Bill Maher says he doesn’t ‘hate’ Spencer Pratt as LA mayoral race tightens

LOS ANGELES: Comedian and television host Bill Maher said he does not “hate” LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, as the Republican candidate gained momentum in Los Angeles’ closely watched mayoral race.

Speaking on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher,’ the HBO host told former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that a recent podcast interview with Pratt changed his view of the reality television personality turned political candidate.

Bill Maher praises Spencer Pratt

“You know what? I know I’m supposed to hate him. I don't,” Maher said.

Maher said Pratt’s campaign has become impossible to ignore in Los Angeles just days before the June 2 primary.

“It’s funny because he’s running as a Republican and doing quite well,” Maher said. “Everybody out here is like, ‘What do you think of Spencer Pratt?’ He’s on everybody’s mind. I was asking him about that.”

McCarthy quickly backed Pratt's messaging strategy. “He runs great ads,” McCarthy said.

Maher also praised Pratt’s outsider approach and said the candidate appeared unusually direct during their podcast conversation.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s a nice guy,” Maher said. “What’s charming about him is he has no advisors.”

Maher said he pushed Pratt on issues he would eventually have to confront if elected mayor, but Pratt stayed firm.

“‘No, I only care about the issues I care about.’ So, he’s very honest about that,” Maher said.

Spencer Pratt draws Jimmy Kimmel criticism

Despite the praise from Maher, Pratt’s rising profile has drawn criticism from his fellow late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who mocked the candidate during a recent monologue on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’

Kimmel agreed that many Los Angeles residents are frustrated with city leadership after the Pacific Palisades fires but questioned Pratt’s qualifications.

“Does he have solutions to those problems? No,” Kimmel said.

He later compared Pratt’s political rise to that of President Donald Trump.

“This is exactly what Donald Trump did,” Kimmel said. “The only thing he was good at was promoting himself. And it turned out that was enough.”

Kimmel also warned voters against elevating Pratt to office because of anger toward current leadership.

“Mayor should not be your first job,” Kimmel said. “Spencer Pratt is not the person who should be in charge of that.”

Pratt brushed off the criticism on social media, responding, “Jimmy’s secretly voting for me.”

Spencer Pratt stays competitive in LA race

Despite the attacks, Pratt remains competitive in the race. A UC Berkeley-Los Angeles Times poll released Thursday showed incumbent Mayor Karen Bass at 26%, City Council member Nithya Raman at 25% and Pratt at 22%, with Bass’ lead described as statistically insignificant. 

Pratt’s campaign also reported raising $2.72 million between April 19 and May 16, far ahead of Bass and Raman during the same period.

Bill Maher ended the discussion with another joke about Pratt’s California roots.

“He’s very un-Californian in that way for a guy who’s from California,” Maher said. “But then I found out he’s actually very Californian because he sells crystals.”