Lisa Rinna told Variety on the red carpet outside the American Music Awards at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Arena that she has not picked a candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral race — and that she is not backing Spencer Pratt.
Rinna, the longtime television actress and reality star, answered questions about the contest bluntly: "I don’t know yet," she said when asked who she supported. She pushed back on the idea she was behind Pratt, the MTV star of The Hills who has gained traction in polls while attacking incumbent Karen Bass over the city's handling of the Palisades fire in January 2025. Rinna added, "Not a reality star, though," and then, of Pratt, "I love him [Pratt], but we’ve already done that. We’re not going to do that again."
The moment matters because Pratt's candidacy has moved from celebrity stunt to noticeable political presence: he and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost a home in the January 2025 wildfires, and his attacks on Bass have helped him gain attention in surveys ahead of a broader 2026 election cycle that includes California’s primary scheduled for June 2. Rinna’s answers came as the stakes of a celebrity-flavored mayoral contest are being tested in Los Angeles, where voters will soon weigh name recognition against municipal experience.
Rinna framed her reluctance in personal terms. "You got me, because listen, I’m a reality person. You wouldn’t want me as mayor, really. I mean, let’s just face it, I love him. I think he’s amazing. I just think we did that," she said, an apparent reference to the recent national pattern of reality personalities seeking high office. She briefly conflated the Los Angeles mayoral contest with California’s gubernatorial field, saying, "Let’s have somebody that’s already been mayor — the mayor of San Jose, or whoever," and then reiterating, "I like him for governor."
The comments came on a high-profile night and from a celebrity who has crossed genres: Rinna first gained fame on NBC's Days of Our Lives, starred alongside Harry Hamlin in the TV Land series Harry Loves Lisa, and appeared on Bravo's Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from 2014 to 2022. That background gives her a public platform; her ambivalence underlines how celebrity endorsements in local races can be both sought after and politically awkward.
The tension in Rinna’s remarks is plain. She insists she is not supporting Pratt while expressing affection for him and saying voters should avoid another reality-to-office leap. That contradiction — warm personal regard versus public disavowal — mirrors a larger question for Los Angeles: whether Pratt’s rise, fueled in part by his outspoken criticism of Bass over the Palisades fire response, reflects genuine voter appetite for an outsider or simply the momentum of a media-savvy campaign.
Rinna’s answer settles one immediate question: she is not throwing her support to Spencer Pratt. What remains is whether other celebrities will step into the civic fray, and whether Pratt’s momentum holds as the 2026 cycle accelerates toward the June 2 primary. For now, on the red carpet at the MGM Grand, Lisa Rinna left the race where many voters start — undecided, but loudly engaged.
