An AI-generated ad supporting Spencer Pratt’s campaign for mayor of Los Angeles has been hailed by conservatives as one of the best political ads ever.
The Batman-inspired ad (below) depicts a Los Angeles ruled by an elite cadre of party-less French aristocrats — including current Mayor Karen Bass (in Joker makeup), cake-eating California Governor Gavin Newsom, and vodka-drinking Kamala Harris (who declares that “Bass has already solved the crime”).
Inspired by the mob rule trial scenes in Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight RisesCitizens are dragged before state leaders, asking for help with issues such as homelessness or rebuilding their homes destroyed by wildfires, and are subjected to ridicule. then Hills The alum, dressed as the Caped Crusader, leads a diverse group of residents to the courthouse to throw tomatoes and take back their city.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called the ad “perhaps the best political ad of the year.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz posted an eyes emoji about the video. “This is basically an extreme expression of what political advertising can do,” former Congressman Matt Gaetz wrote. “Best political ad I’ve ever seen. It’s not even close. This ad is brutal, funny and 100% on point,” one influencer wrote.
The ad was created by artificial intelligence filmmaker Charlie Curran (See knowledge of evil), whose previous parody videos have racked up tens of millions of views since he began posting them in January (such as a video depicting TikTok character The Rizzler fighting in World War II). Pratt retweeted the video from his official account. according to SpectatorPratt did not commission the ad (and Curran did not respond to a request for comment).
The video also raises questions about the ethics of using artificial intelligence to realistically portray political opponents without permission in campaign ads, even if the ads are not directly commissioned by the candidate. Author Robert Lufkin noted, “The Los Angeles mayor’s race is capturing the world’s attention because of its bold, AI-powered, highly creative campaign ads — they’re on another level. Is this a glimpse into the future of political campaigning?”
Pratt is expected to face off in a mayoral debate Wednesday night versus Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman at the Skirball Cultural Center (hopefully no tomatoes are thrown).
This isn’t the first time Pratt’s ad has received attention. A previous “They Don’t Like Us” ad commissioned by his campaign went viral last month.
The home Pratt owned with his wife, Heidi Montag, burned in the 2025 Palisades fires. The former reality TV star then became an evangelist for affected homeowners, launching his mayoral campaign. An April poll showed Bass at 25 percent, followed by Pratt at 11 percent, and Raman at 9 percent.
In an interview with Free pressCurran – described as a veteran of commercial filmmaking – said he uses tools such as Seedance 2.0, which is controversial in China. Curran said his videos always start with a funny idea. “If I have an idea and I don’t do it right away and I wake up the next morning, ‘Wait, I have to do this,’ I know it’s going to go viral,” he said. Curran founded Menace Studio in Los Angeles and employs four people. “The Hollywood crisis is the marvel of this decline,” he said. “The higher the costs of capital, the less risk you can take.” “The ultimate goal is to have a film studio and be able to self-distribute.”
