Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag hit back at backlash over wildfire donation: ‘We’re not rich celebrities’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are unfazed by the backlash they have been facing over the wildfire donations they received.
The couple lost their Los Angeles home in the destructive wildfires but they were supported by their fans after a GoFundMe campaign was launched on their behalf.
Pratt told Us Weekly about the criticism they faced for this, “We’re very used to negative things, so it’s pretty standard. If people want to send their own money to whoever they want, it’s the equivalent to buying a celebrity’s merch, buying their movie tickets.”
Spencer Pratt says people are ‘entitled to their opinion’
“People can do whatever they want with their own money and, thank God, there’s people who want to support and send us whatever,” Spencer Pratt stated.
The 41-year-old TV personality added, "People can say whatever they want and they’re entitled to their opinion. But, all the people that are messaging, they’re asking to send money, they’re asking to do the Amazon wishlist. … These are their choices.”
Pratt also went on to express his gratitude toward a pair of TikTok followers, who created the campaign page for them.
He said, “When this first happened, that first day, they created a GoFundMe on their own and it just kept on doing great and so amazing. And then they transferred it over to us,” before adding, “We’re so thankful for them doing that and they set up the Amazon wishlist.”
Heidi Montag claims she and Spencer Pratt did not want donations
Spencer Pratt's wife Heidi Montag, on the other hand, mentioned that they were not in favor of donations.
“Then our friends Brandon and Courtney [from TikTok] were like, ‘We don’t care what you say. We know people who want to donate money to you and even if it’s one donation that’s going to help you.’ So, we had no expectation of anyone donating. I haven’t posted it, but we’ve had so many people wanting to give $5,” the singer revealed.
Spencer Pratt insists they do not fall under 'rich' category
Regarding the criticism, Spencer Pratt shared that many people think all celebrities are rich.
But he asserted, “My net worth on that site that you search for the last 15 years … has been $1,000. So now our house burns down, my parents’ house burns down [and] now we’re rich celebrities, which is infuriating because the media, respectfully, has never called us celebrities [and] never called us rich.”
“It’s this weird disconnect that we’re getting grouped in with actual rich celebrities, which it’s great if we were … but we’re not, people know that,” Pratt stated.
Continuing further, Pratt told the outlet, “There’s nobody with a brain [who] thinks we’re rich celebrities. It’s like these are just hater people trolling. The people [who] are supporting us and have been following our lifestyle on social media, they see we’re not rich celebrities.”
The father-of-two also disclosed that the money they make "from any TV opportunities or social media opportunities is just check-to-check".
"So the whole like, ‘Oh, Heidi and Spencer [are] these rich celebrities ask for money'. I wish I was a rich celebrity, I keep saying I’d be in Cabo right now eating tacos," said 'The Hills' alum.
