Reality TV Star-Turned-Controversial Mayoral Candidate Just Reposted This Shocking AI-Generated Attack Ad

Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt stirred up some controversy ahead of the Los Angeles mayoral debate Wednesday night by reposting an AI-generated ad attacking his opposition. Although his team did not create the video, Pratt reposted it, and it has been seen over 3 million times.

The video by filmmaker Charlie Curran was posted on X and depicts Los Angeles as a dystopian nightmare, run by current mayor Karen Bass in the role of the Joker, with councilmember Nithya Raman, Kamala Harris, and Gavin Newsom making appearances as royalty. In this AI ad, Pratt plays a Batman-like character who presents himself as the only one who can save LA. Although attention-grabbing, it likens Pratt to a comic-book hero without outlining his policy plans.

LA is worth saving. Vote Spencer Pratt. pic.twitter.com/GpQpnfsuJe

— Charles Curran (@charliebcurran) May 5, 2026

This divisive approach is not surprising for Pratt, who is best known as the controversial reality show villain on MTV's The Hills. Since moving into politics, Pratt and his team have posted other shocking videos, hoping to drum up support by showing off Bass and Raman's mansions. He decided to run for office after his 3.8M dollar home was destroyed in the Palisades fire and has built his campaign on both vilifying the homeless and Bass' current administration.

Compared to Bass and Raman, Pratt is already at a disadvantage in this race, having no political experience. His whole life has been on display for years in episodes of The Hills, splattered on tabloids, and in an autobiographical tell-all book. Not only that, but Pratt, a registered Republican, is running in the very blue city of Los Angeles.

AI attack ads are nothing new; their use has risen in the last year. However, in Los Angeles, where AI is a hot-button topic with many artists speaking out against the use of Generative AI, it is unclear whether reposting this video will benefit or harm Pratt's campaign.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 12:13 PM.