Spencer and Heidi Pratt on Extending Their “sixteenth Minute” of Fame With New Podcast and Why They Hope Actuality Stars Don’t Unionize

The phrase “quarter-hour of fame” merely doesn’t apply to Spencer and Heidi Pratt, the husband-and-wife actuality star duo higher often called “Speidi” since they started relationship through the second season of the Laguna Seaside spinoff The Hills. Since these early 2000s MTV actuality docuseries days, the couple, who eloped in Mexico on Nov. 20, 2008, has appeared on numerous actuality TV reveals and competitions, from Superstar Large Brother seasons 11 and 19 to Superstar Spouse Swap, Marriage Boot Camp: Actuality Stars 2, and the short-lived spinoff The Hills: New Beginnings. There was an excellent shorter music profession for Heidi who launched her debut studio album, Superficial, in 2010.

By no means ones to take themselves as severely as their quest for fame, Heidi and Spencer not too long ago launched a popular culture video podcast with The Ringer Podcast Community, a Spotify Studio. Appropriately titled Speidi’s sixteenth Minute, the podcast delves into celeb gossip, the behind-the-scenes realities of making good TV and the way the pair has efficiently made doing so a life-long profession.

“Since day one among us being within the leisure enterprise, everybody’s all the time saying, ‘Oh, you’re quarter-hour is up,’ which I completely respect and respect all these supporters,” Spencer tells The Hollywood Reporter facetiously. “However I really feel like we’ve been engaged on this sixteenth minute now no less than since 2006. I’m not saying we’re probably the most related folks ever, however I really feel like we’re all the time attempting to remain within the recreation. I respect the idea of quarter-hour of fame, and I like the concept of attempting to get a sixteenth minute.”

So did executives at The Ringer Community. “Spencer and Heidi are prepared to speak about themselves and different public figures in a method that few are,” says Juliet Litman, head of manufacturing at The Ringer. “They’re candid concerning the selections they’ve made up to now, and even yesterday, and so they use their expertise to research the crowded celeb panorama. Speidi’s sixteenth Minute supplies evaluation concerning the celebrity-reality area as if it was a sport.”

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How does it really feel to have the ability to flip the tables on different folks and their headlines together with your podcast after making so many your self?

Spencer Pratt: I’m all the time jealous of anybody’s headlines, so I respect folks’s headlines now greater than I really feel like different folks on this podcast medium, as a result of they don’t perceive how onerous it’s to really get headlines. Even when they’re unfavourable. Individuals don’t get how onerous it’s to get a unfavourable headline posted these days. I believe that understanding offers us an angle to have company who possibly different folks wouldn’t wish to have inform their facet. And since we weren’t all the time the heroes, it’s enjoyable to try this for different folks. With the Hefner episode, Marston mentioned he felt like we had been genuine, that he may come inform his story, and that made me really feel good with the ability to have a platform the place someone may belief us. They really feel like we’re not out to get them as a result of we don’t have some picture that we’re attempting to guard. We’re not attempting to play you out.

How do you select your company?

Heidi Pratt: It’s been a collaborative effort of type of brainstorming who has touched the milestones in our lives. That’s how Peter Grossman took place as a result of he was so instrumental in our fame with Us Weekly. We love Hollywood insiders and we wished to do extra of an inside method of Hollywood and conditions which might be occurring. It’s been enjoyable to have celeb company and in addition professionals inside the trade.

Alex Baskin, govt producer of Vanderpump Guidelines and The Actual Housewives of Beverly Hills, has been a visitor and through that episode, Spencer, you mentioned that you simply really feel individuals are so ungrateful now after they get a possibility to be on actuality TV. What did you imply by that?

Spencer: So, simply to be clear, we do assist the WGA. I used to be so annoyed that my identify obtained combined up with Bethanny Frankel who made folks assume there actually was a actuality strike. I used to be clowning once I jokingly mentioned, “I’ve been on strike. That’s why you haven’t seen me.” No, I don’t have a TV present. That’s why you haven’t seen me. However Heidi and I’ve realized this so many instances, the quantity of pilots we’ve shot with huge manufacturing corporations and massive producers, and what number of instances these pilots by no means get to air, when you’ve been in that recreation and know the way onerous it’s to be a actuality TV individual on a tv present, till you’ve been on the opposite facet, you don’t get what a privilege it’s.

