The Hills stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have responded to backlash after a GoFundMe was set up on their behalf following the destruction of their home in the LA wildfires.
Spencer, 41, and Heidi, 38, have insisted they are ‘not rich celebrities’ after some criticised them for receiving financial support after their $2.5million three-bedroom property burned down.
The pair took to social media in tears and declared their heartbreak on finding their family home in tatters from the Pacific Palisades fire, after evacuating with their kids – Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 2 – and just a few personal belongings.
Following the news, two of their ‘personal friends’ Brandon and Courtney took it upon themselves to set up a GoFundMe page on their behalf – and have so far raised $135,557 (£111,399) to help the family.
In the description, the posters quoted Spencer describing how watching their family home burn down would ‘haunt [him] forever’ and they are ‘starting at zero now’.
Now, Heidi and Spencer have declared that they are not rich after many questioned why the pair – who were worth millions in their The Hills heyday – should be benefitting from donations when lots of LA residents in similar situations and little cash or platform will be struggling more.
‘Nobody thought we were rich celebrities until three days ago and it’s getting frustrating. Like if you Google ‘Spencer,’ it literally [says] “Broke, no net worth,”‘ Pratt told US Weekly on Wednesday.
‘My net worth on that site that you search for the last 15 years … has been $1,000. So now our house burns down, my parents’ house burns down [and] now we’re rich celebrities, which is infuriating because the media, respectfully, has never called us celebrities [and] never called us rich.’
He added, ‘It’s this weird disconnect that we’re getting grouped in with actual rich celebrities, which it’s great if we were … but we’re not, people know that.’
He explained that their social media and TV appearances pay the bills and support them from cheque to cheque.
While the GoFundMe page has raised Spencer and Heidi thousands of dollars, Spencer reasoned that people choosing to give is entirely up to them – with many donating the equivalent cost of one coffee. He explained how it’s a lot because of the volume of people donating.
‘If people want to send their own money to whoever they want, it’s the equivalent to buying a celebrity’s merch, buying their movie tickets,’ he said.
‘People can do whatever they want with their own money and, thank God, there’s people who want to support and send us whatever.’
Spencer also said his house wasn’t a mansion – but 3,000 square feet of perfection. He and Heidi put all their money into it, he repeats, adding that they also buy nice groceries at Erewhon and their only trip every year is to visit Heidi’s parents in Colorado.
In addition to GoFundMe and Amazon Wishlist donations, the reality TV duo also have income from their businesses, as fans are purchasing crystals from Pratt Daddy Crystals and many are also streaming Heidi’s old music and buying her merch.
Spencer revealed that Heidi is Number 1 in 13 countries, with support coming from Oman, The Netherlands, The Philippines, and Saudi Arabia.
While they were worth millions in the noughties, raking in six-figure salaries from The Hills and various other opportunities, Heidi and Spencer have been open about how they squandered their fortune.
According to People, $1mill (£820,000) went on Heidi’s designer wardrobe, while the pair also hired a full staff, enjoyed expensive dinners including $3,000 bottles of wine, and Spencer estimated he spent $1mill on his crystal collection.
This comes after Spencer and Heidi urged fans to support their grand TV return in the form of a reality show.
Spencer said: ‘Anyone that wants Heidi and I to get a reality show, just go comment on Hulu ‘s accounts. Hulu’s the only one that was interested in a Heidi and Spencer show.’
The TV star revealed that reportedly Hulu have had a show ‘on hold for months’ but told fans they’ll do ‘whatever people want’.
‘We can have the comments section pick the show. You want us to go rebuild in a different state, everyone can vote what state and we’ll go move that state and we’ll do the show [there].
‘If you want us to go dig up our house and rebuild on our old dirt and do like a home improvement show right there, we’ll do that. I’ll do whatever show, but it’s Hulu.
‘Maybe if we flood their DMs and their comments they’re gonna be like, oh my gosh people love Heidi and Spencer now, let’s do the show. So @hulu. Just spam ’em,’ he concluded.
The duo, known affectionately as Speidi, rose to prominence on the MTV reality series The Hills which ran from 2006 to 2010 which follows the lives of LA socialites and the ups and downs of life post-graduation.
After the series, Spencer, 41, starred in a string of reality shows such as Celebrity Big Brother UK and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here before returning for the sequel series, The Hills: New Beginnings, from 2019 to 2021.
Meanwhile, wife Heidi, 38 – who he married in 2009 – has also appeared in various reality shows, as well as the Jennifer Aniston movie Just Go With It and launched her music career in 2010 with debut album Superficial.
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