Chelsea Handler Calls Out Spencer Pratt's Mayor Bid: Reality TV Isn't a Resume

Chelsea Handler just threw down a gauntlet on behalf of Los Angeles voters, and it’s hard to argue she’s wrong.

On Friday, May 15, the 51-year-old comedian posted a TikTok video directly challenging her followers not to vote for Spencer Pratt in his bid to become the next Los Angeles mayor. Handler’s message was blunt: a reality TV star with zero government experience shouldn’t be a legitimate political candidate. She even drew a direct parallel to Donald Trump, posting photos of Pratt and the former president side by side—a pointed reminder of how Trump’s Apprentice hosting gig preceded his unexpected path to the White House.

“The bar is on the f***ing floor, people,”Handler said in the video.“I need you to jump over it.”

Pratt, 42, best known for appearing on MTV’s The Hills with his wife Heidi Montag, announced his candidacy back in January. His motivation stems from personal loss: both he and Montag lost their homes in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires that swept through the area in January 2025. In explaining his decision to run, Pratt told Us Weekly that the disaster awakened something in him.“The only way I see God letting my parents’house burn down and my house burn down is that God knows it’s the only way to turn me against a system that lets this happen to tens of thousands of people,”he said. He’s framed his campaign around transparency and helping wildfire victims recover what was taken from them—a goal that, on the surface, connects his personal tragedy to larger civic responsibility.

Yet Handler’s skepticism touches on something real: celebrity candidacies that bypass traditional political experience remain deeply controversial. Pratt has already raised $539K for his campaign and appears unbothered by the backlash, but Handler’s video cuts to the heart of the question voters should be asking themselves. Tragedy and good intentions don’t automatically translate into the knowledge, relationships, and institutional expertise required to run a major American city. The Trump comparison may sting, but it’s not unfair—it’s a cautionary tale wrapped in a TikTok.

The race is still unfolding, and Pratt clearly resonates with some voters. But Handler’s call to action is worth considering: when the stakes are a city’s future, maybe the bar should be higher than personal narrative and reality TV fame.