If I lived in Los Angeles, I would vote for you
From the remove of Texas, Joe Rogan has lent his considerable voice to Spencer Pratt's 2026 Los Angeles mayoral campaign — a gesture that, though geographically weightless, carries the cultural gravity of one of the most widely heard platforms in modern media. Pratt, a reality television figure turned political outsider, entered the race after the 2025 Palisades fire consumed his family home, channeling personal loss into a challenge against incumbent Karen Bass over fire recovery and water accountability. The moment invites reflection on how influence has decoupled from residency, and how grief, when amplified by celebrity, can reshape the contours of local democracy.
- Rogan's endorsement — delivered live to millions of listeners before he caught himself noting he can't actually vote in California — instantly elevated a long-shot candidacy into a national conversation.
- Pratt's campaign carries the raw urgency of someone who lost everything: his family home burned in the 2025 Palisades fire, and his anger at Mayor Karen Bass over the city's response is neither abstract nor political theater.
- Bass faces a reelection fight now complicated by an outsider candidate whose personal story of loss mirrors that of thousands of displaced Angelenos still waiting for meaningful recovery.
- Pratt's post-interview declaration — that he hopes to make LA so great he wins Rogan back from Texas — signals a campaign betting on spectacle, sincerity, and viral reach over traditional political machinery.
- The endorsement extends a pattern: Rogan backed Trump in 2024, and his willingness to intervene in electoral politics, even across state lines, suggests his platform now functions as an informal but powerful political institution.
Joe Rogan, who left Los Angeles for Austin in 2020, recently told Spencer Pratt on his podcast that he would vote for him without hesitation — then caught himself, acknowledging he no longer lives in California. The clarification did little to diminish the moment. For Pratt, the backing of one of podcasting's most listened-to voices represented a meaningful boost to a campaign that began in January with a neighborhood rally and a personal reckoning.
Pratt entered the 2026 mayoral race after his family lost their home in the 2025 Palisades fire. His campaign against incumbent Karen Bass centers on accountability — for the fire response, for water shortages, for what he describes as systemic failure dressed up as governance. "Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles," he told the crowd at his announcement, framing his candidacy less as a political run than a civic intervention.
The Hills alum, married to Heidi Montag, brings an outsider's energy and a grief that thousands of displaced Angelenos share. Rogan's endorsement, reaching an audience that rivals television viewership, carries that message into rooms no traditional campaign ad could enter. Whether it translates into votes remains open, but it confirms something already in motion: in contemporary politics, influence no longer requires a zip code.
Joe Rogan, who decamped California for Texas six years ago, has thrown his support behind Spencer Pratt's bid to become Los Angeles mayor—a move that underscores how celebrity influence continues to shape local politics even from a distance.
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster and former kickboxer told Pratt directly: "Listen, man, I'm voting for you." Rogan then caught himself. He couldn't actually vote for Pratt, he clarified, because he no longer lives in California. But the sentiment was clear enough. "If I lived in Los Angeles, no question whatsoever, I would vote for you," Rogan said. For Pratt, the endorsement from one of the most listened-to voices in podcasting amounted to a significant boost. He posted on Facebook afterward: "An honor being on with the GOAT, @joerogan. My goal is to make LA so awesome, we can win him back from Texas."
Pratt's entry into the 2026 mayoral race came in January, announced at a neighborhood rally focused on accountability for the 2025 Palisades fire. His family lost their home in that disaster, and he has been vocal in blaming Mayor Karen Bass for what he sees as failures in fire recovery and water management. "Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I'm done waiting for someone to take real action," he said from the stage. "This isn't a campaign, this is a mission. We're going to expose the system, we're going into every dark corner of the city and disinfect it with our light, and when we are done L.A. is going to be camera-ready again."
The Hills alum, married to Heidi Montag, is challenging Bass's reelection bid with an outsider's energy and a personal grievance that resonates with thousands of other residents who lost homes and property in the fire. Rogan's backing, delivered to an audience of millions, amplifies that message far beyond what a traditional campaign might reach. It also illustrates a broader pattern: Rogan has shown a willingness to wade into electoral politics, having previously endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
What makes this particular endorsement notable is the geography of it. Rogan left Los Angeles in 2020, relocating to Austin, Texas. Yet he retains enough investment in the city's future to publicly support a candidate he believes in. Whether that support translates into meaningful momentum for Pratt remains to be seen, but in an era when podcast audiences rival television viewership, the reach of such an endorsement should not be underestimated.
Notable Quotes
Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I'm done waiting for someone to take real action.— Spencer Pratt, announcing his mayoral campaign
If I lived in Los Angeles, no question whatsoever, I would vote for you.— Joe Rogan, on The Joe Rogan Experience
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Rogan's endorsement matter if he can't actually vote?
Because he has an audience of millions who do live in Los Angeles. His podcast reaches people who might not follow local politics otherwise. When someone with that kind of platform says he'd vote for you, it's a signal to his listeners that this candidate is worth taking seriously.
Is Pratt a serious candidate, or is this a celebrity stunt?
He lost his home in the Palisades fire. That's not a stunt—that's a real loss that connects him to thousands of other displaced residents. Whether he has the experience or policy chops to actually run a city is a different question, but his grievance is genuine.
What does Rogan get out of this?
Probably nothing material. He's in Texas now. But he clearly cares about what happens in Los Angeles, and he seems to believe Pratt represents a different kind of leadership. Rogan has always positioned himself as someone willing to say what he thinks, regardless of conventional politics.
Could this backfire on Pratt?
It could, depending on how voters view Rogan. He's polarizing. Some people see him as a truth-teller; others see him as reckless. An endorsement from him might energize Pratt's base or alienate moderates. In a mayoral race, that's a real calculation.
What's the actual issue here—the fire, or the politics?
Both. The fire is real and devastating. But Pratt is using it as the foundation for a political campaign. That's legitimate, but it also means his candidacy is inseparable from his personal experience. He's not running on a platform he developed over years; he's running because he's angry about what happened to his family.