From Reality TV Villain to AI Superhero: Spencer Pratt’s High-Stakes Gamble for LA Mayor
In the lead-up to the June 2 statewide direct primary election, Los Angeles is witnessing a shift in political warfare. Even as most candidates are sticking to traditional attacks regarding immigration, corruption, and the fossil fuel industry, mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is opting for a different strategy: pure, unfiltered spectacle.
Pratt, a former reality TV personality known for his divisive role in MTV’s The Hills, is leveraging artificial intelligence to break through the election-year noise. By blending political grievances with a comic-book aesthetic, Pratt is attempting to pivot from his image as a “reality TV villain” to a city-saving hero.
- AI-Driven Strategy: Pratt has gained significant traction with an AI-generated ad that portrays political elites as royal figures.
- The “Batman” Persona: The video casts Pratt as a superhero fighting against a “cabal” of Democratic leaders.
- Contrast Campaigning: Beyond AI, Pratt uses social media to contrast his living situation in an Airstream trailer with the mansions of his opponents.
- Spectacle vs. Policy: While the ads are viral, critics argue they offer little in the way of actual governance or policy solutions for Los Angeles.
The Art of the AI Spectacle
Created by filmmaker Charles Curran, the viral video supporting Pratt’s candidacy is less a political advertisement and more a surrealist feature. The spot, which has garnered 4.1 million views and continues to climb, uses AI-generated imagery to depict a banquet of “elites.”
The imagery is intentionally provocative: California Governor Gavin Newsom is shown eating cake in the style of Marie Antoinette, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is styled like the Joker, and City Councilmember Nithya Raman is depicted as a puppet on strings. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is also featured in this “cabal,” shown swigging vodka from a bottle while citizens plead their cases.
The video weaves in local grievances, featuring scenes such as Hugh Jackman on his knees begging for permission to rebuild his home in the Pacific Palisades and a mother expressing alarm over homelessness near her child’s school. The tension peaks with a crass line delivered by an AI-generated Newsom regarding transgender migrants—a line that ensures the ad will likely never see airtime on network television.
A Superhero Narrative
The narrative arc of the video positions Pratt as the solution to the chaos. Portrayed as Batman, Pratt swoops in to save the day, physically confronting a uniformed Democratic Socialists of America agent. The climax features Pratt leading a crowd of angry Angelenos in pelting the royal elites with tomatoes, set to a soundtrack by Calvin Harris and the closing slogan: “LA is worth saving.”
This approach has resonated strongly with conservative influencers. Commentator Buck Sexton has described the video as the future of political communication, while former Florida Governor Jeb Bush referred to it as potentially the best political ad of the year.
The “They Not Like Us” Strategy
While the AI video handles the surrealism, Pratt’s own campaign content focuses on a more grounded, though equally aggressive, contrast. On X (formerly Twitter), Pratt has shared footage of the mansions and large homes where opponents like Bass and Raman reside, captioned “They Not Like Us.”
Pratt contrasts these properties with his current living situation. After his own home—estimated to be worth around $3.8 million—was destroyed by fire, Pratt now lives in an Airstream trailer on the burned-out lot. He uses this personal loss to argue that the current administration has failed the people, claiming they “won’t let him rebuild his home.”
Attention vs. Governance
Despite the viral success, a critical gap remains: the difference between capturing attention and offering a vision for the city. As a registered Republican in a heavily Democratic city, Pratt is one of 14 candidates qualified for the mayoral race. However, his campaign has focused almost exclusively on the “art of spectacle” rather than policy platforms.
The central question facing voters is whether these flashy, AI-driven attacks are designed to convince undecided voters or simply to stoke an existing base. While the “Batman” persona is entertaining, Los Angeles requires a leader capable of navigating complex urban governance—a skill set that is not yet evident in Pratt’s viral-centric campaign.
Looking Ahead
As the race moves toward the mayoral debate, the focus will likely shift from AI heroes and villains to actual policy talk and political posturing. Whether Pratt can translate millions of views into actual votes will depend on if he can provide substance to match the spectacle.