Now everybody’s complaining and so they’re like, “Wah wah wah.” Being on a actuality present is sort of not possible. Individuals assume it’s this simple factor to do, particularly to have a profitable one. We’ve heard this expression earlier than: Having a success present is actually like lightning in a bottle. So simply to be on a present, then to have a success present after which to be a part of a franchise is a giant deal. And we’ve seen a lot self-sabotage, all these individuals who wish to picture craft and so they don’t perceive the chance these networks really are. I’m not going to call names, however we’ve been on reveals not too long ago the place the expertise’s like, “We don’t even must be doing this. We must always simply be on YouTube.” And I’m like, “Go attempt. Go attempt to get a YouTube channel popping. Good luck, bro.”

Now everybody thinks they will movie themselves and it has the identical energy. It doesn’t. There’s nothing like tv energy. Individuals all the time say, now with all these platforms, it doesn’t matter. It does matter. I’ve skilled the distinction with folks coming as much as me like, “Oh, love your Snapchat.” And other people coming as much as me like, “Oh my gosh, I like once you’re on this present.” It’s the magic of tv. In order that’s my situation with all these people who find themselves on all these reveals whining and complaining.

Do you assume a union will ever occur for actuality stars? Is it crucial?

Spencer: I hope not. A actuality present is like getting a scratcher on the liquor retailer, it’s a win-win. Actors have a craft that they’ve mastered. Going out and being reckless and ingesting champagne and arguing with folks about petty issues, you don’t want a union for that. That’s known as a blessing. You’ll be able to’t examine what appearing, directing and writing is to having someone movie you having drama in your life.

There’s additionally a motion brewing round NDAs with actuality TV casts and crews from reveals on E!, Bravo and NBC saying they’re getting used to cowl up horrible conduct behind the scenes. Do you assume there’s reality to that?

Spencer: We’ve had an NDA most likely yearly of our lives and I’ve mentioned all the pieces I may probably say about any producer I had issues with, any govt I’ve issues with. I’ve tweeted all the pieces; they’re not coming after you for the $5 million indemnification. And like Alex Baskin mentioned on our episode, if one thing was actually legal, NDAs don’t matter. There’s nothing stopping you from going anyplace. Good luck suing someone that you simply did one thing unlawful or shady to and also you went public with it. That’s actually not going to work out too effectively in court docket.

Heidi: I believe the principle goal of the NDAs, which is what Alex Baskin mentioned too, is to maintain the integrity of the present throughout filming and to maintain a component of shock. I believe that, like Spencer’s saying with NDAs, it’s not essentially to cowl up any kind of therapy. It’s extra to forestall storylines and sure issues being leaked.

How and when did you grasp what makes good actuality TV?

Spencer: The showrunner for The Hills actually was an excellent collaborator. He used to name it Operation Upstage, and I felt like though we didn’t all the time see eye to eye — and he positively was by no means attempting to make us look good — he knew what labored. Like, folks love after we combat and throw this, and Spencer does this, in order that’s the steadiness of figuring out these individuals who make tv reveals. A few of them know what they’re speaking about and in the event you don’t hear, you possibly can be like these different people who damage reveals.

Heidi: Spencer got here in from an govt producer background. Once I met him, he had simply created and govt produced Princes of Malibu, so he was already within the mindframe of manufacturing and creating content material. He was treating the present as a recreation principally, or as a part of an total plan and we weren’t doing that at the moment. There have been just a few staged issues like, “Hey, are you able to please crash this get together?” However there was nothing scripted or something like that with anyone’s relationships or any kind of drama. Spencer got here in and he mentioned, “Let’s simply combine it up. We are able to take over this present, let’s take it to the subsequent degree.” He actually got here in with a plan from the start, and that’s once I began pondering of the present as a job and never it simply being so nice that I used to be being filmed for a actuality present.

In the identical method some assume anybody generally is a actuality star, lots of people assume anyone can have a podcast. What does it take to have a fantastic one?

Spencer: First off, Heidi and I like speaking and I really feel like we’ve got fairly good speaking chemistry and we’re all in favour of what we’re speaking about. Our lives, since we’ve met one another, have constantly been about attempting to take care of a degree of fame to maintain getting checks. So, when you begin together with different folks whose lives are additionally about getting checks off of fame, you’re naturally very all in favour of it. The present is actually a pun or a parody on what we’re out right here doing, attempting to get a sixteenth minute. We’re so engaged with these folks as a result of we consider they’ve information to assist us with concepts about how we will keep on this recreation. All people’s attempting to remain in Hollywood. I don’t care in the event you’re Tom Cruise or someone like us. He needs to be on the prime of his recreation and it’s the identical frequency for us. We’re all thirsty.

