Spencer Pratt Slams TMZ Over Hotel Story After Palisades Fire Destroyed His Home

TMZ tried to land a political hit on Spencer Pratt — and instead may have handed him one of his biggest campaign moments yet.

The entertainment outlet published an “exclusive” Wednesday revealing that Pratt, whose home was destroyed during the devastating 2025 Palisades fire, had been staying at the ultra-luxurious Hotel Bel-Air rather than permanently living in the Airstream trailer featured prominently in his viral campaign ad.

The ad showed Pratt standing beside the trailer on an empty lot while contrasting his circumstances with the sprawling homes of opponents Karen Bass and Nithya Raman.

TMZ framed the revelation as a contradiction, emphasizing that the Hotel Bel-Air is “as luxurious as it gets” and noting rooms can cost upward of $1,500 per night.

But the story quickly blew up in TMZ’s face.

Pratt directly called out TMZ founder Harvey Levin and appeared on TMZ Live the same day to push back forcefully against the framing of the article.

“I don’t live at the hotel Bel Air. I don’t live in the Airstream. I don’t live in Santa Barbara. I don’t have a house. They burned it down,” Pratt said.

Levin repeatedly pressed Pratt over language used in the campaign ad, particularly Pratt’s statement: “I live here.”

But Pratt argued the point missed the larger reality of what his family has endured since losing their home in the fire.

“That is where I live, period. I don’t need to sleep there every night. I don’t need to go number two on that toilet. That is where I live,” Pratt fired back, arguing the trailer remained his address while the hotel was only a temporary refuge.

The exchange quickly shifted from celebrity gossip into something far more political.

Pratt claimed he and his family had received death threats since launching his mayoral bid and said he was forced to hire private security while bouncing between temporary accommodations.

“I’m at a hotel because these psychopaths are messaging me every day saying they’re going to kill me,” Pratt said.

Online reaction overwhelmingly favored Pratt.

TMZ itself conducted a poll asking readers whether the report changed their opinion of the candidate — and the result was brutal for the outlet.

Nearly 94% of respondents sided with Pratt, voting: “No, his house is gone!”

Social media users piled onto TMZ for what many saw as an out-of-touch attempt to shame a wildfire victim.

“Most embarrassing thing I’ve ever watched,” one commenter wrote.

“Living in a hotel obviously means you’re homeless right?” another user posted. “Stationing a small trailer on your property where your house was let burn down and is located in the middle of nowhere is a tragedy.”

Others directly blamed city leadership over the wildfire devastation.

“This is terrible, TMZ. The dude is homeless because Karen Bass let his house burn down due to gargantuan incompetence,” another commenter wrote. “His airstream is all he owns right now. He’s a fire victim. You really tried to do a hit piece here.”

Instead of damaging Pratt politically, the clash may have reinforced the outsider image fueling his unlikely campaign.

Watch the clip below:

Spencer Pratt is firing back at claims he misled voters about living in a trailer after critics called him out for staying at Hotel Bel-Air. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/P1BM1A71zx

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 13, 2026