Spencer Pratt’s wild 2012 spending story is back, and the timing could not be worse.
The former ‘The Hills’ star, 42, is now running for mayor of Los Angeles. He currently sits in second place in the polls behind Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, with the primary election two weeks away.
Pratt announced his candidacy in January, about a year after his Pacific Palisades home burned down during the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Since then, he has picked up celebrity support from names including Paris Hilton, Rob Schneider, and Taylor Lautner.
Now, one old detail from his reality TV past is giving voters and critics plenty to talk about. Pratt once admitted that he and wife Heidi Montag spent their reported $10 million fortune while preparing for the supposed 2012 apocalypse.
Spencer Pratt’s 2012 Apocalypse Spending Comes Back
Back in December 2013, Pratt said he and Montag believed the world might end on December 21, 2012, because of the Mayan apocalypse predictions.
At the height of ‘The Hills,’ Pratt reportedly made $175,000 per episode. He and Montag were also said to be bringing in around $2 million a year from paid appearances and photoshoots.
Then came the spending spree. “The thing is, we heard that the planet was going to end in 2012,” Pratt said. “We thought we had to spend this money before the asteroid hits.”
The couple reportedly spent heavily on an armored truck, crystals worth up to $1 million, security that cost $15,000 per night, and gifts for friends. They also gave away cash freely, including $200 tips to doormen and valets, as they tried to drain their accounts.
There were also $30,000 shopping trips and $4,000 bottles of wine. For reality TV fans, it was peak Spencer and Heidi chaos.
Voters React As Old Money Story Resurfaces
Pratt later joked about the financial fallout and offered a clear warning.
“Here’s some advice, definitely do not spend your money thinking asteroids are coming,” he said. “The world didn’t end.”
That quote is getting a second life now that Pratt wants to run one of America’s biggest cities.
Online, the reactions were not exactly gentle.
“The ‘hoarding of luxury items’ is probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote on X. Another critic added, “We need serious people running for office, not these clown show rejects.” A third brought up the crystal spending directly, writing, “And crystals remember…lots of crystals… They should not have anything to do with money or being in charge of an entire city. No. But putting reality stars into the government seems to be the thing.”
Pratt has always known how to grab attention. This time, the question is whether Los Angeles voters see that as entertainment, a warning sign, or both.
