Spencer Pratt says standing next to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at the recent mayoral debate felt surreal, calling her a “real life monster” and describing the night as his first-ever debate experience where he pressed his opponents hard on their records.
Spencer Pratt, running as a Republican for Los Angeles mayor, painted a vivid picture of the debate stage and his encounter with Mayor Karen Bass. He framed the event as his first formal debate while saying he didn’t hold back in challenging the left-wing candidates on policy failures. Pratt pointed to what he called poor performances by both Bass and L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, and he suggested those performances changed the dynamics of the race.
Pratt said he noticed unusual behavior before the debate, including Mayor Bass apparently trying to glance at his notes, which he found striking given the spectacle that followed. He described a tense hallway moment where he could hear Bass and her security, and he used that scene to underline how out of place he felt next to her. Those pre-show details set the tone for the barbs and counterpunches that came once they were onstage.
“What was it like when you got there? Did you have to sit in a green room before you guys went on air in the studio together?”
“So they put me, they said it was the best room, but they put me in the basement, which it was, you know, so that was, that was funny,” Pratt said. “I was in the basement, but it was a beautiful basement. And when I got to come up from the basement, I was in a hallway and she had her amazing LAPDs, you know, security team, all secure in the hallway. And I could hear her voice.”
“And it was like out of a scary movie. So I’m thinking, this is surreal. Cause you know, I’ve never been near a real life monster, you know, this is out of a scary movie,” he continued. Pratt delivered the lines with the bluntness his supporters expect, using theatrical language to underline his disdain for Bass’s conduct and record. His tone was meant to contrast with the measured, establishment demeanor that voters often see from incumbent Democrats.
And so we go out there and we stand next to each other. We set up and they go, okay, we’ll be here for five minutes. I’m like, five minutes? They’re counting down like four minutes. And she looks over at me and she goes, you’ve done this before. And I go, a debate? And she’s like, yeah. I was like, no, it’s my first one. And she’s like, oh, your first one like this? I’m like, no, my first debate ever. She’s like, you didn’t do them at the university? I was like, no, I didn’t do debates at the university. She’s like, oh, wow. And I’m thinking to myself, lady, I’m gonna eat you alive right now. And then I saw that she was looking at my notepad.
“And so to throw her off, I just start writing my kid’s names and my wife’s name, my parents’ name, just to confuse her if she’s trying to cheat off my notepad,” he added. That anecdote doubled as a boast about quick thinking and a dig at the idea that the mayor needed to look for answers rather than come prepared. Pratt used the moment to highlight what he sees as entitlement and reliance on staff rather than command of issues.
The campaign scene shifted after that exchange: a scheduled second debate was canceled at the last minute when both Bass and Raman withdrew without public explanation. Pratt and his supporters argued the withdrawals were telling, suggesting the other candidates were avoiding another direct confrontation after he pressed them so aggressively. From his perspective, the cancellation underscored a larger pattern of incumbents sidestepping accountability when challenged by a nontraditional challenger.
The last thing his opponents likely wanted was another opportunity for him to put their records and incompetence under the spotlight. Pratt’s blunt style and aggressive line of attack have reshaped how his candidacy is being discussed, forcing a race that once looked predictable into a more chaotic contest. Whether voters embrace his theatrics or recoil at the tone, the exchanges have already altered the perception of the mayoral fight and how each candidate handles pressure.
Pratt’s narrative leans on spectacle and confrontation, and that approach has produced headlines and momentum for his campaign. He positioned himself as an outsider willing to call out established figures and to use even pre-debate hallway moments as evidence of a deeper problem. For voters weary of business-as-usual politics in Los Angeles, that posture is exactly the kind of shake-up some are looking for, while critics call it showmanship dressed up as substance.
