Under pressure, CBS News reversed course and released the full interview with Los Angeles mayoral candidate and former MTV reality star Spencer Pratt.
“FULL INTERVIEW: Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spoke exclusively to CBS News this week about his campaign, his vision for the city, and why it’s resonating so strongly with voters on social media,” CBS shared the video on X Saturday afternoon.
FULL INTERVIEW: Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt spoke exclusively to CBS News this week about his campaign, his vision for the city, and why it’s resonating so strongly with voters on social media. pic.twitter.com/DjXU4SwNVk
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 9, 2026
“A new era of responsible journalism! Thank you to CBS for posting our full interview so the voters can hear from their next Mayor!” Pratt praised the move.
After initially releasing only a short clip of the interview, the network came under fired as Pratt claimed that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, was being allowed to place her thumb on the scales. The full interview, he said, painted a very different picture — and he challenged CBS to release it without editing.
Noting that he had filmed with CBS for “over an hour” at the site where his home once stood in the Pacific Palisades, Pratt said that he had discussed everything from affordability to crime — “things that voters care about” — but that the network had “turned it over to Karen Bass’s PR team,” and what they’d ultimately aired was a “comical” representation that included only a few minutes of the interview spliced with scenes from MTV’s “The Hills.”
🚨 HOLY CRAP! LA mayor candidate Spencer Pratt just caught CBS engaging in ELECTION INTERFERENCE
He says they condensed a 1 hour interview into a “5 minute hit piece” after he WALLOPED Karen Bass
“They need to air the full, unedited interview.”
They KNOW Pratt is surging in LA pic.twitter.com/saBXaIJaMw
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 9, 2026
“They can’t beat my ideas, they can’t beat me in the debates, so they gotta try to turn my campaign into a sideshow,” Pratt said, calling on CBS to release the full interview.
During the interview, Pratt was asked about the fact that he’d been compared to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani because of the way both had managed to harness social media to effectively reach people.
“He promised voters the subway will be free,” Pratt said of Mamdani. “I’m promise my voters the Metro buses, the Metro trains, they will be free from urine, feces, stabbing, attacks — so that’s kind of similar.”
🚨 Spencer Pratt DROPS THE MIC when asked about people comparing him to Zohran Mamdani 🫳🏻🎤
“He promised voters the subway will be free.”
“I’m promise my voters the Metro buses, the Metro trains, they will be free from URINE, FECES, stabbing attacks!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IxXmWKoYRQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 10, 2026
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