AceShowbiz - Spencer Pratt has publicly accused CBS of manipulating its interview with him by handing over footage to the PR team of Karen Bass for a heavily edited, "comical five-minute hit piece."

In a Saturday post on X, the former reality TV star and current mayoral candidate expressed his frustration, saying CBS initially filmed over an hour of him speaking from his fire-damaged property about critical voter concerns such as crime and housing affordability. However, he claims the network then allowed Bass’s PR team to cut down the footage into a brief segment filled with clips from the reality show The Hills, where Pratt once appeared.

Spencer Pratt suggested this move was a response to CBS fact-checking what he called Bass’s false statements during a debate about the Palisades fire. According to him, the network’s actions reflect an attempt to undermine his campaign rather than engage with his ideas or debate performance.

“They can’t beat my ideas,” Pratt said. “They can’t beat me in the debates. So they got to try to turn my campaign into a sideshow. People are done with these skeezy political tricks, and I’m done with CBS. They should release the full unedited interview the voters deserve to hear from their next mayor.”

Spencer Pratt referenced a previous controversy involving CBS, which last July settled a $16 million lawsuit with Donald Trump over allegations of deceptive editing in a Kamala Harris interview for "60 Minutes." This allusion underlines his claim that CBS has a pattern of biased editing.

The network responded to the backlash by posting the full hour-long interview online approximately four hours after Pratt first demanded its release. He later shared a link to the written transcript of the conversation, continuing to urge CBS to make the complete footage more accessible to voters.

Spencer Pratt has been residing in an Airstream trailer parked on his fire-scarred lot throughout his mayoral campaign. A registered Republican, he initially was seen as a novelty candidate but has gained traction in polls thanks to a vigorous social media campaign, an implicit endorsement by Joe Rogan, and a strong showing in the first mayoral debate.

As of Saturday, neither CBS nor representatives for Karen Bass had issued a public comment regarding the dispute or the claims made by Pratt.

This incident highlights ongoing tensions in political media coverage, particularly regarding how interviews are edited and presented to the public during heated election seasons. Spencer Pratt remains vocal about media accountability and transparency as he continues his mayoral race.