I think about you obtain much less backlash from the podcast than you probably did being on TV.

Spencer: Effectively now that there’s the visible element, I’ve been being physique shamed loads and Spotify’s within the feedback part defending me. I’m like, “Whoa, that is wild.” I don’t know if it’s a unique viewers, or possibly I didn’t eat as many nachos once I was on TV reveals. However I’m like: Dang, okay, we’re out right here physique shaming me in 2023. In order that’s a more recent expertise that I wasn’t prepared for since you assume audio, however now we’re capturing all the pieces in 4K and I believe these cameras are actually choosing up each chunk.

Heidi: Yeah, everytime you put your self on the market in any capability, it’s positively opening your self as much as criticism, so with the ability to compartmentalize is vital too. The factor with a podcast versus actuality TV is you have got extra means to be your self. I believe that with numerous actuality TV reveals it’s inside a sure setting or inside a sure group, or there’s an concept behind it, no less than those that we’ve accomplished. The podcast offers us the flexibility to simply type of be ourselves and be humorous or foolish or no matter we would like.

However you wish to be again on TV?

Heidi. At all times. I believe all the time.

Spencer: I don’t assume we ever stopped desirous to be on TV. I don’t assume anyone that’s on TV needs to cease being on TV if their brains work correctly. We’ve obtained one among our greatest dream staff initiatives within the works. Clearly, each present’s a Hail Mary, however this huge time TV exec not too long ago mentioned, and it caught with me, “All you want is one individual to consider on the opposite finish. You don’t want all of them.” So, this concept, I believe that is it. It’s an concept Heidi and I’ve been saying, I can’t consider nobody’s come to us for 10 years to do. After which this huge heavy hitter got here with that concept. So the paperwork’s simply getting signed and if it goes by means of it might all come collectively similar to a imaginative and prescient.

Heidi, are you continue to hoping to be a housewife sooner or later and do you assume Andy Cohen is the true cause you aren’t?

Heidi: I believe so. He made a press release some time in the past that he would by no means need me on it and that I wasn’t for his or her franchise, however I believe that he’s so flawed. I don’t know if he’s only a Lauren fan or what, as a result of I might assume that he would respect the fact star that I’m. I fully make sense to be on one among these reveals. Perhaps earlier than once I was youthful that didn’t fairly make sense. However I’m 37 now, and as a mama too, I may simply go on Orange County or Beverly Hills.

Spencer: I believe the quote I’ve heard used earlier than, and I believe it’s a praise, is “Heidi’s too polarizing for a few of these reveals.” She’d upstage. I do know that’s my love for her, however I really assume she’d upstage all these primary women.

Is there something you remorse doing alongside your quest on your sixteenth minute of fame?

Spencer: I remorse taking our foot off the gasoline. I really feel like in 2010 when The Hills was ending, there was actually a time when the president of VH1 was like, “I wish to offer you guys your individual present.” And I used to be like, “Yeah, effectively, you’ve obtained to return out to Malibu.” He’s like, “I can’t come out to Malibu. You’ve obtained to return to the workplace.” And I’m like, “No, you’ve obtained to see the present in Malibu. Meet our entourage.” I ought to’ve stayed as hungry as I used to be at first. It was a week-to-week grind to maintain the covers coming and to get the chips. It’s virtually like we burnt out. So, if something, in our hustle to be well-known and keep related within the recreation, we would have liked to type of tempo ourselves. We took some years off; I believe we should always’ve by no means stopped. But it surely’s loads.

Heidi: That’s a solo remorse for certain. I believe it was actually good for our life to take a break, regroup, reprioritize, get {our relationships} with our households and all the pieces again on monitor and be grounded in actuality. And I believe that’s what has been so useful for the place we are actually. We had been capable of replicate, we had been capable of work on ourselves, we had been capable of simply have a while, and now we will return in and there are alternatives that may come. We gained’t make those self same errors and we’ll be extra mature in these conditions.

What’s the last word aim?

Spencer: I really feel like we’re dwelling the last word aim. The whole lot’s nice. We’re wholesome. Our household’s doing nice. We’ve obtained a fantastic staff that believes in our success. Clearly, extra cameras. Proper now, the cameras keep at Spotify, I’d like them to depart with us.

Interview edited for size and readability.