Spencer Pratt is “infuriated” by the backlash he and wife Heidi Montag have faced from critics who think the couple is too privileged to be seeking donations after losing their home in the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.
The “Hills” alum, 41, spoke to Us Weekly about the “hate” being thrown at him and Montag, 38, who along with their sons — Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 2 — lost most of their belongings in the Palisades Fire.
@heidimontag What was left of our house.
♬ original sound – heidimontag
Pratt claims the criticism they’ve received for accepting donations is coming from people who inaccurately believe they’re super wealthy.
“Nobody thought we were rich celebrities until three days ago and it’s getting frustrating,” he told the outlet this week. “Like if you Google ‘Spencer,’ it literally [says] ‘Broke, no net worth.’”
“[But] 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 explained. “The people [who] are supporting us and have been following our lifestyle on social media, they see we’re not rich.”
Pratt made sure to note that a GoFundMe and Amazon Wishlist established to help them rebuild was set up on their behalf by a pair of friends. The couple insisted they did not want to ask the public for help.
As of Saturday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised over $136,000 of its $200,000 goal. While thousands of people have donated, many of the contributions have been on the lower end.
“We had no expectation of anyone donating. I haven’t posted [the GoFundMe on social media], but we’ve had so many people wanting to give $5,” Pratt said, adding that the couple appreciates every donation, no matter how big or small.
For those who want to help, the pair MTV alums are encouraging fans to stream Montag’s more than decade-old music so that streams and downloads will help them earn money.
As of last weekend, Montag’s 2010 album, “Superficial,” had reached No. 1 on iTunes, with the titular track also the No. 1 U.S. Single.
Several of their former co-stars, including Kristin Cavallari, Audrina Patridge and Lo Bosworth, have even filmed themselves dancing to Montag’s s videos.
