In a fiery one-on-one interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter Josh Haskell on May 22, 2026, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt delivered a blunt assessment of the city’s longstanding homelessness crisis, rejecting the common narrative that lack of housing is the root cause.
When asked directly about his plans for the more than 40,000 people living on the streets, the former The Hills reality star and independent candidate fired back: “Well, they’re not homeless. They’re drug addicts. Most of these people are addicted to fentanyl and meth. This isn’t Spencer making that up. There is places for all of these people to sleep in L.A. No matter what anybody tells you, we have housing and shelter for everyone that’s living on the street. They are choosing to be on the streets because they want to do drugs. They don’t want rules. They don’t want to listen. They want to have animals to abuse.”
Pratt argued that the city has already poured billions—$24 billion by some estimates—into the problem through nonprofits and programs he labeled as “scams.” He claimed many individuals experiencing homelessness have been bused in by “scam rehabs” and “scam homeless nonprofits” treating people as revenue sources, and that available shelter beds go unused because people prefer unrestricted street life.
Pressed on solutions, Pratt outlined an aggressive plan: rapid construction of large-scale prefabricated treatment facilities on federal land, which he said could be built in as little as three days after meeting with FEMA and HUD officials. He vowed to “unplug” wasteful spending, predicting that many would relocate to cities like Seattle if Los Angeles stopped enabling the behavior. Pratt tied his urgency to personal tragedy—the Palisades Fire that destroyed his family’s home—saying it transformed him from a celebrity promoting books, music, and crystals into someone determined to “save” Los Angeles.
The interview, which quickly went viral with millions of views across social media, highlights Pratt’s surging campaign as a nonpartisan outsider challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. He has polled as high as second place in recent surveys ahead of the June 2 primary, positioning himself as the voice of frustrated Angelenos tired of taxpayer-funded failures.
Whether Pratt’s unfiltered take resonates enough to upend the race remains to be seen, but his ABC7 appearance has thrust the drug-driven realities of street homelessness into the national spotlight once again. As the June primary approaches, voters will decide if his no-nonsense approach is the reset Los Angeles needs.
SOURCES:
LA mayor’s race: Spencer Pratt claims homeless have homes, but choose to be drug addicts – ABC7 Los Angeles
Spencer Pratt Clashes With Reporter Over LA’s Homeless
