Spencer Pratt And Heidi Montag Address L.A. Wildfire GoFundMe Backlash

Although Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag managed to escape the blaze safely with their sons Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 2, they lost their home in Southern California, along with most of their personal belongings.

Two TikTokers created a GoFundMe in order to help the devastated parents rebuild, but the move has drawn backlash online, with some insisting that money should be donated to everyday people and not a "rich celebrity."

Although many celebrities have faced backlash online for asking fans to donate to the wildfires, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are facing backlash for accepting donations from fans after their house burned down.

However, Pratt told Us Weekly that he is not "bothered" by the backlash because he is "very used to negative things" and called the negative attention "pretty standard" for the family.

“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.”

“Nobody’s required to, and it’s not a tax. People can say whatever they want and they’re entitled to their opinion. But, all the people that are messaging, they’re asking to send money, they’re asking to do the Amazon wishlist," he continued. "These are their choices.”

Heidi Montag emphasized that neither she nor Pratt asked fans to help them. “Then our friends Brandon and Courtney [from TikTok] were like, ‘We don’t care what you say. We know people who want to donate money to you and even if it’s one donation that’s going to help you,’” she recalled. “So, we had no expectation of anyone donating. I haven’t posted it, but we’ve had so many people wanting to give $5.”

Pratt chimed in, “When this first happened, that first day, they created a GoFundMe on their own and it just kept on doing great and so amazing,” adding, “And then they transferred it over to us. We’re so thankful for them doing that and they set up the Amazon wishlist.”

According to the GoFundMe, $135,712 has been raised as of Saturday morning through 163 donations. The goal is set at $200,000. On January 12, Montag issued an update, stating:

"We are beyond grateful for the overwhelming support and kindness we've received in the wake of the Palisades fire. Your generosity has been a light in our darkest days. Whether you donated, purchased Pratt Daddy crystals, streamed and downloaded Heidi’s music, or simply sent your prayers and well-wishes, your actions have given us the strength to carry on as we begin the difficult process of rebuilding."

Pratt also told the publication that some of the backlash seems to come from the false belief that all celebrities are rich.

“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 said.

“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 parent’s 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 continued.

“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 added.

He insisted that "just haters" are stirring up drama online by trolling him and his wife. "There's nobody with a brain [who] thinks we're rich celebrities," he continued. “The people [who] are supporting us and have been following our lifestyle on social media, they see we’re not rich celebrities. They see what we do every day."

"We have been posting our life on Snapchat for the last 11 years, all day long. Our audience knows we’re not rich celebrities, they know we just eat Mexican food and we get organic eggs and they know we do it," he said, adding, "We film everything.”

Although photos of their burned-down home have circulated widely online, Pratt revealed that they plan to rebuild their family home despite the cost.

“We put all of our money into our house and our life to build something for our kids to put in their name and every detail we just kept on every year for the last eight years,” he told the publication. “Our house was 3,000 square feet. It is not a mansion in the Palisades. Everything was perfect from the stoves to the washing machines. That’s all we put our money into — and then we go and eat nice groceries at Erewhon."

"But our life was like, ‘Put our money into our house, eat clean groceries and that’s it.’ We go on one trip a year to see Heidi’s parents in Colorado," he added.

Pratt emphasized that any money that he made from TV or social media opportunities was negligible and the family usually lived "check to check."

Pratt added, "So the whole like, ‘Oh, Heidi and Spencer [are] these rich celebrities ask for money.’ I wish I was a rich celebrity, I keep saying I’d be in Cabo right now eating tacos.”

Those who wish to contribute to the family's GoFundMe can do so here.