spencer Pratt becomes the next mayor of Los Angeles.
“I’m actually excited,” Partridge, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, May 1, while attending Calamigos Ranch Resort & Spa’s Leading Hotels of the World accreditation celebration. “He impressed me. I listened to some of his interviews, and at first when I heard, I was like, ‘Wait, is he really doing it? Is it a joke? Is it real?’ But he is, and he is very intelligent, and I think that he would make a lot of change to L.A. and he would follow through with what he said.”
She continued, “So I’m rooting for him.”
As a resident of Orange County, Partridge is unable to vote in the upcoming mayoral election. Still, she hopes her former reality TV castmate can “bring back” the Los Angeles she remembers from 15 years ago.
“He’s very smart. He knew how to work reality TV. I know politics is very different — but I mean, he seems very intelligent and is well educated on what he needs to do,” she said. “Bring back L.A., what it was 15 years ago when it was fun to go out. It’s so different now.”
Pratt, 42, announced his mayoral campaign on January 7 — one year after the devastating L.A. wildfires destroyed his and wife Heidi Montag’s home.
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken,” the former reality TV star said while speaking at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration. “It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”
The controversial candidate is among 13 challengers trying to unseat incumbent Karen Bass. If successful, Pratt will join a growing list of reality TV stars-turned-politicians, including Real World’s Sean Duffy, now the secretary of transportation, and Celebrity Apprentice’s Donald Trump, currently the president of the United States.
Like Trump, 79, Pratt’s campaign is already causing controversy after he released an ad filmed outside the homes of two of his opponents — Bass and Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Raman condemned Pratt for filming outside her house, calling it an “unnecessary and reckless” political stunt, while Mayor Bass accused her rival of doing his “best Trump impression.”
The controversy only seemed to help Pratt, who received an infusion of campaign cash from former Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, a bump in poll numbers and an increase in celebrity endorsements. Political commentator and former The View cohost Meghan McCain has predicted Pratt will win the mayoral race.
Pratt’s sister Stephanie Pratt, however, has condemned her brother’s political ambitions, calling him “unqualified” and “inexperienced.”
“Spencer has done great work for the Palisades,” she wrote via X in February after her brother announced his candidacy. “But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor. A vote for him is a vote for stupidity.” (Us reached out to Spencer at the time for comment.)
In an exclusive interview with Us, Spencer spoke candidly about his political goals.
“Winning the mayor’s race will be a victory for truth and transparency, which is what I’ve been fighting for this whole year,” he said in January. “The end goal is the same: to shine a light into the darkness.”
