On January 8, Spencer Pratt and his wife Heidi Montag, known for starring in The Hills, witnessed their home being destroyed from a distance just 12 days ago.
Since then, Pratt has been sharing updates about his family’s challenges. He, Montag, and their sons, Gunner, aged seven, and Ryker, aged two, have been displaced and are facing financial difficulties.
In a candid TikTok post, Pratt shared: “I know people are like you’re rich you will be fine (Yah i wish). Everything in our house was paid for by heidi and i hustling any way we could.
“EVERYTHING we have worked for was in this house. For the people that are like insurance will cover it. Obviously you don’t know what you’re talking about.
“I know everyone is like at least you have your family. Yes i know but we are starting at zero now.”
Pratt has been more active on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, aiming to generate income from his content.
Despite gaining a million followers on TikTok after sharing his story, Pratt notes that he earns less than other influencers, making just 10 cents per 1,000 views. However, every bit helps.
“I heard that last night at 3 a.m. and I was like, awesome. I’ve never been so excited to get a million followers in a week. I think I would be making more money with my following, and just being engaged,” he stated (via Variety).
“I made, like, $4,000 on TikTok this week, but on TikTok Live, where people can just give to me direct, I think maybe $20,000. So that’s phenomenal, and life-changing. That’s the power of individual supporters, people just backing you and getting behind you,” Pratt elaborated.
“And that’s the most powerful when you don’t have to rely on ads or AI and algorithms when just actual human beings just want to give. It’s unbelievable and incredible.”
A GoFundMe page has been established for the family, which has successfully raised over $135,000 so far.
The page details: “Spencer, Heidi, and their boys lost everything in the Pacific Palisades fire.
“I set this up for them to help them rebuild after losing everything they owned in the fire. The money will go directly to them and it will be used at their discretion to rebuild their lives. They need to buy everything, clothes, food, household items, etc.”
The wildfires, which began on January 7, have yet to cease, with authorities reporting that at least 27 people have perished in the flames across various neighborhoods.
The fires initially started with the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst blazes. The Palisades Fire has since consumed 23,713 acres, but efforts have managed to contain 56 percent of it, according to Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire, another active wildfire, has burned through 14,021 acres and is now 81 percent contained.