'You Had Me at Hello': Bill Maher Thirsts Over L.A. Mayoral Hopeful Spencer Pratt

Bill Maher praised Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, calling his political approach "very authentic" and admitting he was completely won over during a recent interview.

During a Monday, June 1, appearance on Maher's "Club Random Podcast,” the HBO host bonded with the former reality TV star over a mutual frustration with California's progressive political establishment.

When asked if he was strong enough to “buck the unions,” Pratt told Maher, “People think these unions reflect with the leadership. I’m talking to the members. They’re all voting for me. They don’t agree with the little backroom dealing, the little — they want the same things as the rest of Los Angeles, the Angelinos, want. Even though it’s that small percentage, they’re still moms, husbands, hardworking people paying their taxes, having to go to these same parks, go to the street."

Pratt, continued, "So, as mayor, I’m not anti-union, but I’m going to make sure the union leadership actually connects to the people that are in the unions, not this, you know — we’re just being scammed. We’re being scammed across the board.”

“You had me at hello,” gushed Maher.

“Ok,” Pratt replied.

Maher openly defended Pratt, noting that while he expected to dislike the Republican outsider, he came away thoroughly impressed.

Maher lauded the dad-of-two's raw, unfiltered frustration with local government inefficiency.

“I’m just saying on this, I mean on so many of these things, and you just have the exact right – I didn’t know until I talked to you, honestly, today – but you have the exact right impatience with this s---. It’s very authentic, your impatience with it. And, you know, you’re just – it’s good. Just keep doing what you’re doing, we’ll see where the chips fall,” the host breathlessly exclaimed.

The two found common ground regarding public safety, government bureaucracy and tax fraud.

Maher, best described as an independent, libertarian-leaning, old-school liberal, joked on a Real Time panel that Pratt feels un-Californian due to his blunt style but remains highly Californian because he sells crystals.

Pratt notoriously spent nearly $10 million, including upwards of $1 million on a massive crystal collection, because he and his wife, Heidi Montag, believed the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse doomsday prophecy. They liquidated assets to spend the money before the predicted end of the world.

Pratt's campaign gained serious traction following the devastating 2025 Palisades fires, which destroyed his family's home and inspired his run for office. Running on a platform of fiscal integrity, emergency readiness and stricter public safety measures, polling numbers placed him as a top contender alongside incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the nonpartisan primary election.

Pratt, a registered Republican, has been embraced by the MAGA movement and President Donald Trump, who endorsed him, though Pratt himself has pushed back on the label.

Both incumbent Mayor Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman actively leveraged Pratt's MAGA backing to mobilize Democratic voters in the overwhelmingly blue city of Los Angeles.

According to the latest polling from UC Berkeley/The L.A. Times ahead of the Tuesday, June 2 election, incumbent Bass has the support of 26 percent of surveyed voters, with councilmember Raman close behind at 25 percent and Pratt at 22 percent.