Spencer Pratt will do what it takes to support his family and right now, that requires a lot of extra work after he and his wife Heidi Montag, 38, lost their home in the LA fires.
The Hills alum, 41, explained why he’s been so ever present on social media since their home burning down, saying they ‘aren’t rich.’
‘If we were rich, I wouldn’t be on an app,’ Pratt told People. ‘I’d be buying a new house and starting to order things.
‘So, I don’t think we would’ve shared anything vulnerable,’ he explained.
Pratt went on to remind people that social media is how he and Heidi make a living and support their sons Gunner, six, and Ryker, two.
He continued: [Social media] is how we already made money before. That’s our way of life. Heidi and I have been Snapchatting every day probably for eight years, our whole life.’
Spencer Pratt will do what it takes to support his family and right now, that requires a lot of extra work after he and his wife Heidi Montag, 38, lost their home in the LA fires
They are used to creating content every day, ‘because that’s how we pay for bills,’ Spencer explained.
‘So, especially when your house and everything’s gone, you’re not going to be like, “Oh, I’m going to stop doing the one thing that pays us,”‘ he said.
Read More Spencer Pratt reveals he’s made a ‘life changing’ amount of money on TikTok after LA wild fire
‘I don’t think we would’ve shared anything — honestly — if we didn’t need money,’ Pratt concluded.
Last week, the reality TV star revealed he’d made a ‘life changing’ amount of money on TikTok since he started posting content about losing his home.
Spencer told 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.
‘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.’
Spencer has even been able to use the platform to promote his wife’s 2010 pop album, Superficial:
The Hills alum, 41, explained why he’s been so ever present on social media since their home burning down, saying they ‘aren’t rich’
‘If we were rich, I wouldn’t be on an app,’ Pratt told People. ‘I’d be buying a new house and starting to order things’
‘So, I don’t think we would’ve shared anything vulnerable,’ he explained
‘I have no idea how much money [the music has made]. I don’t know if it comes in cheques or when, but everybody keeps telling me, don’t expect any money’.
‘I’m more excited about the energy and opportunities that come from it. I don’t think these streams and all these charts [make money].’
Spencer said his TikTok experience has also given him a renewed sense of hope, following the wildfires.
He said: ‘Based on what people are telling me, the music business is about touring, it’s about merchandise, it’s about all the things that come with it; that’s how the artists make money unless you’re doing billions of streams, which I’m still energetically [pushing]’.
‘It’s not happening yet! I’m being optimistic because truly, it’s the only way to get through all this.’
The couple fled the disaster area with their two young sons Gunner, six, and Ryker, two, leaving most of their personal belongings behind.
Although Heidi and Spencer did not solicit donations themselves, two of their TikTok friends created a GoFundMe for them – eliciting outrage from social media users who pointed out that many less privileged people had also lost their homes.
In reply to the blowback, Spencer insisted he and Heidi are ‘not rich,’ adding that no one was ‘required’ to give money to them and ‘it’s not a tax,’ via Us Weekly.
Pratt went on to remind people that social media is how he and Heidi make a living and support their sons Gunner, six, and Ryker, two
He continued: [Social media] is how we already made money before. That’s our way of life. Heidi and I have been Snapchatting every day probably for eight years, our whole life’; seen in December
‘Speidi,’ as they are known to fans, first rose to fame as a reality TV couple on The Hills, which concluded its run on MTV in 2010.
Along with the over $134,000 they netted from the GoFundMe, they have also been earning money – Spencer, for example, has been selling his Pratt Daddy Crystals.
Heidi’s fans meanwhile have been streaming her 2010 album Superficial so enthusiastically that her single single I’ll Do It reached number one on iTunes US.
She had a little bit of help from other celebrities, as her music was boosted on social media by Paris Hilton – who also lost a home to the fires – and Emily Ratajkowski.